A creamy, rich Southern Gothic with a molasses-sweet matriarch wreaking psychological havoc, "Hush" is a scrumptious morsel that oozes with perverted textures. Starring Jessica Lange as the domineering woman and Gwyneth Paltrow as her unlucky daughter-in-law, this Sony release may find its most gracious hospitality as a video rental -- the kind of old-style, Crawford/de Havilland-ish dish modern women may snuggle up to on a cold, snowy night in front of the tube.
Usually, when the lady of the manor has bats in her belfry, her abode is an expressionistic dungeon. Not so in this smart and smooth generic time piece. In "Hush", Lange stars as Martha, an aptly named woman whose genteel charms seem to epitomize Southern womanhood. Martha lives alone on the estate her husband left her, a sprawling and sumptuous horse farm that is set back just on the outskirts of town. Despite her radiance, Martha is a barren woman in many ways. She pines for the return of her son, Jackson (Johnathon Schaech), now living in New York and she fills the void in her days with domestic niceties.
The Christmas/New Year's respite brings Jackson back to the "farm," along with his live-in girlfriend, Helen (Paltrow). Mom's a bit strict in an old-fashioned Catholic sense and ultra-traditional, he warns. But once the initial awkwardness subsides, Helen is taken in by the thoughtfulness and charm of this doting Dixie woman.
If Hitchcock were still able to conjure about a blonde with all the vanilla extract he so perversely admired, Lange would fulfill beyond his sickest dreams the potential for venality that such a beautiful delicacy could wreak. In a psychological thriller of this sort, the story is only as strong as the villain, and Lange is marvelously lethal. She conjures up a corrosively gorgeous performance, alternating maternal wisdom, neighborly gentility and outright debauchery. Lange cuts a gracious and scary figure, mixing her throaty laugh with nervous finger twirls through the ends of her hair and furtive deep drags on her cigarette. One can only surmise what deep-dish dessert this woman might serve up to an unsuspecting guest.
Although Lange's performance is the centerpiece, praise goes to Gwyneth Paltrow for her flinty performance as the straightforward daughter-in-law/wife who, ultimately, must prove a worthy foe. Schaech is well-cast as the patrician Jackson who must prove his mettle as well as exorcise some childhood demons.
Fittingly, it's the psychological depictions that are the strong suit of Jonathan Darby and Jane Rusconi's screenplay -- ultimately the mother-in-law-vs.-wife battle over the male caught in the middle of the triangle. Unfortunately, the plotting itself is a bit anemic when compared with the inner juices that are presented. But, it's the textures here, rather than the narrative substance, that are the film's essence.
Aesthetically and compositionally, "Hush" is a full-bodied treat. Under Darby's richly evocative direction, the story swells and pulsates with throbbing clarity. Swathed in a splendid array of creamy/fleshy tones, "Hush" marvelously hints at the sickness such an overripe family setting possesses. Deserving special praise is cinematographer Andrew Dunn for conveying the sense of decay with his vibrant hues. Similarly, production designers Thomas A. Walsh and Michael Johnston have visualized a family setting that beneath its splendid surfaces lurks rot of all sorts. Most eloquently, composer Christopher Young's subdued score, rife with underswells of reeds and piano, clues us to the fragile mental state of the lady of the house.
Filmed in Virginia's horse country, the scrumptiously beautiful setting is a stunning backdrop for this latest variation on an age-old genre.
HUSH
Sony Releasing
TriStar
A Douglas Zwick production
Producer: Douglas Zwick
Director: Jonathan Darby
Screenwriters: Jonathan Darby, Jane Rusconi
Story: Jonathan Darby
Director of photography: Andrew Dunn
Co-producer: Ginny Nugent
Production designers: Thomas A. Walsh,
Michael Johnston
Editors: Dane Rae, Lynzee Klingman,
Robert Leighton
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Music: Chrisopher Young
Casting: Heidi Levitt, Billy Hopkins
Sound mixer: Jay Meagher
Color/stereo
Cast:
Martha: Jessica Lange
Helen: Gwyneth Paltrow
Jackson: Johnathon Schaech
Alice Baring: Nina Foch
Lisa: Debi Mazar
Sister O'Shaughnessy: Kaiulani Lee
Gavin: David Thornton
Dr. Hill: Hal Holbrook
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Usually, when the lady of the manor has bats in her belfry, her abode is an expressionistic dungeon. Not so in this smart and smooth generic time piece. In "Hush", Lange stars as Martha, an aptly named woman whose genteel charms seem to epitomize Southern womanhood. Martha lives alone on the estate her husband left her, a sprawling and sumptuous horse farm that is set back just on the outskirts of town. Despite her radiance, Martha is a barren woman in many ways. She pines for the return of her son, Jackson (Johnathon Schaech), now living in New York and she fills the void in her days with domestic niceties.
The Christmas/New Year's respite brings Jackson back to the "farm," along with his live-in girlfriend, Helen (Paltrow). Mom's a bit strict in an old-fashioned Catholic sense and ultra-traditional, he warns. But once the initial awkwardness subsides, Helen is taken in by the thoughtfulness and charm of this doting Dixie woman.
If Hitchcock were still able to conjure about a blonde with all the vanilla extract he so perversely admired, Lange would fulfill beyond his sickest dreams the potential for venality that such a beautiful delicacy could wreak. In a psychological thriller of this sort, the story is only as strong as the villain, and Lange is marvelously lethal. She conjures up a corrosively gorgeous performance, alternating maternal wisdom, neighborly gentility and outright debauchery. Lange cuts a gracious and scary figure, mixing her throaty laugh with nervous finger twirls through the ends of her hair and furtive deep drags on her cigarette. One can only surmise what deep-dish dessert this woman might serve up to an unsuspecting guest.
Although Lange's performance is the centerpiece, praise goes to Gwyneth Paltrow for her flinty performance as the straightforward daughter-in-law/wife who, ultimately, must prove a worthy foe. Schaech is well-cast as the patrician Jackson who must prove his mettle as well as exorcise some childhood demons.
Fittingly, it's the psychological depictions that are the strong suit of Jonathan Darby and Jane Rusconi's screenplay -- ultimately the mother-in-law-vs.-wife battle over the male caught in the middle of the triangle. Unfortunately, the plotting itself is a bit anemic when compared with the inner juices that are presented. But, it's the textures here, rather than the narrative substance, that are the film's essence.
Aesthetically and compositionally, "Hush" is a full-bodied treat. Under Darby's richly evocative direction, the story swells and pulsates with throbbing clarity. Swathed in a splendid array of creamy/fleshy tones, "Hush" marvelously hints at the sickness such an overripe family setting possesses. Deserving special praise is cinematographer Andrew Dunn for conveying the sense of decay with his vibrant hues. Similarly, production designers Thomas A. Walsh and Michael Johnston have visualized a family setting that beneath its splendid surfaces lurks rot of all sorts. Most eloquently, composer Christopher Young's subdued score, rife with underswells of reeds and piano, clues us to the fragile mental state of the lady of the house.
Filmed in Virginia's horse country, the scrumptiously beautiful setting is a stunning backdrop for this latest variation on an age-old genre.
HUSH
Sony Releasing
TriStar
A Douglas Zwick production
Producer: Douglas Zwick
Director: Jonathan Darby
Screenwriters: Jonathan Darby, Jane Rusconi
Story: Jonathan Darby
Director of photography: Andrew Dunn
Co-producer: Ginny Nugent
Production designers: Thomas A. Walsh,
Michael Johnston
Editors: Dane Rae, Lynzee Klingman,
Robert Leighton
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Music: Chrisopher Young
Casting: Heidi Levitt, Billy Hopkins
Sound mixer: Jay Meagher
Color/stereo
Cast:
Martha: Jessica Lange
Helen: Gwyneth Paltrow
Jackson: Johnathon Schaech
Alice Baring: Nina Foch
Lisa: Debi Mazar
Sister O'Shaughnessy: Kaiulani Lee
Gavin: David Thornton
Dr. Hill: Hal Holbrook
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
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