Synopsis
Alison Lohman is the daughter of the chillingly beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer. Dangerouslyself-possessed, Pfeiffer murders her boyfriend when he cheats on her, and is sentenced to 35-years-to-life. Lohman then bounces from one foster home to another, and among her fostermothers are Robin Wright Penn (as a born-again ex-stripper) and Renee Zellweger (as a fragileformer actress). Tragedy and hardship are present around every bend, and as if that weren’tenough, Pfeiffer does her…level best to poison her daughter’s mind.
Audio
The environmental effects on this disc are very good, and they are particularly fine inbuilding atmosphere (the mysterious wind, for example, is very nice). There are also someextremely effective uses of left-right separation. Music and dialogue are nicely handled aswell.
Video
A solid anamorphic widescreen transfer. The precise ratio isn’t indicated (1.85? 1.78?), butI’ll give the film the benefit of the doubt and say 1.85:1. The colours, contrasts and flesh tonesare all very strong, as are the blacks. The night scenes look very good — none of that slightlygrey, washed-out feel that happens all too often.
Special Features
The principle extra is the commentary, done by director Peter Kosminsky, producer JohnWells and novelist Janet Fitch (whose book the film is based on). This is a very articulate,engaging round table, and it is easy to keep track of who is who. There is also a deleted scenesmontage, and a couple of standard-issue featurettes, the sort that are of no real interest tosomeone who has actually seen the movie. The promotional material is rounded out by thetheatrical trailer. Finally, there are selected filmographies for the cast and crew.
Closing Thoughts
A high-powered cast behind this melodrama, which should make it appealing for fans of boththe performers and the genre.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary
- Deleted Scenes
- 2 Featurettes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Cast and Crew Filmographies