By Kim Voynar Voynar@moviecitynews.com
Femme Films of the Week — 10/24/2008
Femme Films of the Week — It’s a good week for femme films, with three solid female-led films in theaters now on my “recommended” list, and several other offerings you might find worth catching.
Recommended:
Happy-Go-Lucky**** — Mike Leigh’s latest film, starring Sally Hawkins in an effervescent performance as a charming, bubbly schoolteacher whose upbeat world view is challenged by her relationship with a surly driving instructor (Eddie Marsan). Standout performances by both Hawkins and Marsan make this immensely enjoyable film one to catch.
I’ve Loved You So Long **** 1/2 — Pay no attention to anyone who tells you this film is over-rated. This is, quite simply, one of the best films of the year, with powerhouse turns by both Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein as sisters reunited after the older (Thomas) is released from prison after a lengthy sentence. Scott Thomas will haunt you long after the closing credits roll.
Rachel Getting Married **** — Another film about sisters, this own starring Anne Hathaway, cast way against type as a drug addicted, perpetual screw-up released from rehab to attend her sister Rachel’s (Rosemarie Dewitt) wedding, stirring up a boiling cauldron of unresolved familial conflict, grief and resentment. Screenwriter Jenny Lumet’s script is raw, honest, and deeply stirring, and Hathaway, far removed from her Princess Diaries days, is a revelation, as is Rosemarie Dewitt. Must see.
Also playing:
The Secret Life of Bees**
Nights at Rodanthe
The Duchess*
The Women
Trouble the Water ***
The Longshots
Mamma Mia!
High School Musical 3 ** 1/2
And also … while I wouldn’t recommend this film to an adult cinephile looking for a great film this weekend, if you have a tween or teen girl in your life, I highly recommend taking them to see High School Musical 3, for its positive portrayal of smart girls heading toward college and the future, and for its unusual (for Hollywood) showcasing of girls who don’t look like anorexic models in prominent roles, singing, dancing and looking good.
Note: films with no stars are those that I have NOT seen and therefore have no recommendation one way or the other.