Synopsis
Lauren Ambrose is a Candide-like figure, wide-eyed in her approach to the world, and she really doesn’t want to go to college, so her interviews are disasters. She reads her poems to her mentally handicapped sister and no one else, and when this sister starts spouting the poems (she memorizes very well), her mother (Amy Madigan) thinks something wonderful has happened. Ambrose doesn’t clear things up, and events soon spiral out of control.
This could easily turn into a soggy mess o… afterschool-special proportions, but it doesn’t. There are a couple of debatable missteps, but the performances are excellent (nice to see Christopher Lloyd not playing a freak for once) and the tone generally low-key and thoughtful.
Audio
The 5.1 sound isn’t overwhelming, but it is perfectly acceptable for this sort of a film. The environmental effects are in fact surprisingly well thought-out and placed (as one sees as soon as the opening scene with birdsong carefully separated from the music).
Video
The aspect ratio is 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen (though the trailer isn’t anamorphic). There is little or no grain, and the image is decently sharp. The orange tones are a bit on the strong side, but the film generally looks good (continuity errors, such as daylight out a window in the middle of the evening, are not the fault of the transfer).
Special Features
The trailer plus six others. That’s it. The menu’s main screen is scored.
Closing Thoughts
Interesting, worthy film, with a solid presentation. Definitely worth a rental.
Special Features List
- Trailers
