Customer Reviews

Bonneville

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

BONNEVILLE creeps up on the viewer. It is a solid marriage of light comedy and sentiment and the somewhat slight story is brought to life by the natural gifts of a trio of superb actors. Why it did not find popularity in the theaters is probably due to the topic of death and the cast of 'older actresses', but it is a solid little film that deserves more attention.

Arvilla (Jessica Lange) has lost her husband of 20 years and promised to scatter his ashes over places the couple loved. Her step daughter Francine (Christine Baranski) demands the 'ashes' be buried next to her mother's grave in Santa Barbara, threatening her stepmother with eviction from her Pocatello, Idaho home if Arvilla doesn't comply. Two of Arvilla's friends - the restless widow Margene (Kathy Bates) and the oh-so-Mormon Carol (Joan Allen) support their friend and plan to fly with Arvilla to take the ashes to Santa Barbara. But circumstances begin to change when the threesome bond tightly and decide to take Arvilla's husband's old Bonneville on a road trip to California. From here on the film is a Road Trip - a time when the three women learn lessons about life and death and love and compassion from each other - and from a young hitchhiker Bo (Victor Rasuk of 'Saving Victor Vargas', 'Stop-Loss' etc) and trucker Emmett (Tom Skirrett). The trip from Idaho to California passes through some of the Southwest's most beautiful scenery, places once shared by Arvilla and her late husband, and slowly the urn of ashes is distributed along the way to the dreaded Santa Barbara funeral.

Christopher N. Rowley directs this sweet story by Daniel D. Davis with great respect for the gifts of the three fine actors, allowing them to show us just why they remain some of our finest talent on the screen. It is not a great film, but it has such a fine heart that we can relax and just ride along with it. Grady Harp, July 08

Bonneville is that rarest of gems; an intelligent, wonderful movie that stars women over the age of 50. Jessica Lange plays Arvilla, a recently widowed woman who has promised to deliver her husband's ashes to her hostile step-daughter, Francine (Christine Baranski) in California. Her two friends, played by Kathy Bates and Joan Allen, won't let her make the trip alone. They set out in Arvilla's late husband's Bonneville convertible intending to drive to the airport, but Arvilla changes her mind and decides to drive to some of her late husband's favorite places. This is a great road trip/female buddy movie with flawless performances, beautiful scenery, laughter and tears, even a little romance mixed in along the way. Bonneville only recieved limited release in theaters apparently because of the common Hollywood belief that people only want to see movies that are loaded with special effects and violence. So, even if you've never heard of this movie, buy it! You won't be disappointed.

I picked up this movie through Netflix as a recommedation for liking Kathy Bates. I'd never heard of it, but I'm a sap for "Thelma and Louise" type movies so I gave it a try. And I'm glad I did.

Thelma and Louise fans will definitely relate to this one, despite there being three ladies in the convertible this time. The similarities are astounding...right down to them picking up a cute hitch hiker and coming into possession of a lot of money, and wearing the signature scarves and sunglasses with the top down. But, Bonneville definitely stands on its own and has it's own completely different storyline.

Yeah, it's a bit of a sappy movie. Two women driving cross country with their recently widowed sister to deliver her dead husband's ashes to his demanding daughter (a small part played by Baranski). But anyone who has lost a loved one, or possibly had to deal with overbearing family members who weren't always around when the person was living, will definitely relate.

The ending is completely predictable, and plays out just as I expected it would but with a nice simple twist at the end. But just as the overall theme of the movie resonates, sometimes it is more important to just throw up your hands, shrug it off, and accept what life hands to you today. You'll always have your memories, and no one can take that away from you.

A true gem of a movie that will make you laugh and cry, and an all star cast that does it justice!!

Armed with an amazing cast and a sweet story line, Bonneville, hits the road with the sudden death of Arvilla's (Jessica Lange) husband and the demand by his snotty daughter that his ashes be delivered to his memorial ceremony several states away. Arvilla is not ready to give him up and feels a little overwhelmed so her friends insist on flying with her. Plans change enroute and the journey becomes a road trip in Arvilla's classic convertible. Arvilla and her friends discover far more about each other and themselves and begin to glimpse that there is hope even when the summer of life turns into autumn.

A definite girlfriend flick with a more mature angle than the usual offering. Flashes of giddiness, heartfelt conversation, poignant situations, horrible moments and sweet acceptance fill the film. The slower pace and the people along the way, the experiences that cement the friends, and the resolution make for some thought-provoking viewing. Bonneville is squeaky clean and entertaining. After all two Mormon ladies and a recent widow can't get into too much trouble, right?

A road trip film with three ladies finding their way to the California coast from Utah. The audience appeal on this one is apparent and I don't think it will disappoint my "lady-flick" customers in any way. The performances are fine, the story is fair - but I have to say the strengths of this film are the locations and the car.

Lake Powell, the salt flats and Bryce NP, coupled with the desert vistas and Calif. coast make for great backdrops, especially when visited in a classic convertible. Technically, the movie is flawed in a variety of ways, including strange plot points; the hitchhiker seemed like he was hiding something else but never alluded to it, the unanswered actions of Joan Allen's character re: the phone, the obvious car changes, unended or walked-into dialogue points, dialogue errors (eulogy made him over 80 years old but in the deleted pics he was obviously 50-60), Skerrit's magical truck change, etc.

The deleted scenes help with some of those issues, I wish they would have all been in the film. The alternate opening was much better and would have helped the film make more sense regarding their marriage. The docu is another "I loved working with everyone" cut, and did provide a little into the Mormon angle for Joan's character. The alternate endings had much more closure, but overall they were having fun making the film and it shows.

Good for a Sunday sit down or ladies night watching feel-good movies.

This is one of the more cynical chick flicks, designed for Oprah lovers and readers of Soap Opera Daily. The three female leads do a fine job; it's not easy to be giggling 13-year-olds while middle aged. But the script is so pathetically weak, predictable, and tear-stained that so sensible person should find it attractive.

That's the longest 93 minutes I've lived through in quite some time. And even the price of the DVD, $1.98, was way too high.

This is an OK movie, not great but something nice to have on in the background while you are doing your stuff around the house.

The movie is formulaic with the typical best friends helping a grieving widow. After having been married for 20+ years, Arvilla has lost her husband. One of his dying wishes was to have his ashes spread over the places that he loved; this does not sit well Arvilla's stepdaughter who wants her "daddy" to be interred next to her mother. Throwing salt in the wound, if Arvilla does not comply, nasty stepdaughter will take the family home away from her.

Instead of flying from Pocatello, Idaho to Santa Barbara, California they decide to take the late husband's Bonneville on a cross county excursion stopping in the places that dear dead husband enjoyed. Funny, apparently there are no freeways from Pocatello to Santa Barbara since they seem to be in some rather out of the way gas stations.

After arriving late for the funeral with guilty looks on their faces, the ashes are finally presented to wicked stepdaughter only there is quite a funny surprise when the ashes are accidently spilled. Actually, that is the best part of the movie.

There are a couple of things that just did not make sense in this movie - Why was it necessary to make reference to a characters Mormonism when in fact they just made fun of the customs of that religion throughout the movie. How did the truck driver find them at yet another out of the way gas station driving a little blue truck instead of his 18-wheeler?

The little things here and there drove me crazy. I guess if you are looking for mindless entertainment this would suffice, but if you are hoping for something to dig your teeth into, this just is not it.

Arvilla husband Joe has recently died during a trip to Borneo, and his ashes have just arrived at her home in Pocatello, ID. Though Joe had previously specified in his will that he would like his ashes scattered by his beloved wife, the well-intending Arvilla soon becomes locked in a heated battle of wills with Francine, Joe's well-to-do daughter from a previous marriage. Francine is determined to see her father laid to rest next to her mother in Santa Barbara, and she's threatened to sell the house that her father and Arvilla have lived in since marrying to ensure that she gets her way. A light comedy and sentiment and the somewhat slight story brought to life by the natural gifts of a trio of superb actors. The movie is definitely enjoyable but drags in the center.

Watched "Bonneville" movie while in a mountain cabin theatre room with several Red Hat Society Memebers! Would recommend it!

I rented this movie because I grew up watching these wonderful actresses and am a big fan of all of them ... I wasn't disappointed ... this is a warm & touching film that engrossed me more as it went on ... at times a little slow, but nevertheless, intriguing ... It is well worth watching, if not alone for Joan Allen's wonderful performance as the "straight" but good-hearted friend, not to mention Kathy Bates' usual greatness ...