Dir. Robert Benton, US, 2007, 102 mins
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Rhada Mitchell
Review by Carol Allen
Benton's meditation on the many aspects of love in a small Oregon community is not so much a feast as a series of nutritional high fibre, low fat snacks, served on the same plate with a liberal helping of sugar.
The wise eyes of university professor Harry Stevenson, played by Freeman, who seems to get more like God with every role, observe what turns out to be an action packed eighteen months of the joys and heartbreaks of love in all its various forms, from his seat in the local coffee shop. He sees Kathryn (Selma Blair) fall in love with another woman and leave her bewildered husband Bradley (Kinnear), owner of the coffee shop. The two beautiful young people who work for Bradley, Oscar (Toby Hemingway) and Chloe (Alexa Davalos) fall into a passionate and committed love affair, which is shadowed by potential tragedy, while Bradley himself heals his broken heart in the arms of estate agent Diana (Mitchell). Diana, however, is also involved in an affair with a married man David (Billie Burke), whom she cannot let go. And even God, sorry Harry, and his wife Esther (Jane Alexander) have their own issues to do with their grief over the recent death of their beloved son.
There are some very engaging performances in the film, particularly from the ever reliable Freeman, Kinnear as the over romantic but thoroughly nice guy Bradley and the very talented Mitchell, while the young lovers are charming. But despite the many tastefully directed sex scenes, this is a very moral, conventional and respectable little film. Everybody, even the two timing Diana and the rather scary Kathryn are not bad girls, merely confused in their attempts to follow the dictates of their hearts. As a model for living a good life the film is full of positive lessons about dealing with life's hurdles, learning from your mistakes, forgiveness and the nature and importance of love. Positive lessons however are not usually the stuff of good drama and the result here is a pleasant, good hearted little movie which tends more towards soap opera.
|
