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Credits Grade: 7 Evie Brighton (Lauren Ambrose)is supposed to be looking for college, but her heart's just not in it. Maybe that's because her whole existence seems to be devoted to the life of her mentally handicapped sister, Emily (Taylor Roberts). Her mother Martha (Amy Madigan), too, is entirely devoted to Emily, feeling that Evie can take care of herself, but Evie's best friend, James (Fran Kranz), knows something's wrong — especially when Emily is suddenly declared a savant poet ....The film starts slow, with Evie seeming as strangely behaved as her sister, if not more so. As Brighton family secrets flake away and we, with James, see the truth beneath, the story becomes more coherent — and far more interesting. Ambrose goes from seeming to be just a mediocre, stilted actress to being a truly fine one, as we slowly discover how broken and not-normal Evie truly is. Taylor does a fine job as well as the child-like Emily, as does Madigan as their mother — although I never manage to feel any real sympathy for Madigan's character, Martha. The Brighton matriarch makes her bed, not because she didn't keep a good enough eye on Emily once upon a time, but because she hasn't kept a good enough eye on Evie, and it almost costs her her second child. This is a bitter-sweet story of what can happen when you focus on the care of one needful child at the expense of another. I have to wonder why Martha decided to have another child at all, if her hands were so very full with Emily! When James comes home for a break from college and gets an enthusiastic greeting from Martha, I can't help but wonder if she's hoping that he will take Evie off of her hands so that she can concentrate on Emily again! And while I appreciate how devoted Evie is to her sister, it's a little hard, at least at first, to feel sympathy for her, either, as she uses her sister as an excuse to not live her own life. But as we see just how neglected she is, it becomes easier to understand why she's turned out as she did. If you're a Christopher Lloyd fan, this film may be a bit of a let-down, as his appearances are brief. He does have a touching scene with Martha, one that becomes even sadder in light of the film's end. His character, a teacher named Worth, also nicely parallels James, in that both of them care deeply for one of the Brighton women and have trouble getting their respective girl to reciprocate. James is the most likeable and sympathetic character — and no, not just because I'm a big Fran Kranz fan. It's because James is the only one willing to see truths and act accordingly. He's the only one who looks out for Evie, the only one who recognises that Emily's poems are actually hers. Even Evie doesn't look out for herself, being self-sacrificing to the point of making herself into a martyr. In fact, one has to wonder if she was ever "normal" or more outgoing; as she is here, so withdrawn and stand-offish, it's hard to see how she and James ever became friends, much less why he stuck by such a recluse even before fully learning just how ill-used she's been. And perhaps he's flawed in that respect, being so devoted to her when she continually shies away from that devotion. But as much as he pines for her, I never get the sense that he does what he does to build himself up as some sort of hero to Evie. It speaks well of him that he accepts Evie's choices and doesn't underestimate or abandon her, even when he doesn't get something he wants. At one point, she offers him a bribe when he discovers a secret; he promises to keep it without actually accepting her offer. And when Worth wants to buy Emily a bird, Martha tells him not to bother, as they had a bird once and it ended up being more Evie's anyway — so of course it's not worth the bother for Evie's sake. But James buys Evie a bird and tells her that it's hers, not Emily's. In light of his devotion, understanding, and willingness to stand up for her, it really makes one wonder how on Earth Evie could ever turn him down! The story brings a little-thought-of issue to light, and offers a great twist in the process. However, the film is based on a stage play and it shows, with the dialogue seeming a little overly-dramatic and unnatural at times, something better-suited to the theatre. Ambrose and Madigan's performances are great, but theirs is the sort of acting that seems more intended for a stage environment. Kranz is the only one who consistently makes his lines seem like he's in reality, dealing with a real person, rather than performing an archetype in front of an audience. Also, the ending fizzles out with a whimper rather than going out with a bang, like it just runs out of steam or places to go. Still, on the whole, this movie is worth watching; you just have to be a bit patient with it. And I can say that I liked it better the second time around! Written: December 22, 2009
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