Laurel Canyon

Rating:
Summary: a disappointing step down from "high art"
Review: Three years ago, in the movie, "Almost Famous," Frances McDormand played a wise but overprotective mom who, at her wits' end, bemoaned the fact that rock stars kidnapped her son. Now, in "Laurel Canyon," she turns the tables on that scenario, seizing the opportunity with great, obvious and sexy relish.

McDormand plays Jane, a frisky, reckless, fortysomething music producer who strolls around her expansive Southern California spread in worn leather pants and an AC/DC T-shirt. She's a little like Sheryl Crow ... or at least what Sheryl Crow tries really, really hard to be.

Jane, who starts her days with bong hits and Steely Dan, is having a fling with Ian (Alessandro Nivola), a singer 16 years her junior, and her lifestyle is hardly harshed at all when she's visited by her son Sam (Christian Bale) and his fiancee Alex (Kate Beckinsale).

The couple is just out of medical school, wracked by premarital anxiety, and they are forced to move into Jane's rowdy house while Sam starts his residency and Alex writes her dissertation. Alex is studying "the reproductive behavior of the fruit fly," while uptight Sam seems overtly depressed by the fact that his mom is cool enough to have framed photographs of herself with David Bowie and Iggy Pop.

Couldn't such serious, studious kids find a calmer place to stay than in what appears to be a successful sub-franchise of the Hotel California? Probably. But then there wouldn't be a movie.

As time passes and the lazy afternoons and pool-lit evenings add up, tension grows between Sam and Jane. Sam starts to become attracted to a co-worker (Natascha McElhone). And Alex gravitates into Jane's world and starts to become attracted to, well, a couple of different people. And then things get really complicated.

Unfortunately, things also slow down to a bit of a crawl. "Laurel Canyon" was written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, whose previous movie was "High Art," a film which was also about a sultry, enigmatic artist surrounded by chaos and lots of chill-time. It, too, was slow-paced and atmospheric. But it also had several really strong performances pushing the movie along, and "Laurel Canyon" only has two - McDormand and Nivola, who are both excellent but must support a somewhat sluggish, underwritten movie by themselves. They almost pull it off.

Christian Bale, usually a highlight in a movie, gets bogged down playing the moody, resentful son. It's hard to sympathize with a character who, when torn between Kate Beckinsale and Natascha McElhone (the definition of a win-win decision), can't get out of the dumps long enough to at least crack a smile. He has to be the drag, the person who dislikes the most magnetic, charming element of the film. So the deck is kinda stacked against him.

Which makes me think: Maybe "Laurel Canyon" should've been the movie in which rock stars kidnap Frances McDormand's son. If Stillwater, the band from "Almost Famous," had somehow dragged grouchy Sam off on their tour bus before he moved back in with his mom, McDormand could've had the entire movie to herself, and "Laurel Canyon" would've been a much more exciting place to hang out for a while.

Rating:
Summary: AbFab without the wit or humor
Review: Ever see the British comedy, Absolutely Fabulous? Funny stuff. A square, uptight daughter tries to deal with her wild and wacky druggy mother who's a publicist in the fashion industry in England. Big hit on Comedy Central. Everyone loved the reversed mother-daughter roles.

Now, fast-forward to LAUREL CANYON and you've got an almost blatant American copy - unfortunately without the humor, excesses or sexiness that made Absolutely Fabulous absolutely fabulous.

Inexplicably, two Brits, Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale play two Americans - both have lockjaw accents. Bale is a square uptight MD student who is extremely embarrassed of his rock star producer mom, Frances McDormand.

Though it sounds like a great premise for a comedy or a sexy movie, we get neither. Cliched humor from a by-the-numbers Beckinsale, a pinched constipated performance from Bale (is he the next Andrew McCarthy?), and an unresolved ending. Most disappointing is the lack of sex and nudity in this movie. Rock star producer mom? The trailer hinted of Sodom and Gomorrah but we get a movie that's tamer than an episode of Seventh Heaven.

The grossest thing about LAUREL CANYON is that the much vaunted 'menage a trois' ends up being completely incomprehensible - why would a woman want to make it with her boyfriend's mom? Yuck! There's nothing funny in Laurel Canyon.

Rating:
Summary: Great Acting Performances
Review: I did not think I was going to enjoy this film as much as I did. However, with an incredible actress like Frances McDormand in the lead role, the film was really interesting. Its a great story built around the Hollywood Music industry, with McDormand's character being a record producer. And the conflicts that she has with her son, who is a doctor. It is a very gripping family drama told Hollywood-style.

Rating:
Summary: 'Pushing Tin', but deeper.
Review: I watched this movie Friday night, and got the same feeling that I did when I watched 'Pushing Tin', only it ran deeper. I say it was just like 'Pushing Tin' in the sense that it had the theme of just letting go of everything. We, as human beings, need to screw up. We live our lives being told what not to do, and sure, we accept it. But what if we actually make the mistake? It means so much more to us than the 10,000 times we've been told not to make that mistake. This movie charachterizes the misguided millions in college today. Successful, but they've never experienced failure. Thus, they aren't truly successful. And yes, the movie does leave you hanging at the end, boo hoo. Yet, I find that thought-provoking: it leaves room for imagination. Isn't that what a good movie is supposed to do, besides entertain? It gets 5 stars from me.

Rating:
Summary: about this movie Laurel Canyon.....
Review: I find that the story base of this movie is only average and at around the end of the movie, Sam accuses Ian of having sex with her girlfriend Alex which was soon 'resolved'(if I review the story, it will not be nice to watch). Alex and Sam is having sex on the opeing shot of the movie and there sre no other sex scene appear during the movie.

Rating:
Summary: dreamy! sexy! loved it!
Review: I have seen LAUREL CANYON twice and really fell under its spell. Frances McDormand is amazing, Alessandro Nivola is quite a sexy discovery, Kate Beckinsale is lovely (if the most under-developed of the characters) and Christian Bale is great as the stick-in-the-mud son. I found the whole thing very dreamy, more like a mood than a movie. I find it a bit funny how many people are bashing this movie -- I found it thoughtful and I think there is more going on below the surface than some of the haters are seeing. The film is actually quite deep, it's just hiding under a patina of superficiality. Seriously. Loved it! And I will buy the DVD to pause and slo-mo scenes with Mr. Nivola.

Rating:
Summary: An embarrassment and embarrassing
Review: This is a VERY conventional "slice-of-life" melodrama about shifting socio-sexual relationships in California. It is all very generic and stupid, but I must admit that I was seldom bored, and the film was watchable enough.

The film has a rather simplistic dualistic topography that contrasts two worlds:

1.) Laurel Canyon is "freewheeling," "loose," hedonistic and populated by dumb rock stars and a hippie rock guru (Frances McDormand) whose creed is to "live life." Strangely enough, although McDormand is allegedly the spirit of liberation and freedom in the film, she seems bitter, worn-out, and unhappy; indeed, she is the very embodiment of hardship, and this is one of the film's most annoyingly hypocritical contradictions.

2.) The Valley is "repressive"/surbuban, bla bla bla...

A younger couple, a first-year medical resident (Christian Bale) and his girlfriend, a doctoral candidate (Kate Beckinsale) are sterotypically "repressed" and "intellectualist"; they act "morally superior"... We know this because Beckinsale wears glasses. When they enter into the "paradise" of Laurel Canyon they learn "to open up," "to hang loose," to "live life..." Dear God... Yes, this is what the film is really saying, and it says it over and over again...

If you find this premise compelling, well, then you'll find the film compelling too. Personally, I find this premise stupid and simplistic.

Kate Beckinsale throws her dissertation into the swimming pool!

Well, not literally, but it wouldn't surprise me if that were in the director's cut.

Kate Beckinsale had a "no-nudity" clause for this film.

The film ends abruptly and dissatisfyingly. It ends before it really ends! You might rub your eyes when the credits start to roll. I said to myself: "That's it?!!!" But I'm not complaining. At least LAUREL CANYON has a brief running time.

Will the Christian Bale character choose his current girlfriend or the second-year resident (Natascha McElhone, who mangles what she thinks is an Israeli accent and sounds like a Romanian)?

My answer: WHO CARES?!!!

Rating:
Summary: Let's See Have We Missed Any Cliches Here....
Review: as we head cheerfully back to recreate the '70's in La-La Land? There is the free-thinking, drug-taking mom, who nonetheless does have a superb work ethic and reputation as a music producer. There is her overachiever, uptight son, back for a visit in a family house he thought was vacant. There is the son's girlfriend, unsure of her relationship with him, uncertain of her own worth. There is the rock star, younger lover of the mom, way too sure of himself and for no good damn reason for his music is pretty much a milkshake of every big-haired arena band from the 70's, except his hair is short because we're in the 21st century now. There is the son's new potential love interest, a gorgeous and icy medical student who spends most of the movie struggling unsuccessfully with what is supposed to be an Israeli accent (I thought she was Russian).

So why sit through nearly two hours of this? Well, Frances McDormand is just as wonderful as she always is and has lots of fun with what she has to know is a ridiculous character and story. Everybody in the cast is easy on the eye -- this is, after all, Southern California, and the cinematography makes you want to move there in a minute, all gorgeous skies, nights and canyons, but of course -- at least in my case -- you are not easy enough on the eye to qualify for such a move. Christian Bale, for example, looks better in and under water than Dustin Hoffman did in The Graduate, a movie to which Laurel Canyon aspires to be a mirror image.

Final wrap -- Laurel Canyon is all surface, has an aversion to substance, but in an almost 3 star way, a good night's entertainment for those with low expectations.

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable drama! ...
Review: This is the story of a free-wheeling, pot smoking Los Angeles record producer (the exquisite Frances McDormand), with a rock star boyfriend (Alessandro Nivola), whose straight-laced son (the yummy Christian Bale) comes back home after graduation from Harvard Medical School with his rich fiancé (the beautiful Kate Beckinsale), who's trying to write her dissertation. Although mother and son are initially at odds, their relationship begins to change when he discovers that his bride-to-be likes his mother's rock-n-roll lifestyle too, much to his utter dislike.

"Laurel Canyon" is director Lisa Cholodenko's follow-up to her 1998 indie hit "High Art," which I have yet to see. It cleverly delves into the hectic world of hipster artists, with all the accompanying ego, self-involvement and drama. It offers an engaging and thouroughly entertaining glimpse into the lives of musicians nestled in the titular Hollywood Hills enclave, making a fascinating ensemble piece with brilliant performances from the entire 'to die for' cast.

... tension is everywhere, and Cholodenko uses it not for mere titillation, but to underscore the idea that art and artists fill deep voids in the world - they're just fun to be around. The writing is both smart and humorous. Not only is the Brit-flavored, alt-rock soundtrack winning and authentic, but "Laurel Canyon" itself feels musical: languid, rich in color and light, and deliciously sensual.

"Laurel Canyon" isn't perfect, but it sure as hell is enjoyable. See it for Frances McDormand's delicious performance, if for nothing else.

Rating:
Summary: Things are rarely what they seem
Review: Any film with Frances McDormand is a film worth seeing. Her ability to crawl inside the very cells of a character and transform herself is nothing less than awe inspiring. This time out, she is the artist/hedonist mother of the uptight son who has spent his life being embarrassed, even ashamed of the woman. Mother Jane is a hugely successful record producer and son Sam's entire life has been lived in ongoing rejection of his mother's free-wheeling, free-loving chaotic-seeming existence. Director Cholodenko (of the powerfully affecting High Art) offers here an examination of how a child's view of the life around him--which may or may not be accurate--can shape the adult he becomes. In a stroke of inspired casting, Sam and fiancee Alex (the unspeakably beautiful Kate Beckinsale) are both British actors playing American. Given the famous historical inhibition of the British, it's wonderfully appropriate that these two are playing constricted Americans who, without conscious awareness of it, are seeking to escape the self-imposed constraints of their lives.

There is so much that is wonderful about this film that it's difficult to nail down any one area for praise. But Alessandro Nivola as the English lead singer of the group whose record Jane is producing is magically charismatic--drawing not only Jane into the warmth of his charm but Alex as well. It's easy to see the appeal of his easy-going character. Director/writer Cholodenko takes us on a little tour of the psyches on hand and shows both how easy and how hard it is to break out of the habits and reactions of a lifetime. She manages to shoot a dart into the mythical notion that all rock musicians are ignorant louts. In one of the most delicious scenes, PhD candidate Alex is asked about her dissertation by one of the musicians who are lounging in Jane's living room--looking every bit the collective image of dissoluteness. Alex reluctantly, haltingly offers the title, and one of the musicians says, in effect, "Don't be shy. We've all been to college." And another paraphrases/distills the lofty issue down to: "Oh, right. The sex life of fruit flies." It's a gorgeous, signal moment that perfectly illustrates how dangerous it is to enter into anything with preconceived notions. And it is the alluring shock of pot-smoking, loose-limbed, hairy musicians actually having superior intelligence that is the beginning of Alex's emotional emancipation. Then there's Natascha McElhone as a fellow medical resident into whose car Sam nearly collides at the film's opening--a nice metaphor for their later, gentle collisions. With irony abounding, director Cholodenko shows Sam working with a disturbed young man and his mother--able to go to the heart of the issue with an incisive clarity he finds so difficult in his own relationships. A great way of illustrating why so many shrinks go into the field: in order to comprehend their own issues. All in all (aside from the penultimate scene which required a fair amount of discussion by the three of us who saw this together as to the director's intention--because for the duration of the scene, it feels as if the wheels suddenly came off) this is a fine, funny, deeply thoughtful film. And the linchpin, the glue, the focal point of it all is the ever fascinating, remarkably gifted Frances McDormand.
Most highly recommended.