Starring Frances McDormand, Christian Bale, Kate Beckinsale, Alessandro Nivola, Natascha McElhone

Plot Summary This is the story of a pot-smoking, free-wheeling Los Angeles record producer, with a rock star boyfriend, whose straight-laced son comes back home after graduation from Harvard Medical School with his rich fiancé, who's working on a book. Although mother and son are initially at odds, their relationship begins to change when he discovers that his bride-to-be likes his mother's rock-n-roll lifestyle too.

Scuz: ()

Ok, this is the first film in a long time where I actually actively went and sought out an indie theater to watch the movie. Yeah, it will be a while before I do that again.

Not only was it raining, but the first showing was sold out as well. So I waited three hours for the next one and got there half an hour early to get good seats. I was amped about the movie, so maybe its my fault for having high expectations. It’s actually not that bad, but runs a bit slow (and occasionally disturbing) for the point that it’s trying to make. Basically, Sam and Alex are two doctors on the path to the perfect stereotypical life, until he chooses to do his residency in California, near the titular Laurel Canyon. Since the two are engaged, Alex agrees to go with Sam to So Cal and reside in his mom’s house there while she stays at her beach house. Unfortunately, the house is occupied by his mom and her 70’s hippie friends when they arrive and they must learn to coexist together in one residence. Oh, did we mention that his mom has a 20 some year old boyfriend that lives there too? Anyhow, the snafu in this is that Alex is locked up in the house doing her boring dissertation on fruit flies and gets enticed into the life of drugs and rock and roll, leaving the conservative Sam to temptations of his own. The two go on separate paths and struggle to reestablish their lives and relationship.

Hey, from my summary it sounds pretty darn deep and interesting. Well on some aspects it is, but it is also really disturbing in some ways as well. For instance, Alex gets attracted to the liberal lifestyle that she never experienced before, which I guess is demonstrated by her making out with Sam’s mom and her child boyfriend. TWICE. No, it’s not that I’m homophobic or anything, but come on, there is something REALLY sick about making out with your fiancée’s mom and then potentially having a threesome with her boyfriend. I don’t know if it’s like in-law Oedipus Complex or what, but I was like eeep! It also drags a bit, because a lot of the film focuses on Alex’s boredom by lingering shots to I guess bore the audience and make them identify with her. Tricky, somewhat ingenious, but also a bit dull.

On the bright side however, the casting is so right on for this movie. Like the reviews blatantly state, Frances McDormand rocks as the role of the hippie mom. She is fun, fearless, and tormented all the same. I’ve only seen her in one other project, Fargo, which I think she may have won an Oscar for. Well, judging from this it is well justified. As for the main leads, Sam and Alex, I really like both of the actors so I’ll just be biased and say they were really good too. Well not so much Christian Bale because he seemed a little stiff playing the prude part since he totally looks like a party boy himself. But, I’ve really enjoyed his other stuff from before and he’s fairly good in here as well (maybe just because he’s really hot). The main reason, however, that I wanted to watch the movie was because of Kate Beckinsale, since I just watched “Serendipity” recently and am totally psyched about her new flick “Underworld.” Anyway, she’s probably my new fanaticism for at least a week and I just idolize her now. She’s perfect for Alex, because she seems like such a prude at first (it is established that I LOVE PRUDES, so bonus points), but then loosens up and becomes wild and fun (well in a disturbing way). The story centers on her and she easily carries the weight as she’s done with most of her films (Brokedown Palace, Pearl Harbor) etc… Anyway I was glad she took the role but sad that they made her make out with Frances McDormand. TWICE.

This movie is one of those love it or hate it kinds of movies. Wait, I lie. You see I kind of stand on both sides. On one hand, I loved the acting, the cast, and the music, but disliked the drawn out moments and choppy moments of the narrative. My dislike wins by a hair only. The ending of the flick is one of those that some people hate and will just roll their eyes and be like WTF? I didn’t mind it so much. Maybe because after watching 20 crappy foreign films last quarter, this seemed like gold. So, I leave you with one lasting thought. Be careful if you choose to wander into Laurel Canyon…you might get lost.