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SYNOPSIS:
Seeking vengeance for the murder of his sister, a young man, Walter (Ashton Kutcher) arrives in town only to get sidetracked by a beautiful older woman, Linda (Michelle Pfeifer) with emotional wounds very similar to his own. As both Linda and Walter try to cope with the pain and frustration of their loss, the two bond -- their shared tragedies spawning an unlikely and beautiful romance.
For Linda, Walter is soon more than just a companion. He becomes a mentor to her troubled son, a fatherless boy who cannot come to grips with his dad's death. That is until he finds solace in Walter the only offering a better way to channel pent up fury.
MOVIE
REVIEW:
We know what you must be thinking: What’s it with Ashton Kutcher (Spread, What Happens in Vegas) and older women? As if having Demi Moore in real life isn’t enough, the mastermind behind Punk’d gets to bed older women too in his reel life? And what kind of exciting chemistry will the sculpted good looker have with his co star Michelle Pfeiffer (Stardust, Hairspray) in this David Hollander directed movie? We don’t blame you if you were expecting steamy scenes between the two, just by looking at the DVD cover. But you’d be in for a disappointment because this clearly isn’t the focus of the affecting story.
Kutcher plays a wrestler who leaves the national team and returns to his hometown after his sister gets murdered brutally. Pfeiffer plays a single mother, whose husband was killed by an alcoholic, and don’t blame her for being unhappy about many things in life. The two meet, and the third factor involved in this drama is Pfeiffer’s deaf mute son, who is traumatized by his father’s death. As time goes by, the three develop relationships that may affect their individual emotional wounds.
And so it is with this premise that the movie goes on for 111 minutes. While some may criticize the production for being predictably sappy, we are giving points for its sincerity. One can feel the hurt and pain felt by the characters with their every expression.
Pfeiffer effortlessly translates the aching heart of a wife and mother to her role as she goes about throughout the film walking down streets, taking care of her son, preparing for others’ weddings, while delivering her dialogues with her calming and pleasant voice. And surprise, surprise, Kutcher turns in a sensitive portrayal of a man who is lost and unsure of the future that lays ahead of him. In a supporting role, Kathy Bates (Revolutionary Road, The Day the Earth Stood Still) makes her presence felt by playing the mother of Kutcher and a girl who is cruelly murdered. Watch out for the scene towards the end of the movie where she attempts to sell her dead daughter’s belongings at a garage sale. It is pure heartache.
This is not an extraordinary movie which you will remember years down the road, but it does have its intimate moments. How the different characters come to a resolution of letting go certain pasts are aptly explored by the filmmakers without making a whole tiresome mess. And for those who are looking out for steamy sex scenes between the younger male lead and the older female lead, we’d advise you to look elsewhere. To have even that thought about this earnest movie is somewhat obnoxious, and we’d rather not discuss about that.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The movie’s visual transfer is fine, and is presented in its original English dialogue.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted on 31 January 2010
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