Customer Reviews

Georgia Rule (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Viewing GEORGIA RULE recently I flashed back on a passage from Salinger's FRANNY AND ZOOEY (which I had recently re-read). There is a passage in that book in which a young television actor, speaks disparagingly of scripts that are "courageous," without their necessarily being particularly good. What he's talking about, of course, is the kind of drama that is supposed to be risky and challenging, a bit off beat maybe. "Edgy" might be the current word. That's precisely the kind of dramatic work GEORGIA RULE tries to be. You can just imagine the filmmakers patting themselves (and each other) on the back, congratulating themselves on their frankness and daring.

This is a movie that wants to say SO MUCH--to bravely go where no screenwriter (or director OR producer) would have dared to go before (except that they HAVE, in point of fact). You've got your intergenerational conflict, your intergenerational substance abuse, you've got promiscuous teens--and apparently incestuous step-dads. You've got salty grandmas, agonized moms and troubled, but spunky teens. Now even if you haven't seen all these ingredients mixed up before, it's hard not to find GEORGIA RULE a bit contrived and quite desperate. It nearly breaks under the strain.

The reviews for this film have not been kind, and it seems likely that whatever notoriety it may have garnered may have more to do with Lindsay Lohan's reported bad behavior on the set than with the film's inherent quality. As it turns out, she probably could have just pleaded "Method" and claimed that she was just staying in character off-camera. Her Rachel is a bit of a wastrel. With a heart of gold, of course.

This is a film that virtually invites reviewers to say something cranky about a stellar cast adrift in a lame production. Well, it IS a pretty solid cast, and all the actors have their moments. Felicity Huffman and Lindsay Lohan have some very strong scenes--and others where the script or their director (or their own best instincts) let them down. Jane Fonda is probably the most consistent of the three starring actresses, but that may have much to do with her character's flinty, discipline-for-discipline's sake nature. She can coast a bit on her character's quirks. Huffman and Lohan are required to take more risks. Sometimes they take off, and sometimes they fall flat (quite literally in Huffman's case).

GEORGIA RULE, while not especially good, could prove instructive to aspiring actors. It's true you get to see good actors at work (and I mean, HARD at work). What you don't get is a good, solid story. In 2007, simply presenting viewers with intergenerational dysfunctionality doesn't cut it anymore--if it ever did. Yes, we know that happy families are all alike, and that unhappy families are unhappy in uniquely different ways. If that's true, however, you shouldn't have to struggle so much to show those differences. GEORGIA RULE #1 should probably have been: Don't try so hard!

Though I don't recall this movie getting great reviews from the critics, I expected at least a decent movie considering the three main stars. I got more than expected. The three lead actresses were well chosen. Jane Fonda, looking exceptionally well at age 70, is outstanding as the grandmother, Georgia, who lives her life by certain 'rules,' hence the title, and who has a history with her daughter, Lilly, (Felicity Huffman), that seems lacking in emotion. 'Seems' is the operative word. While we aren't exactly privy to what has caused this rift between mother and daughter, we glean from one particular scene that Georgia's parents never told HER that they loved her. We gather that Georgia's apparent inability to say the three words, "I love you" to her daughter may simply be because she was not told what she needed to hear from her parents. In one touching scene between Georgia and Lilly, when Lilly asks her mother if she ever loved her, Georgia replies, 'How could I not love you?' She still is not able to say those three magic words to her daughter though she has no trouble saying them to her granddaughter, Rachel, (Lindsay Lohan). Dermont Mulroney is wonderfully cast as the kindly veterinarian whom Rachel works for and Cary Elwes well cast in a somewhat chilling performance as Rachel's stepfather.

Rachel lies, manipulates, has a history of drug abuse and all manner of teen problems. There is, of course, a reason for her behaviour and underneath it all, we see many glimpses of a tender heart.

This is Ms. Lohan's best performance since she made her wonderful debut as identical twins in 'The Parent Trap' at the age of eleven. Despite the two other big name stars, Lindsay Lohan is THE star of this movie. We can only hope that this gifted young lady is able to heal herself before a very promising career is ruined.

Garry Marshall is highly regarded for his style in pulling of sophisticated comedies ('Pretty Woman', 'The Other Sister', 'Beaches', 'Frankie and Johnny' etc) and for this film he selected a script by an equally respected writer, Mark Andrus ('As Good as it Gets', Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood', 'Life as a House'). To add to this assured formula he managed to cast some fine actors, and so the audience is left wondering 'What happened?'

Most people would judge the cover of this DVD to represent a full-blooded comedy. But that is the first blunder. What happens in this film is the examination of a severely dysfunctional family of women: Rachel (Lindsay Lohan) is an oversexed 17 year old tyrant whose alcoholic mother Lilly (Felicity Huffman) can no longer tolerate and ships her miscreant daughter off to the 'hell world' of Lilly's distant controlling mother Georgia (Jane Fonda) to shape Rachel up for college. Georgia of the many rules and rigid lifestyle lives in Idaho and Rachel arrives and immediately plies her bad personality on the folks of the little town, including seducing a soon-to-be Mormon evangelist Harlan (Garrett Hedlund) and shocking the little boys who are cared for by Georgia. Georgia gets Rachel a job as an office girl for Dr. Ward (Dermot Mulroney) who is an ex-lover of Lilly but a role model for the town since his wife and son's accidental death. Rachel decides to get back at her mother and her stepfather Arnold (Cary Elwes) by explaining her misbehavior to Simon: her stepfather sexually abused her from age 12 to 14. In an attempt to help Rachel's family heal, Simon informs Georgia who informs Lilly about the abuse and Lilly responds by leaving Arnold to return to Idaho, cut her hair, and give in to drinking wholeheartedly. Was Lilly's confession true or fabricated? This question serves as the climax that brings about changes in everyone. The point is dulled by the fact that we never really care about any of these involved characters, so shallow is the writing that could have salvaged a story by fleshing out potentially interesting characters.

The cast is so good that they give it their all to try to save this sinking ship of a film. We want to praise Fonda and Huffman but their roles simply don't allow the actors to go very far. Marshall has worked with many of these actors before (even Hector Elizondo is given a very tiny part!) but this time the cake doesn't rise. Worth viewing for the opportunity to see some very good actors given a few moments of valid screen time. Grady Harp, September 07

"Georgia Rule" is such a random movie, and I really didn't know what to make of it at first. For a while, it seems like the whole premise of the film is that 17-year-old Rachel (Lindsay Lohan) is a major pain in the butt for her mom, Lilly (Felicity Huffman), and is sent to live with her grandmother, Georgia (Jane Fonda), in a small Idaho town as a sort of punishment. Rachel enjoys getting a rise out of the small town residents, especially the men. About a third of the way through the movie, though, it's revealed that Rachel was sexually abused by her stepfather beginning when she was 12 years old. The movie deals with three women coming to terms with two mother-daughter relationships and figuring out how to move forward with their lives.

I enjoyed "Georgia Rule" much more as the film progressed. At first I was ready to write it off as a complete dud, but it surprised me by actually having a bit of depth. I was impressed with Huffman's emotional performance, and although Lohan and Fonda both did a decent job in their roles, I've been much more impressed with their work in other movies. Overall, "Georgia Rule" isn't a complete waste of time, but you shouldn't go out of your way to see it.

Thanks to Garry Marshall's wonderful and sensitive direction, I can say I loved this comedy which is actually a drama. This film had terrible marketing, the trailer made me believe this was a comedy but this film is not, Georgia Rule deals with serious and adult subject matter, I won't give it away but I highly recommend this movie 100%. It seems like every Garry Marshall film is absolutely engaging and heartwarming like Beaches, Raising Helen, Pretty Woman, and The Other Sister. Marshall is probably my second favorite director behind James Mangold (Walk the Line, Identity, Girl, Interrupted.) One of the things that surprised me is Lindsay Lohan's perfomance, she blew me away and in her previous films, I felt her acting was wooden and lacked originality but as the rebellious and hard to love Rachel, she nails it and you feel her pain and frustration towards everyone she encounters. Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda are excellent as always. Every performance is top-notch including Dermont Mulroney who is way too under-rated even to this day. So with that being said, Georgia Rule was the one film I felt that deserved so much more appreciation. Buy or rent it, I am glad I gave this sleeper a chance.

If anything made "Georgia Rule" worth viewing it was the performances of these three actors. So, what's the story?
Rachel (Lindsay Lohan) comes to live with her grandmother, Georgia (Jane Fonda) in Idaho. Seems Rachel is at loose ends between high school and college.

Rachel is also a handful. Admittedly, Georgia has more Rules of the House than a "Roberts Rules of Order" but it doesn't seem that Rachel understands behavior management at all. She's rude, she uses bad language, and she's trouble.

She's also been abused by her stepfather. Or has she? An aside remark to Simon, (Mulroney) the town vet. Of course, Simon tells Georgia, who tells Rachel's mother (Felicity Huffman). Arnold (Cary Elwes) the stepfather is the perfect oily California criminal attorney. He seems so sincere--and yet...

From there, we sit through trauma after trauma as we wonder whether Rachel is lying--and if she's not, will her mother get a clue? "Georgia Rule" is a tough watch, particularly near the holidays when some of us are not especially looking forward to our own family dramas. Fonda, Huffman, Mulroney, and Elwes all gave great performances and I think the four of them were what kept me watching.

Don't buy this film. I'd suggest renting on a cheap day. If you really love one of the cast members and collect their work, then purchase it. "Georgia Rule" is definitely a one-time view for me.

The trailors for this movie made it seem like a funny disfunctional family working things out. It is anything but funny. Sexual child abuse is brought to light a third of the way into the movie and it went down hill from there! I am not sure what the "R" rating was for...there unless it was the story line. A little profanity and no nudity but definitely NOT a family movie. After the confession, I spent the rest of the movie trying to figure out if it was true or not. I was very disappointed by the misrepresentation of this movie and can't recommend it to anyone.

I truly enjoyed this movie. I've always been a Fonda fan. Felicity has never disappointed. And Lindsay shows she is a quality actress, right up there with the other two. In the scene in the boat where she's seducing the guy and they show a close up of just her face, you can see every emotion that crosses her mind.

My biggest difference, however with the reviewers is that they harp on how odd it is to have humor in a film on such a serious topic as sexual abuse. I found this movie to be rather on target with its light hearted moments mixed in with the pain. And then these usually male reviewers go on about was she abused, wasn't she, why doesn't she make up her mind. To me, it seems obvious these fellows have never experienced such abuse personally, nor have they observed, with any care, someone who has. There's no straight line to recovery.

I loved this movie for its story and the acting. Nothing rang false in my book.

A song led me to this film. I fell in love with "Beautiful Disaster" by Jon McLaughlin after hearing it on his debut CD, Indiana. The song is haunting and insightful and it was a perfect pick for the soundtrack of Georgia Rule.

I won't define this movie as a chick flick, a coming of age story or even a romantic comedy. This movie does not fit into a simple category. Garry Marshall took a beautifully written script and wove it into an onscreen story that is complicated, dark, humorous, heartbreaking and heartwarming. The best definition that I can give this movie is that it's literature interpreted by moving pictures and sound.

Synopsis:
Three women with three different relationships and one dark secret compel a plot that is filled with, while fictional, realistic conflicts and resolutions. The characters find themselves not only surprising each other, but their selves as well.

Jane Fonda is Georgia - the strong willed mother and grandmother who is convinced that right and wrong is always defined by a set of rules.

Felicity Huffman is Lilly - the daughter who fled a home that was filled with alcohol abuse and forced morality.

Lindsay Lohan is Rachel - the daughter and granddaughter who has not only bent most of the rules, but broken them beyond conceivable repair.

Lilly breaks her vow of never returning to her childhood home when Rachel's impulsive behavior turns incorrigible. Lilly can no longer control her so she takes her to Idaho to the one woman she believes can handle Rachel - Lilly's mother, Georgia.

Georgia believes that Rachel needs a few rules until she finds out that Rachel is not just trying to find herself, but that her behavior is linked to a truth she has confused with a lie.

Rachel is frustrated by both Lilly and Georgia and the small town atmosphere that seems to be closing in on her. She strikes out with the only thing she has left and that is telling the truth. Georgia's rules begin to teach her understanding and compassion and her vulnerability brings a complicated reconciliation between her mother and grandmother.

This movie takes a very serious subject and makes it real. I struggled here to revise that last sentence, but it's the only way I can find to say it. This movie depicts a horrible secret that is, tragically and unfortunately, prevalent in our culture today. This film handles it very realistically. The characters show that in such adversity, there are times when you laugh, when you get angry, when you cry, and finally, a time when you begin to heal. Just like real life.

Georgia Rule shows us a story of people who can often be well meaning as well as mean, and that during revelations of the best kept terrible secrets, it's possible to love and to be loved.

This is a movie you may want to watch more than once. I did. Several times, and I plan to add it to the front of my DVD collection.

It's literary and compelling. The scenes are punctuated with the same truth as the characters are written, building on a background of small town America and values that can be mended no matter how hard they are shattered.

Georgia Rule
©2007 Morgan Creek
Cast:
Jane Fonda
Lindsay Lohan
Felicity Huffman
Dermont Mulroney
Cary Elwes
Garrett Hedlund
Directed by Garry Marshall
Produced by James G. Robinson
Written by Mark Andrus

The DVD has some great extras like: Deleted scenes, a gag reel, the making of Georgia Rule, the women of Georgia Rule, and an in-depth interview with Garry Marshall.

Oh, and watch the gag reel closely, you will get to see Penny Marshall.

Georgia Rule as a romantic comedy is a very tough sell. The movie starts with quite a lot of humour but turns dark fairly quickly. As a dramedy, this movie takes on more than it can chew for a Mother's Day release.

The central theme of the movie, that of the love-hate pattern in the mother-daughter relationships, is inconsistent throughout the film. Nevertheless, the movie somehow works. It's not overbearingly a tearjerker, although a definitely chick film (at the film screening I went to, 98% of the audience were women in the middle age demographic).

Similarly to what she did in Bobby, Lindsay Lohan outshines everyone in the cast, including Jane Fonda (Fun with Dick and Jane, Klute) and Felicity Hoffman (Desperate Housewives, Transamerica), who play her grandmother and mother, respectively. Her reported nonchalantant and disruptive attitude on the set coincides with her character's. The wardrobe seems to be Lohan's as well; she is often spotted off screen in similar outfits. She looks remarkably good in skinny jeans, generally a hard feat too pull off, rivaled only by Kate Moss.

The weakness of the movie stems from needing to justify such attitudes and from trying to be at several places at once. As mentioned before, the movie looses its central focus, while it explores its darker side and attempts to make commentary on everything from alcoholism to Mormonism to small town living to premarital sex.

Overall, this movie is a nice retreat from the summer popcorn fare. A nice DVD rental or a movie for an outing with your mother this Sunday.