This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Boring as h—
Plot Overview
Gloria Bell (Julianne Moore) for whom,
“It's been 10–12 years since my divorce,” is now
in a rut. It's the same L.A.
night clubs, the same stray cat (“Go home”), the same
preoccupied grown children, the same commute to the same boring
job where she fields replies by phone to the perpetual complaints
of her company's customers. “Some days I'm happy,” she
says, “some days I'm not. Like everybody.”
One day she receives a call from one of her opportunistic hookups Arnold Tenon (John Turturro) expressing interest in her (“Are you asking me out?”) He's been divorced a year now but remains involved in his ex's life in an unhealthy way and needs to break the cycle. For him Gloria is an escape.
Their dates are repeatedly interrupted by cell phone calls from his whining daughters. He takes the calls in Gloria's presence and occasionally deserts her to take care of them. It eventually dawns on Gloria that though he takes pains to make himself presentable, this swell is not the wellspring of her happiness.
Ideology
Gloria confides to her salon worker
about a stray cat, that she doesn't know where it came from. The worker
shares the origin of cats from the Bible: Noah was having trouble
from mice eating the food on the ark, so he called a lioness, patted
it three times on the head, and from its nostrils emerged two house
cats. Three pats and a snort, problem solved. Gloria has bigger three
and one problems. (Prov. 30:21-23)
“For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which
it cannot bear: For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he
is filled with meat; For an odious woman when she is married; and
an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.”
“For a servant when he reigneth,” would be her friend Vicky at work (Rita Wilson.) Vicky is protesting what the company did with her 401K. Gloria encourages her to give the company what for, let them know who's boss. Actually, this is not a good idea; they are the boss, or at least were.
For “a fool when he is filled with meat.” Arnold's grown daughters are a couple of fat flibbertigibbets living with their mother. He supports them all. This is not the best arrangement for those involved.
“For an odious woman when she is married.” When Arnold keeps getting annoying phone calls from his daughters forcing him to deal with their mother, Gloria remarks that she thought he was divorced. He replies, “You get divorced from the woman, not the kids.” Evidently, not divorced enough.
The pièce de résistance is for, “an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.” Gloria retrieves a package of dope that was meant for her neighbor above her. She takes up smoking it. Whereas alcohol can make some people mean, marijuana/hashish tends to bring out the artistic in people. Yet when Gloria is armed with one of Arnold's paint guns, it can result in a polka dot redecoration of his home.
Production Values
“” (2018) was directed by Sebastián Lelio. The original Chilean version was written by director Sebastian Lelio and Gonzalo Maza; it is adapted here by Alice Johnson Boher. It stars Julianne Moore. She makes Gloria Bell real to life.
MPAA rated it R for sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use. The music was a mixture of disco, Latin, and pop (some of it sing-along), keeping the pace frenetic and romantic. The distinctives of independence and affability are delicately balanced. “Gloria Bell” is a fascinating character study.
Review Conclusion w/ Christian Recommendation
Some movies take us out of our humdrum lives and allow us to imagine the possibilities. This one teaches us to respect the adage, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.” It's a chick flick not to this guy's liking, but I didn't mark it down any for that. If you lean to this kind of material, it will do the trick,
Movie Ratings
Action Factor: Weak action scenes. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day. Suspense: Predictable. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
bibles.n7nz.org