Reviews
Peter McGinn

Peter McGinn

April 5, 2020
9.0
** I recently watched this movie again after several years and will add just a few small edits *** This is a quiet and quirky movie, and may not appeal to some viewers. Certainly it differs from 95% of the movies being made these days. But what the heck, our tastes are all different, right? William Hurt gives the restrained performance the role calls for, playing a man who has disconnected from his feelings so as to avoid the pain of thinking of his deceased son. He writes travel books for people who don't want to "go local" when they travel to other countries, but rather want to feel as comfortable as if they never left home. His character's siblings are even more eccentric than he is. I won't spoil anything by saying how. I will say that near the beginning of the movie is a scene between Macon and his wife about loss through violence that resonates in this age of mass shootings. William Hurt is at his best as Macon, wound up tight and denying the presence of emotions. Kathleen Turner is good as his wife. The movie has its share of slightly off center characters, in a good way, and Macon’s brothers and sister are no exception. You will perhaps recognize David Ogden Stivers and Ed Bagley Jr. in two of those roles. Geena Davis plays the wild card in this movie, an unconventional dog trainer who somehow sees something in William Hurt's character to want to try to pull him out of himself. Geena won an academy award for her role, as I recall, if you care about such things. Her character is, yes, you guessed it, also eccentric, so that might be a lot for the average viewer to take in. They could have done a bit more with her son, as he almost seems like plot device at times than a character. They might have overdone it on his allergies. Geena Davis is perfect as Muriel, who is at once flaky but solid when it is important to be. Her face is expressive. In fact, without spoiling anything, right near the end you see her facial expression change and show her feelings much more effectively than giving her 25 quirky words. Another quiet difference about this movie is the soundtrack. It doesn’t go the Big Chill or most other movie routes: cherry-picking pop or rock hits to accompany scenes for thirty seconds each and then gather on a soundtrack album. Instead, at certain times during the movie, the instrumental thread of music introduced at the beginning is repeated to stress the scene. It is a nice touch. This movie is a quirky sum of all the quirky characters, so give it a try; it might all grow on you.

Recommendation Movies

5.8
Action
View
5.8
The Presidio
The Presidio1988
5.6
Comedy
View
5.6
Porky's II: The Next Day
Porky's II: The Next Day1983
6.8
Drama
View
6.8
Bird
Bird1988
6.8
Crime
View
6.8
House of Games
House of Games1987
5.9
Thriller
View
5.9
Street Smart
Street Smart1987
5.6
Comedy
View
5.6
Buster
Buster1988
5.6
Drama
View
5.6
Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure
Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure1989
6.8
Documentary
View
6.8
Que Viva Mexico!
Que Viva Mexico!1979
5
Comedy
View
5
Waiting for the Moon
Waiting for the Moon1987
6.7
Drama
View
6.7
Only the Animals
Only the Animals2019
5.5
Science Fiction
View
5.5
The Lawnmower Man
The Lawnmower Man1992
7.1
Science Fiction
View
7.1
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home1986
6.8
Drama
View
6.8
Denial
Denial2016
7.2
Mystery
View
7.2
Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs2024
6.5
Drama
View
6.5
Hitchcock
Hitchcock2012
7.2
Comedy
View
7.2
A Fish Called Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda1988
7.4
Thriller
View
7.4
Promising Young Woman
Promising Young Woman2020
7.5
Adventure
View
7.5
The Emperor's New Groove
The Emperor's New Groove2000
7.3
Animation
View
7.3
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid1989
8.1
Crime
View
8.1
Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs1992
© 2024 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt