Hi Probonopublico :)
I enjoyed *some* elements of the movie but on the whole, definitely
preferred the 3 separate stage versions that I've seen over the last 3
years. Which is really amazing given that I tend to prefer celluloid
gloss over live action! (Case in point: went to see "The Lady From the
Sea" a few weeks ago and was practically crawling the walls with
restlessness and frustration - goodness, what melodrama too!).
Since your question is more along the lines of "enjoying the movie",
I'll tell you the elements of the movie that I did enjoy;
1. Queen Latifah's role as Mama - it is just so damn refreshing to see
someone who is NOT a size 6 (or below) in a lead role who also happens
to have a naturally fantastic voice feature so well. I thought her
performance came across really well - natural, unpretentious - a
naturally beautiful woman who is very talented.
2. I thought the scene with Richard Gere and Renee Zellweger (yup, I
had to look up the spelling of Renee's last name!) where Renee is
propped up on his knee like a ventriloquist's dummy was very well
done. I'm not a particular fan of either actor but I enjoyed the
spontaneity of the scene and thought that they carried it off
successfully. I thought that Richard Gere's character of Billy came
across as deliciously smarmy* in this scene.
3. Last but not least....I did like the "give 'em the old razzle
dazzle" scene. Again, I thought Billy came across exactly as he
should - mercurial, vain, self-absorbed, slimy, etc. etc! Plus, I do
like a little razzle dazzle with appropriate lighting, soundtrack and
production values :)
I must be honest and admit that my fond memories of the movie may, in
part, be influenced by the fact that I'm daydreaming about the
wonderful air-conditioned coolness of the cinema - given the official
100F temperature in London today, I suspect the scenes highlighted
above coincide with my specific memories of said airconditioning!
Signing off (or should that be "singing off") as hot and humid in
London
jem-ga :)
*smarmy is also my personal pet name for a peculiar sandwich which I
make from time to time which involves the use of marmite, ketchup and
bacon. Don't ask...I'm sure I've picked up my more bizarre sandwich
concoctions from my Dad who introduced me to ketchup sandwiches when I
was a child. I also seem to remember waffle sandwiches made with
blueberry waffles, cheese, ham and mustard.... |
