Customer Reviews

Rambling Rose

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I must disagree with the reviewer who so strongly criticized Laura Dern's performance. While it is true that 'Rambling Rose' has its weaknesses (the abrupt, rather unexplained ending, for one thing), I found the story line humorous and even charming. Dern's performance made the movie, in my opinion! Diane Ladd overacts a bit, as usual, but this is a minor flaw with the film as a whole. What stuck with me was Dern's 'little girl lost' expression mixed with her coy devil-may-care flirtation, which made for an entirely winning performance. I loved the music too!

Societies regard single, attractive, sexually available women with both idolization and uneasiness. The lust, envy, jealousy and otherwise tumultuous passions surrounding their passage through the populace can be disruptive of societal bonds, e.g. by "homewrecking", even though no fault of their own. One reason why the concept, at least, of marriage is valued so highly is that this cultural arrangement takes the problematic single female out of circulation, so to speak. And, social pressures cause opprobrium to be heaped on "loose women", even by the very men who are drawn to them. Of course, the feminist correctly sees these attitudes as blatantly sexist. However, even western culture's most chauvinistic pig is likely to regard the veiling and segregation of women in fundamentalist Islamic societies, for example, as an unacceptably extreme manifestation of those same attitudes.

RAMBLING ROSE takes a compassionate look at the phenomenon of social turbulence caused by an "unattached" woman. Rose, flamboyantly played by Laura Dern, is the blithe, single, 19-year old girl invited to live with a very proper Southern family in the mid-1930s. The family, offering Rose help at this difficult time in her life, includes Daddy (Robert Duvall), Mother (Diane Ladd, Dern's real-life mother), and 13-year old Buddy (Lukas Haas). Rose, already possessing a checkered history acquired with unspecified men, is a sexual "free spirit", who proceeds to cause hormonal havoc in the town's male population. Even Daddy is bewitched. To Buddy, Rose is, unsurprisingly, the godsend of a new awareness. Of the adults, only Mother, recognizing Rose as essentially guileless, staunchly defends her as the repercussions of the Siren's residence start to add up.

A better film on much the same theme is Y2K's MALENA - a superb Italian production. Nonetheless, RAMBLING ROSE is delightful. Dern is positively captivating. Duvall is at his best, which is pretty darn good by any measure. Ladd portrays Mother as a slightly eccentric individual whose generosity towards and understanding of Rose is a clear counterpoint to the hardening attitudes of the other adults. The Buddy character should remind all males in the viewing audience of that time when they were 13 and discovering girls as beings with something more to offer than simply opportunities for boorish teasing. I like this film immensely.

Contrary to another viewer, I though Laura Dern's acting was very good in this film, unlike in "Jurassic Park" where she really did seem gawky and unnatural. The film has some nostalgia, some laughs, and some pathos. Not a classic, but an enjoyable diversion about a free-spirited young woman who creates havoc around her.

Hot, steamy, summer day today, so off to the rental store and back home to the A.C. with Rambling Rose, one that had slipped by me till now. If Duval is there, I'll take the gamble, and no let down here. Laura Dern was delightfully over-the-top as the teenage spitfire. I was curious to see Lukas Haas in something other than Witness. He was equally great in this. Other than the cast and the blurb on the box, I had nothing to go on with this one. What a delight. I found the more the story unfolded, the more I was enjoying the ride. Simple in style, and easy on the eyes, 30's Georgia countryside, yet at times the wonderful dialogue reminded me of the screwball comedies of the late 30's and early 40's. Unquestionably Duval delivered and was charming in his Southern chivalry and hilarious in his exasperation with both the newly hired housekeeper, Dern, and with his glorious wife, Diane Ladd. Contrary to other reviews, I found Ladd's role one of the best, She plays a Columbia grad working on her Masters in American History, and whose rhetoric is dumbfounding to her devoted husband Duval, who refers to it as "logic from the 4th dimension." There are some wonderful scenes and exchanges. Terrific heartfelt laughs and excellent dialogue. This wasn't a superb movie, but Rambling Rose was surely, a really well acted, well written, well filmed and well edited, hot and steamy, good, good movie.

What I love most about this video is how much the setting reminds me of the way things were in the South when I was growing up. It was like going back in time. Some of the scenes in this video could have been more tastefully done, or left out, but in all, it's really wonderful.

This movie was great from start to finish. The sound was great on the DVD edition. The acting was great. Whether we want to accept it or not, it was true to life. The director did a great job. The scenery was beautiful. I am glad I purchased this so I can watch it over and over.

I have always found this an intriguing film, something different and appealing even though some of the subject matter is "inappropriate."

I saw the last word because it involves a 13-year-old boy whose hormones are raging and his brief relationship with a grown woman. There is one sex scene that may make people squirm a bit, so be forewarned. Other than that, I don't remember anything else objectionable.

I like the photography and always enjoy seeing the old days - here it's the 1920s and 1930s - portrayed on today's films with the great cameramen and directors of today. Also, the South has some beautiful scenery that is eloquently on display here.

The story is well-acted with real-life mother-daughter Diane Ladd and Laura Dern, along with Robert Duvall and Lukas Haas. The latter plays the young man and was already somewhat of a star after playing the young Amish boy in the 1985 film "Witness." Duvall is one of the finest actors of his generation so you always get a good performance out of him.

This is a pretty low-key story but never puts you to sleep. Modern day feminists might like this film was Ladd plays that role to the hilt. Dern also delivered, making a very believable "Rose."

I remembered how much I liked this movie when it was first released, but upon rediscovering it recently, I was so entertained and impressed that I watched it five times in three days. It's simply a brilliant movie with fabulous acting and directing.

This movie is set in my hometown area. It is quite believable from the setting point of view. Good performances.

As a whole, `Rambling Rose' is a little too heavy handed, so much so that it comes off kind of hokey. The ending is a little overdone and the character development is a little weak, but in the end I can't say that it is a waste of time or necessarily a bad film, it just doesn't warrant all the praise it has received over the years. As an acting showcase it delivers to an extent, and as a moving period drama it works to an extent, so as an entertaining film it works to an extent.

In other words; there are things to like here but not enough to really make the film complete.

The film tells the story of a young woman named Rose who moves in with the Hillyer family during the 1930's. She's a flamboyant and uncontrollable force why comes to serve as maid and housekeeper to the family in order to spare her a life of debauchery. Her story is told through the eyes of Buddy, now an adult, who was but a young boy when Rose first moved into his home. Rose, a very sensual and tantalizing woman, immediately takes a liking to Mr. Hillyer while young Buddy takes his own liking to Rose. The film follows Rose and her escapades with the law and with boys and chronicles her confrontations with Mr. Hillyer over her actions. She is a very unorthodox woman who uses her body instead of her mind to attract the attention of others, but her kind heart makes her genuine and hard to rally up against.

The film sports a very fine performance by Laura Dern, who manages to make Rose a character we can not only fantasize about but also sympathize with. She grasps Rose's sensuality without every allowing it to overshadow her genuine nature. We see her heart before we see her body. Robert Duvall also gives a splendid performance as the man of the house, matching Dern's nature with his rugged charm. It's easy to see why she admires and even desires him, and it's wonderful to see him combat that desire. Diane Ladd is highly overpraised for her performance; a performance that isn't `bad' but is far from award worthy. Her final speech at the doctor's office is so overdone and heavy that it brings the entire film down a notch.

Lukas Haas (of `Witness' fame) delivers a fine performance as the young Buddy, expressing both Buddy's budding curiosity as well as his restrained maturity. The scenes he shares with Dern are especially excellent (albeit a tad uncomfortable).

In the end though, this movie lives and dies on Dern's shoulders, and she carries it mighty fine for the most part. Her dynamic performance cannot save the film from it's own heavy hand, but at least the movie doesn't make light of the subject; it just spills over into over-dramatizing something that should feel natural and effecting but ends up coming off more forced and unrealistic. Dern is a gem though, and her performance alone makes the film worth seeing at least once.