This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Hitch Your Fate To a Fading Star
Plot Overview
An aged matron Ann Lord (Vanessa Redgrave)
mumbles on her deathbed, “Where's
Harris?” and that he's “my
first mistake.” Her daughters Constance Haverford
(Natasha Richardson) & Nina Mars (Toni Collette) have never heard
of this Harris who dominates their mom's reflections. Says the night
nurse (Dame Eileen Atkins), “Medication can make them very
drowsy.” Flashbacks take us to the wedding weekend of Ann's
rich friend from college Lila Wittenborn (Mamie Gummer) who's
got the jitters over her pending nuptials. Lila's brother Buddy (Hugh
Dancy) wants his friend Ann the maid of honor to talk her out of going
through with her wedding to tall Carl as she's always been in love
with Harris. Harris Arden (Patrick Wilson) is the son of their family's
caretaker but now a successful medical doctor. Harris never reciprocated,
but reciprocal sparks do fly between him and the friend cum maid of
honor Ann Grant (Claire Danes). What happens between them is the source
of her regret, one of many, in a world loaded with them as attested
to by novelist Dick Francis:
Perdita gave
me a look born of long, knowing experience. “You can never go
back,” she said.
I would do it again, I thought helplessly. I'd marry with my eyes and find
an unsuspected stranger inside the package. Did one never grow up?
(206)
Ideology
The surprise romance that blossoms between two leads is not so compelling as to be anticipated were it not for the movie world preparing us for it. Think along the lines of, (Proverbs 30:18-19) “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.” The writer of this Good Book's saying cannot track an eagle drifting on the air, a slithering serpent on a rock, or a ship tossed on the sea, much less “the way of a man with a maid.”
Here
instead of an eagle up in the sky we observe sprites fluttering about
in Ann's room then leading her away in a stop-time dreamlike
sequence. She says to the enigmatic night nurse, “What's
this?” The nurse tells her, “It's just what's in the
air.” She replies, “I don't think I like it.” Her
memories are not an unadulterated comfort.
“The way of a serpent upon a
rock” corresponds to a spilled dinner making a mess on the stove
top as Ann is torn between cooking the spaghetti and comforting her
antsy kids. The pan of mushrooms is doing okay, but the sauce is another
matter, there being a spill next to its pan. The noodles are the big
problem, Ann having put down the strainer in order to hold the baby.
Noodles are overflowing it and there's a scatter of some right
on the stove. Her past life was a mess mostly.
The interesting scene is of Ann and Buddy on the beach where they discover a bottle washed-up. Instead of three wishes it contains an undrinkable residue of old wine that must be poured out. Ann had three unfulfilled wishes in “two bad marriages and I didn't turn out to be such a great singer.” In form this is linked to a note Ann had passed Buddy in Philosophy class, Junior year, which became illegible carried in his pocket and had to be thrown away. It reads, “Wittgenstein, Schmittgenstein. What's for lunch?” So does Ann's lifetime of accumulated wisdom reveal that she did what is needful, and “one thing sort of leads to another.” Or as a mature Lila (Meryl Streep) will have it, “Your mother had her whole life. She sang at my wedding … she raised two girls … we can't know everything she did. We are mysterious creatures, aren't we? And at the end, so much of it turns out not to matter.”
Production Values
“” (2007) was directed by Lajos Koltai. The script was written by Susan Minot and Michael Cunningham, being an adaptation of Susan Minot's novel, Evening. It stars Vanessa Redgrave, Toni Collette and Claire Danes. Also featured are Patrick Wilson, Hugh Dancy, Natasha Richardson, Mamie Gummer, Eileen Atkins, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, and Barry Bostwick. Young Lila played by Mamie Gummer resembles mature Lila played by Meryl Streep, because the former is the latter's real life daughter. This movie has a cast of good actors who did a good job.
MPA rated it PG–13 for some thematic elements, sexual material, a brief accident scene and language. It was filmed in charming Newport, Rhode Island, USA. Timeline flips back and forth continually. There are a lot of characters and threads to keep track of making for a somewhat overwrought plot. Runtime is 1 hour 57 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
If you've got the time, read the book. It's got more material but should allow one to follow it at her own speed rather than puzzle it out on the big screen. If you want to tap into the wisdom of age, you'd do just as well to read Ecclesiastes. If you're having trouble sleeping at night, you won't need the whole two hours to put you under. This one won't cut it as a date movie but might work as a chick flick.
Movie Ratings
Action Factor: Weak action scenes. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day. Suspense: A few suspenseful moments. Overall movie rating: Three stars out of five.
Works Cited
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.
Francis, Dick. Decider. Copyright © Dick Francis 1993. New York: Viking Penguin, Inc., 1993. Print.
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