Starring:
Peter Gallagher, Claire Danes, Kathy Baker, Bruce Altman,
Wendy Crewson, Laurie Fortier, Michelle Pfeiffer Directed
by: Michael Pressman
widower has visions of his deceased wife on the beaches of
Nantucket. But these are not ordinary "visions" - he doesn't
just see her; they talk about the "good ol' days", and he
even frolics with her every night outside his beach house.
It's his way of keeping her spirit alive, I guess. Meanwhile,
his daughter, also grieving the loss of her mother, feels
more and more isolated from her father. She is unable to come
to terms with her mother's death, mainly because she cannot
communicate with her father regarding the subject. He has
figured out a way to keep his wife "alive", while his daughter
is having a hard time letting her mother go. The father is
named David, and is played by Peter Gallagher. The daughter
is named Rachel, and is played by Claire Danes; and if "To
Gillian on Her 37th Birthday" had simply been about these
two characters, it really could have amounted to something
special. Unfortunately, the movie also introduces us to several
other characters and subplots, and ends up getting too bogged
down in it's own desire to be about something of monumental
importance.
Of
course, there is nothing wrong with a film wanting to be about
something important, but the flaw here is that the filmmakers
treat their premise as though it were some sort of panel discussion
or controversial debate topic. When two of the characters
get into a serious debate over the ethics (that's right, the
ethics) of seeing a vision of one's deceased wife out on the
beach, I waited for one of the participants to crack a joke,
so I would know for sure that the filmmakers weren't taking
this material THAT seriously. (To my chagrin, neither one
did.)
The
story centers on the 2nd anniversary of Gillian Lewis' (Michelle
Pfeiffer) death. That weekend, David's sister-in-law, Esther
(Kathy Baker), and her husband, Paul (Bruce Altman) have decided
to fix him up with a close friend (Wendy Crewson). When David
finds out about it, he is not at all happy - he is having
too much fun with his wife's ghost on the beach every night.
When Esther finds out about David's "visions", she threatens
to take his daughter away to live with her. We also get subplots
involving Paul and Esther's flailing marriage, Paul's flirtatious
behavior with Rachel's best friend (Laurie Fortier), and Rachel's
first romantic relationship, none of which really go anywhere.
The
script, based on the stage play, was written by David E. Kelley,
the creator of T.V.'s "Picket Fences". It seems like he was
trying for half / slice-of-life drama and half / morality
play. The end result doesn't really work for two reasons:
First, when you try to combine "slice-of-life" with a moral,
you run the risk of your characters losing their credibility
and instead, having their behavior support the "point" or
"moral" you are trying to get across. (That doesn't always
happen. But here, it does.) And second, what is the "moral"
of this situation, anyway? I realize the movie is about letting
go of a loved one you've lost, but I still don't see where
a "moral" comes into play here. Yet the film isn't shy about
playing up the "morality play" angle. It shamelessly tries
to make a debatable issue out of grief, and it's just plain
silly to watch.
What
really derails the film are the characters of Paul and Esther.
Both Bruce Altman and Kathy Baker are solid actors, but they
are playing characters that just don't feel real. Esther works
as a therapist, but in all honesty, she's a pretty awful one.
Anyone who threatens to go to court to permanently tear a
family apart, then has the audacity to believe her actions
are therapeutic is clearly off her rocker. Bruce Altman's
character exists mainly to spout off jokes and one-liners,
some of which are funny, but none of which really fit in with
the tone the film appears to be trying to set. There are only
two performances that really shine, in my opinion. One is
from the incredibly talented Claire Danes, who has graduated
from television (the underrated "My So-Called Life") into
feature films ("How To Make an American Quilt", "Home for
the Holidays"). She's terrific as Rachel, the daughter fighting
to come to terms with what is essentially the loss of both
parents - one to a boating accident, the other cut off from
being there for her emotionally. The only other performance
I enjoyed was that of Wendy ("The Doctor", "The Good Son")
Crewson, as Kevin, the "blind date". In one scene, David asks
her opinion on his inability to let go of his wife, to which
she replies: "Well, she was beautiful, exotic, and she died
very young. I wonder if perhaps you are making her into more
than what she really was." I don't know if that statement
is at all accurate, or if it has anything to do with the film,
but it's a terrific observation. Her character should have
been given more screen time.
I'm
not sure if the filmmakers were intent on remaining faithful
to the stage play upon which this story is based, (although
in all honesty, I don't think too many people would have noticed
if they had strayed far from the original story line. After
all, I don't think the play is that widely known), but I wonder
why David E. Kelley and director Michael Pressman didn't allow
the story to simply be about the characters of David and Rachel.
That would have made a much more thoughtful film, in my opinion.
The most annoying character is Esther, yet the filmmakers
seem to accept her "perspective" of the situation as the "correct"
perspective, and that truly baffles me. The movie appears
to say to those who are grieving: "Quit your damn whining
and crying! Shut up, suck it up, and take it like a man, for
Pete's sake!" - which is a bit odd to me, considering that
this is a movie hoping to tug at the heartstrings of it's
audience.
Copyright
2001 Michael Brendan McLarney Critically
Ill
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