Hey everyone, Capone in Chicago here.
Perhaps tired of playing it safe with his Princess Diaries films or a string of powerfully weak comedies, director Garry Marshall has turned his eye toward slightly more serious material with GEORGIA RULE, a story of three generations of women that can't stand each other, which sometimes makes it tough for us to stand them either. And before you start thinking you know how Marshall would probably tackle a film like this, you may want to reserve your judgment. This is a well-deserved R-rated endeavor (mostly for language and Lindsay Lohan's sexually aggressive Rachel character), and while Marshall finds it tough sometimes not to throw in the occasional one-liner, he tends to play things straight in this hit-and-miss effort.
Playing a character that most audience members will probably think is closest to the real her, Lohan tackles Rachel with a fiery, devious look in her eye, plenty of bronzer on her skin, cleavage so impressive it could probably stop a herd of buffalo in its tracks, and legs that seem to end somewhere around the moon. But her overtly sexual behavior is covering up a severely damaged girl, who had to deal with an alcoholic, verbally abusive mother Lilly (Felicity Huffman) and a stepfather (Cary Elwes) who may or may not have been having sex with her when she was 12. You see, Rachel also has a history of being a frequent and skilled liar about such subjects as drug and alcohol use, sex and all variety of rebellious behavior. In her summer before going to college, her parents decide to dump Rachel with her grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda), who lives in Idaho.
Within minutes of entering the town where Georgia lives, she begins flirting (and then some) with the local men, including Harlan (Garrett Hedlund of Four Brothers) and the local veterinarian, Simon, played with down-home charm by Dermot Mulroney. I had assumed that GEORGIA RULE would be a heart-warming story of a bad girl turned good thanks to the quaint charms of the small town and the series of home-spun life lessons handed down by Grandma. But the script by Mark Andrus (LIFE AS A HOUSE and the adaptation of DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD) has something a little different and more complex in mind. One of the most frustrating aspects of the work is that the characters aren't people; they are more an amalgam of problems and emotion. One could argue that that's exactly what all people are, but the people in Georgia Rule wear their dysfunction like a badge of honor. And at times, they use it as an excuse to overact.
Huffman is the main offender here, with a steady stream of anger and waterworks, which operate separately and in tandem throughout the film. Lohan is surprisingly strong, and I still maintain that if she lives to see 30, she'll be one of the best actresses working. Aside from her undeniable physical attributes, she's extremely convincing as a young woman using sex more as a means of distancing herself from people and reality rather than bringing her closer to them. Her performance is unflinching, bordering on brave. And Fonda, well, she runs rings around her costars. Sure, she's got most of the jokes and moral platitudes, but she also has a sailor's mouth on her when she needs it. You'd think that a film by Garry Marshall set in a small town would features a host of colorful townsfolk to liven things up, and you'd be completely wrong. It's as if Marshall watched his old films and made a point not to repeat himself.
GEORGIA RULE is uneven at worst, but even its flaws are interesting to watch. And when it works, it can be quite moving, and not in a tear-jerking way but more in a "Wow, I can't believe she/he just said/did that" way. I can't entirely fault a film for trying to do something a little different, even when it doesn't always work. And while things more or less seem to end well for the women, there is certainly no guarantee that things will stay well off forever. Their work looking out for each other and themselves is just beginning. All jokes aside, Lohan should be making these kinds of movies -- the ones in which she plays a fully realized adult -- a lot more often. And let's hope that Mr. Marshall is showing signs of maturing at age 72. This film represents a step in a much-needed direction for both.
Capone
