I have to admit something - in the first half hour of this film I had it slotted into a nice little package in my mind. For all the world it looked like films that I had seen and forgotten before. Look, there's Toni Collette put into the plain sidekick role that is usually reserved for the likes of Jeneane Garafalo. And there's Cameron Diaz playing the ditzy blonde role that is usually reserved for ... well, Cameron Diaz.
Not long after Shirley MacLaine's character was introduced I began to realize how wrong I had been in my prejudice. One of the wonderful parts of her character (and how she played it) is that she did not come in and dominate the movie. Her character had flaws and had made mistakes just as the other characters had done. The film gained an amazing texture as the story played out and there were so many interesting levels on which this film could be viewed and interpreted. I think what I enjoyed the most is that while it was a dramedy there was an emotional underbelly to the film that really snuck up on me. By the end of the film I felt emotionally exhausted (and blissful) even though there were not any specific moments where the film hit you over the head to provoke emotions. Needless to say I loved it.
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Review by IHateBadMovies.comVIP 8BlockedParent2020-08-15T12:24:57Z
I have to admit something - in the first half hour of this film I had it slotted into a nice little package in my mind. For all the world it looked like films that I had seen and forgotten before. Look, there's Toni Collette put into the plain sidekick role that is usually reserved for the likes of Jeneane Garafalo. And there's Cameron Diaz playing the ditzy blonde role that is usually reserved for ... well, Cameron Diaz.
Not long after Shirley MacLaine's character was introduced I began to realize how wrong I had been in my prejudice. One of the wonderful parts of her character (and how she played it) is that she did not come in and dominate the movie. Her character had flaws and had made mistakes just as the other characters had done. The film gained an amazing texture as the story played out and there were so many interesting levels on which this film could be viewed and interpreted. I think what I enjoyed the most is that while it was a dramedy there was an emotional underbelly to the film that really snuck up on me. By the end of the film I felt emotionally exhausted (and blissful) even though there were not any specific moments where the film hit you over the head to provoke emotions. Needless to say I loved it.
Follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook IHATEBadMovies