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| STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED |
| Unmissable |
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| Excellent |
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| Good |
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| Poor |
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| Tragic |
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| FILM DETAILS | Certificate
12A | | Cast
Meryl Streep
Toni Collette
Claire Danes
Vanessa Redgrave
Natasha Richardson
Glenn Close
Patrick Wilson
Hugh Dancy
Mamie Gummer. | | Directors
Lajos Koltai. | | Screenwriters
Susan Minot
Michael Cunningham. | | Running Time
117 minutes |
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Evening
(Don't) watch with mother
Plot
As Ann Grant (Redgrave) lays dying, she remembers the defining romance of her youth. Review
This multi-generational chick-flick features mother-daughters Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson and Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer (as the same character) alongside Glenn Close and Eileen Atkins.
As aged Ann (Redgrave) is dying, cared for by her daughters (Toni Collette and Richardson) and nurse (Atkins), she drifts between present and past, haunted by a fateful summer in the 1950s when she was Claire Danes and one side in a tragic love triangle.
Between flashbacks, mother and daughters wrestle with the meaning of life, love, desire, death and whatnot. But it’s Hugh Dancy who steals the otherwise drearily pretentious (if well-dressed) film, as young Ann’s best friend.
Verdict
This multi-generational chick flick may be blessed with a stellar cast but unfortunately errs on the pretentious side.
Reviewed by Angie Errigo
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Average user rating for Evening
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| | Thought it was a beautifully made movie with great cast. Deserves more than two stars!! ... More | | | Posted by FanaticalAboutFilm at 15:13, 28 November 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | Reappraisal | | In retrospect, and after a second viewing there are some major flaws in the screenwriting here that makes this actually a fairly unpleasant experience. The attempts to ensure characters are flawed, misfire enormously here, Redgrave's older Ann is a borderline offensive depiction of terminal illness, whilst Danes' younger version is an unlikeable character; self important and seeming oblivious to the feelings of those around her. Patrick Wilson's token hunk role is a waste of talent, with Wilson ... More | | | Posted by killervideotape at 12:29, 02 July 2008 | Report This Post | |
| | | :( | | A beautlfully made, and entirely devastating film. ... More | | | Posted by killervideotape at 01:02, 31 January 2008 | Report This Post | |
| | | Enriching | | A stellar cast delivers abundantly. The story seamlessly switches from the present to the past. Themes are developed and followed. Yes it's sweet and sentimental at times, but that's not a failing. A film to stir the heart and the mind too. Only the weak character of Buddy undermines the films impact. ... More | | | Posted by FlexDream at 02:43, 30 September 2007 | Report This Post | |
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