Evening (2007)

Wonderful acting and touching story
This was a very well-done movie. It was wonderfully set up and directed. The acting was awesome. There were lots of well-known, talented actors and actresses that did a superb job. I loved the story as well. It was very touching, and definitly tear-jerking. It kind of has a similar feel to "The Notebook", although I prefer this movie. The story evokes a lot of emotion. It's not a light comedy. It is a poignant, touching, lasting story. Those who enjoy "real stories" more than just slapstick comedy are sure to love this movie.

Relationships that make you who you are
An interesting concept developed through the film is that there are no mistakes in life. The ups and downs of the character relationships ultimately guide them to their destiny...both the happy times and the sad. I enjoyed this film for both the scenic and artistic beauty but also the deep bond of the characters. It was nice to see relationships grow rather than stay stagnant. Looking at a couple of the deleted scenes, I would have preferred that at least one of them be left in as I think a couple elements got choppy without them. For some, the flash backs between past and present can be confusing. Overall though I consider it a great movie when thinking about those relationships that matter from that of mother/daughter, friends like sisters, and romantic love. I think it is one of those types of stories that you can identify with more than one of the characters by the different situations and emotions they find themselves. It's only the smoothness of the story that I detract a star as I think there are some movies better on both character development and story telling. I did experience a glitch in the hd dvd picture/sound during the wedding reception scene where both the picture and sound disappeared...and only the picture corrected itself. It played through fine on the dvd side and did later on the hd dvd side as well. I do have the latest firmware so not sure what happened the first couple times as never seen that on a disk before.

Hang the casting director!
This film was a visual feast, the Kaczmarek soundtrack was the best in many years, and the story of a death-bed glance back at life's most poignant moments, relationships, and choices that resonate down a lifetime, was sweet, touching.

But good heavens, who told Patrick Wilson that he could act? His character, Harris, a servant's boy turned into physician, was supposed to be a human magnet to both girls and boys. But Wilson was badly cast for this crucial role - he is stiff in face and manner, and only somewhat good-looking, more bland than attractive. Hugh Dancy, in a great performance as the drunken dreamer Buddy, would have given the role of Harris MUCH more fire and flair. They got those two mixed up.

And I could never see any magic in Clare Danes; she's got a quirky face, not beautiful at all, and she gives a very self-conscious performance. It keeps breaking into the flow, making this viewer wonder just how many times she practiced that smile or head toss, or if her belt felt too tight for full expression or natural speech. She an adequate actor, but not a great one. And no chemistry with Wilson, either. Bad choice folks.

Ok, one last complaint about these casting decisions. Why, why, why do these people insist on casting actors with strong native accents and force them to adapt an American drawl? Hugh Dancy obviously struggled with it at times, as did Miranda Richardson - both of whom speak with gorgeous natural English accents. Aussie Toni Collette is more adept at difficult American pronunciation, and at least she doesn't sound like she's gargling with boulders (think Mel Gibson in "Signs" and "Tequila Sunrise", or Hugh Jackman in "The Prestige"). Don't tell me there aren't enough excellent American actors that could have been cast in these key roles!

(Of course the reverse is a problem too; think Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen in last year's "Becoming Jane". She sure took a pummeling for that, and legitimately so. But the casting agent should have been pink-slipped too.)

Meryl Streep, who seems incapable of acting at any level less than sublime, was perfect as the older Lila. The second and last pillow conversation between her and Ann was stunning. And it's hard to watch anyone else when Glenn Close is on-screen. But the real treat of the movie was Mamie Gummer, Meryl's luminous real-life daughter, playing the heart-torn young Lila. Redemption at last for the casting of these three gifted women!