When Birdee Pruitt (Sandra Bullock) learns
on national TV that her best friend is having an
affair with her husband, Bill (Michael Pare),
her life, as she knows it, falls apart. So, after
shredding Bill's shirts and smashing all the
windows in their house, and with daughter
Bernice (Mae Whitman) in tow, she heads
home to mom and the sleepy town of
Smithville, Texas. There she rebuilds not only
her self-esteem but also the emotional ties to
her parents Ramona (Gena Rowlands) and
Harry (James N. Harrell). And whenever she
gets down, in steps the local hunk Justin
Matisse (Harry Connick, Jr.) bringing her as
much TLC as she can handle.
Gena Rowlands paints a lovely portrait of Ramona, Birdee's slightly eccentric mother who holds the family together with her warmth and humor. Harry Connick Jr. creates in Justin a charismatic, would-be suitor. But it would have been interesting to learn more about his early career and obvious skills as an architect. Cameron Finley is simply super as Birdee's nephew Travis who amuses himself and his grandmother by dressing up as different animals. His is a very natural performance.
Birdee' s daughter, however, is very wooden. This is partly the fault of the script which endows her with no childish intuition or empathy. Bernice is not very likeable, so there are few touching scenes between parent and child. The script also leaves Birdee and Bernice wallowing in self pity far too long, ruining the momentum in the second half of the movie and causing hope to sink. Starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., Gena Rowlands, Cameron Finley and Mae Whitman. Directed by Forest Whitaker. Written by Steven Rogers. Produced by Lynda Obst. A Fox release. Drama. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements. Running time: 110 min.
Gena Rowlands paints a lovely portrait of Ramona, Birdee's slightly eccentric mother who holds the family together with her warmth and humor. Harry Connick Jr. creates in Justin a charismatic, would-be suitor. But it would have been interesting to learn more about his early career and obvious skills as an architect. Cameron Finley is simply super as Birdee's nephew Travis who amuses himself and his grandmother by dressing up as different animals. His is a very natural performance.
Birdee' s daughter, however, is very wooden. This is partly the fault of the script which endows her with no childish intuition or empathy. Bernice is not very likeable, so there are few touching scenes between parent and child. The script also leaves Birdee and Bernice wallowing in self pity far too long, ruining the momentum in the second half of the movie and causing hope to sink. Starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., Gena Rowlands, Cameron Finley and Mae Whitman. Directed by Forest Whitaker. Written by Steven Rogers. Produced by Lynda Obst. A Fox release. Drama. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements. Running time: 110 min.
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