Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her

Rating:
Summary: Lingering, detailed view of women's lives
Review: If you like films which aren't rushed but take time to slowly reveal the people within them, you might just like this one - as I did. Rather than telling one main story, this movie reveals several different stories, each one centering on a particular woman. There's Holly Hunter playing a bank manager who unexpectedly finds herself 6 weeks pregnant and decides not to have the baby, Glenn Close as a doctor who isn't as together as she appears to the outside world, Calista Flockhart as a tarot card reader, etc. The subtle interactions between these women and the gradual unfolding of their lives made this film an absolute delight to me.

Rating:
Summary: Lingering, detailed view of women's lives
Review: If you like films which aren't rushed but take time to slowly reveal the people within them, you might just like this one - as I did. Rather than telling one main story, this movie reveals several different stories, each one centering on a particular woman. There's Holly Hunter playing a bank manager who unexpectedly finds herself 6 weeks pregnant and decides not to have the baby, Glenn Close as a doctor who isn't as together as she appears to the outside world, Calista Flockhart as a tarot card reader, etc. The subtle interactions between these women and the gradual unfolding of their lives made this film an absolute delight to me.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary little movie
Review: One evening in the spring of 2000, I was at the movies and saw a poster for Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her. What an interesting title, I thought. And what a cast! I put the movie on my mental list of ones I planned to see. It never played at that theater. It never played in any theater in North America, although it was released in Europe, South America and Japan. Instead, it was sold to a big cable TV movie channel. MGM decided that it was too small a film for American audiences. I think their decision was unfortunate. Many movies intended for a limited audience have successful theatrical runs, and as so-called small movies go, this is an awfully big one. I hope it finds the audience it deserves on video.

Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her does not have a conventional plot. It is five stories or vignettes loosely tied together. As the title implies, they are about women. In the first one, Glenn Close plays a doctor who is successful in her professional life but not in her personal oen. Her rather cold exterior masks the fact that she is starved for affection. It is Close's best role in years. Next we meet Rebecca [Holly Hunter], a bank manager on the edge of forty, whose almost casual decision to have an abortion leads to unexpected emotional complications. There is Rose [Kathy Baker], a single Mom who writes children's books and who does her best at raising her precocious fifteen year old son. She finds herself attracted to her new next-door neighbor, a smart and confident guy who just happens to be a dwarf. Christie [Calista Flockheart] and Lilly [Valeria Golino] are lovers facing one of life's toughest battles. Finally, there is the tale of Carol [Cameron Diaz], a blind woman who understands and 'sees' life much more clearly than her repressed sister, Kathy [Amy Brenneman].

None of these stories may sound like much, but the success of a story always lies in its telling. Director Rodrigo Garcia is a master story teller. He never lets the movie drift into melodrama. The characters and the subject matters could easily lend themselves to titillation and to cheap thrills, but in the hands of this masterful director, we see these characters simply as people doing the best they know how to do despite their handicaps, both physical and emotional. This movie is very human, and that's fairly rare these days.

The cast, of course, is a remarkable group of actors. It is amazing to see them all together in one movie. What truly impressed me was the fact that all of them seems to have outdone themselves. While some of their roles are not large, I cannot think of an instance in which any of them have given a better performance. For acting buffs, the film is a rare treat.

When we refer to a movie as small, I think we generally mean one that does not get the adrenaline flowing. If so, Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her certainly fits the description. Anyone addicted to explosions, car chases and pumped up characters mindlessly spewing profanities will want to avoid this one. Those who like a little heart and soul, not to mention some intelligence, in their movies should find this one to be a rare treat.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best ones this year
Review: Real ... Relaxing ... Life like ... This is how I describe this film. Doesn't surprise me that this movie didn't make much money at the box office. It's too real for the general population which is used to see movies like "The Fast and the Furious".

Rating:
Summary: Terrific cast make THINGS worth seeing!
Review: Rodrigo García's moving, anthological film about women, features strong writing, a top-notch cast (Glen Close, Holly Hunter, Kathy Baker, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart... just to name a few) and unfortunately, despite big raves at Sundance last year... no distributor. Thank God for cable television. Showtime picked up this film so at least some people got to see it. And now it's available on video and DVD.

In THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER, García has attempted an Altman-like anthology. But while Altman often takes a sprawling story and links them tangentially with the numerous characters, García looks at a series of small, intimate stories that are also tangentially linked by supporting characters. Each of the stories deals with women... and the differences between what these women present to the world, and what they hold inside. In each story, there are characters who see beyond the masks these women wear to their inner cores... Callista Flockhart's tarot card reader, "Nancy" the insightful homeless woman who sees through Holly Hunter's tough, capable bank manager, Cameron Diaz' blind woman who might be a better detective than her sister, played by Amy Brenneman. It was refreshing to watch a movie about women as individuals, and not just as appendages to the men who are the real stars.

Unfortunately, the stories were uneven... with some standouts (Kathy Baker's single-mom who becomes fascinated by Albert, a dwarf who moves into the house across the street) and some surprisingly inert (Callista Flockhart caring for her lover (Valeria Golina) who is dying of cancer). I think the movie could have been tightened up, with some storylines being more deeply explored (Kathy Baker's or Holly Hunter's) and others being discarded. Still, I felt it was worthwhile, with some terrific performances

Rating:
Summary: Terrific cast make THINGS worth seeing!
Review: Rodrigo García's moving, anthological film about women, features strong writing, a top-notch cast (Glen Close, Holly Hunter, Kathy Baker, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart... just to name a few) and unfortunately, despite big raves at Sundance last year... no distributor. Thank God for cable television. Showtime picked up this film so at least some people got to see it. And now it's available on video and DVD.

In THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER, García has attempted an Altman-like anthology. But while Altman often takes a sprawling story and links them tangentially with the numerous characters, García looks at a series of small, intimate stories that are also tangentially linked by supporting characters. Each of the stories deals with women... and the differences between what these women present to the world, and what they hold inside. In each story, there are characters who see beyond the masks these women wear to their inner cores... Callista Flockhart's tarot card reader, "Nancy" the insightful homeless woman who sees through Holly Hunter's tough, capable bank manager, Cameron Diaz' blind woman who might be a better detective than her sister, played by Amy Brenneman. It was refreshing to watch a movie about women as individuals, and not just as appendages to the men who are the real stars.

Unfortunately, the stories were uneven... with some standouts (Kathy Baker's single-mom who becomes fascinated by Albert, a dwarf who moves into the house across the street) and some surprisingly inert (Callista Flockhart caring for her lover (Valeria Golina) who is dying of cancer). I think the movie could have been tightened up, with some storylines being more deeply explored (Kathy Baker's or Holly Hunter's) and others being discarded. Still, I felt it was worthwhile, with some terrific performances

Rating:
Summary: Smart Film That Does Not Patronize Audience
Review: The absence of Hollywood-style glitz, cheesy one-liners, and fluffy storylines contributes to this movie's excellence. Another important component of this film is, of course, the thoughful and honest performance given by each of these talented actresses. They key to this film is its honesty. Many women will be able to relate in some way to at least one of the characters-- unlike Hollywood-style movies in which many of the female characters are shallow, one-dimensional, and glammed-up to the nth degree. This movie does a good job of depicting the lives, emotions, and struggles of women as they really are.

Rating:
Summary: gentle, absorbing character study
Review: THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER is a fantastic series of vignettes starring a wonderful cast of actresses. Writer/director Rodrigo Garcia delivers a sharp yet gentle look into the lives of several women whose stories intwine in the most unlikely of ways.

Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Calista Flockhart, Cameron Diaz, Amy Brenneman and Kathy Baker lead the strong and impressive cast which also features Gregory Hines and Matt Craven.

My favorite stories are "Someone For Rose" and "Meet Dr Keener", perhaps the two most gentle stories; although Holly Hunter gives one of her most canny performances of recent years as a single woman contemplating having an abortion.

Highly recommmended.

The DVD includes the trailer.

Rating:
Summary: Great cast, good story
Review: This is a movie for those who enjoy independent film--- not a sweet, chick flick filled with fake moments of bonding. This is a movie that really examines it's characters and while there are humorous moments, mostly it is very sad, but still delivers hope. Holly Hunter (in an emmy nominated role), and Cameron Diaz are terrific--- but the films strongest performance comes from Calista Flockhart. She is heartbreaking, so real, so good-- worthy of an Emmy nomination herself. This is one great actress.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent film
Review: This is an unfortunate case of an excellent film missing theaters and going straight to video because it lacks mainstream appeal. The acting is top-notch and the screenwriting grabs you in - completely. You will not be able to turn away until you see the story's resolve. Rarely does a film estabish it's characters so well that you know exactly what the character is thinking, even when they are saying nothing at all. The camera angles, edititing, and lighting enhance the mood of the film so well that you can see into a character's inner thoughts only with a glance. Don't miss this one.