Jean’s liaisons with local sheriff Crane Curtis (Josh Lucas) are pleasingly practical and unromantic - at least until things turn sentimental, with director Lasse Hallström unnecessarily hammering home his messages. Romcom regular Lopez has a meatier character than usual in Jean, perpetual victim and flawed-yet-committed mother. A gentle, occasionally humorous coming-of-age drama addressing issues of family and forgiveness, it’s mildly moving and offers up some decent performances. There are few surprises in An Unfinished Life, but for many that will be part of its charm. And so little Griff (Becca Gardner) must break through the men’s harsh exteriors to find the softness within her major obstacle being her mother Jean (Jennifer Lopez), who Einar holds responsible for his son’s death. Like Secondhand Lions, this also throws in two old grouches for the price of one: Einar (Robert Redford) lives with his old friend Mitch (Morgan Freeman), admittedly a slightly more sociable chap, but housebound and badly scarred after a run-in with a bear. But this film has plenty of subtext and subtle visual moments that tell more in a brief moment than words ever could.A gruff grandfather living in a remote location forced to befriend his kin and confront long-held family resentments: from Heidi to Michael Caine’s Secondhand Lions, it’s a familiar theme. A weakness I find in some movies is they feel that characters need to be talking all the time. One thing I liked about this film was that it knew when to have the characters shut up. It’s amazing what happens when you get good writing, good actors, and a director that knows what to do with them. Lasse Hallström does a great job of guiding all these pieces, as he did with the great Chocolat and The Cider House Rules. It’s built on well constructed characters, including Redford’s bitter Einar Lopez’ self-destructive Jean Freeman’s handicapped Mitch even the young Gardner, whose Griff (odd name for a girl, but she’s named after her father) is stuck in the middle of it all. Josh Lucas, a fine actor and underappreciated talent, is likable as the local sheriff. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this film. As familial tensions boil, the abusive boyfriend comes looking for Jean, and the ill-tempered bear is captured and put in a makeshift zoo. Freeman plays Mitch, Einar’s closest friend who was crippled after being attacked by an ill-tempered bear. He becomes willing to let them stay when he discovers that he has a granddaughter he never knew existed. The two have a contentious relationship, however. Escaping an abusive boyfriend, she runs away to the only place she can - her father-in-law, Einar (Redford). Lopez plays Jean, a single mother raising a young daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner). An Unfinished Life is filled with strong performances, which shouldn’t be surprising, since the cast consists of some of the most talented people around. And she stood well against the other actors. I was reminded of the Lopez I remembered from Out of Sight, the film that made her a star, not the ridiculous J.Lo that was created by her stardom. In a purely supportive role that is easily buried beneath Redford and Freeman, Lopez was actually good. Ultimately I did, because Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman are just too good to not surrender an hour and forty-eight minutes of my time. As a result, I was a little hesitant to watch An Unfinished Life. To be quite honest, I can’t even look at the woman anymore. It takes a lot for Jennifer Lopez to be tolerable these days. Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman co-star in ‘An Unfinished Life’
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |