Georgia Rule [HD]

"Courageous"...But Not Particularly Good
Viewing GEORGIA RULE recently I flashed back on a passage from Salinger's FRANNY AND ZOOEY (which I had recently re-read). There is a passage in that book in which a young television actor, speaks disparagingly of scripts that are "courageous," without their necessarily being particularly good. What he's talking about, of course, is the kind of drama that is supposed to be risky and challenging, a bit off beat maybe. "Edgy" might be the current word. That's precisely the kind of dramatic work GEORGIA RULE tries to be. You can just imagine the filmmakers patting themselves (and each other) on the back, congratulating themselves on their frankness and daring.

This is a movie that wants to say SO MUCH--to bravely go where no screenwriter (or director OR producer) would have dared to go before (except that they HAVE, in point of fact). You've got your intergenerational conflict, your intergenerational substance abuse, you've got promiscuous teens--and apparently incestuous...

How do we know we're loved? 4 1/2 stars
Though I don't recall this movie getting great reviews from the critics, I expected at least a decent movie considering the three main stars. I got more than expected. The three lead actresses were well chosen. Jane Fonda, looking exceptionally well at age 70, is outstanding as the grandmother, Georgia, who lives her life by certain 'rules,' hence the title, and who has a history with her daughter, Lilly, (Felicity Huffman), that seems lacking in emotion. 'Seems' is the operative word. While we aren't exactly privy to what has caused this rift between mother and daughter, we glean from one particular scene that Georgia's parents never told HER that they loved her. We gather that Georgia's apparent inability to say the three words, "I love you" to her daughter may simply be because she was not told what she needed to hear from her parents. In one touching scene between Georgia and Lilly, when Lilly asks her mother if she ever loved her, Georgia replies, 'How could I not love...

I watched a different movie than most reviewers
I truly enjoyed this movie. I've always been a Fonda fan. Felicity has never disappointed. And Lindsay shows she is a quality actress, right up there with the other two. In the scene in the boat where she's seducing the guy and they show a close up of just her face, you can see every emotion that crosses her mind.

My biggest difference, however with the reviewers is that they harp on how odd it is to have humor in a film on such a serious topic as sexual abuse. I found this movie to be rather on target with its light hearted moments mixed in with the pain. And then these usually male reviewers go on about was she abused, wasn't she, why doesn't she make up her mind. To me, it seems obvious these fellows have never experienced such abuse personally, nor have they observed, with any care, someone who has. There's no straight line to recovery.

I loved this movie for its story and the acting. Nothing rang false in my book.

Click to Editorial Reviews