'Anywhere But Here' lacks creative storyline
By Cynthia Tom
Special to the Daily Forty-Niner
"Anywhere But Here," opens with a car scene
that moviegoers should take as foreshadowing; not of the emotional journey
that the characters take as they grow together, but of the quick exit one
should make if expecting anything more than a mediocre film.
Using the time-old Hollywood template of
a mother-daughter relationship, the storyline varies slightly from past
movies that have chronicled teenage angst and parental struggles.
However, "Anywhere But Here," lacks the
mastery of 1983's "Terms of Endearment," and even the genuine sentiment
of 1990's "Stella."
The element in question here is not the
acting prowess of co-stars Susan Sarandon (Adele August) or Natalie Portman
(Ann August), who are probably the film's greatest asset, but the onscreen
chemistry that is lacking between them.
This is especially disappointing for moviegoers
that have seen Sarandon's magic with former co-stars Julia Roberts ("Stepmom")
and Geena Davis ("Thelma and Louise.")
Enter Ann, a 14-year old girl moving to
Southern California from Wisconsin, with the tell-all statement, "What
kept me going was knowing that one day I'd leave her."
Forced to leave the life she loves in favor
of a love-hate relationship with her mother, Ann is the picture of teenage
discontent.
It is unclear whether her myriad of characteristics
is intentional in symbolizing adolescent confusion, or merely a flaw of
the movie.
A realist, Ann is the more responsible,
instigative of the two, but elicits viewer sympathy as a child who recognizes
her mother's shortcomings and is responding to the negative forces surrounding
her life.
Adele is an idealist, flighty and capricious.
Deciding to rescue the two of them from
a mundane, dead-end future in Wisconsin, Adele acts out of love for her
daughter, who she has a very close and volatile relationship with.
Not always certain of what's best but always
insisting she is, Adele is struggling to hold on while Ann is struggling
to elude her mother's grasp.
However, it is unfair to say that Adele
is more the child because she does have maternal concerns and frustrations.
Scenes in "Anywhere But Here" are generally
short and underdeveloped. In the first half-hour of the film, the brevity
entices viewers and rouses interest, but later becomes tiresome as audiences
must strain to remember the fragmented elements introduced.
Some components become redundant as Sarandon
and Portman act out multiple public outbursts and confrontations, eliminating
the effect of singularity.
And with no common element in the film's
four years, viewers receive little indication of how much time has elapsed
between scenes.
Brief references to secondary storylines
prove pointless, as does the majority of supporting characters who play
fleeting roles.
Supporting actors Shawn Hatosy as Benny
and John Diehl as Jimmy, however, are exceptions.
Both characters add comic relief to the
plot and succeed in revealing Ann's softer side.
The frequent use of Los Angeles landmarks
add a touch of reality to the plot, as the dim lighting contributes to
the sense of bleak reality both Adele and Ann must face.
The soundtrack to "Anywhere But Here,"
is impressive and illustrates the film's themes of needing someone you
can't stand, always wanting more and being on the outside looking in.
"Anywhere But Here," is not a poor film,
but it makes the mistake of trying to live up to past films dealing with
similar subject matter. |
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