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londonjasper
Reviews
Driving Lessons (2006)
consumer friendly Harold and Maude revamp
Here it finally is then the long overdue "Harold & Maude" overhaul! That was too good of a movie to remain uncopied. This version set in the posh suburbs of North London however portraits the main character as the kind of wimpy teenage freak that overprotective mothers of his kind are expected to breed. Nothing endearing about him unfortunately. I suppose this movie is intended to be one of the boy-becomes-man stories. Oh well never mind the fact that even at the end there is very little mature about Ben. I suppose that is the fashion of the decade: always stay teenage, talk weirdly, dress like a 12 year old and avoid hairdressers. Indie Culture is the rubber stamp? In that respect it makes perfect sense for the Maude Character- marvellously played by Julie Walters- to be a substance dependent, swearing old bird, so pitifully lost in the luxury of her Hampstead villa, only to be saved by the poet without words. Right. Well done for some beautiful pictures of English countryside, loved the car you picked, almost a hearse. This ambitious movie tries very hard wanting to be comedy, drama and road-movie all at once but only reminds us of how powerful it's ancestor was. Can't all be Cat Stevens merit, can it? Good luck for the next.
Snow Cake (2006)
no no no all wrong....
Oh great, here's another "Autism" Cliché flick, hurray! And again it turns out to warm up just about every stereotype repeated ad nauseam since 'Rain Man'. Sigourney Weaver is annoying in Alex' words, I must rather agree- she was certainly unconvincing at best. Rickman however gives a great performance as sad ageing Middle Class, a role that we have seen him in before and that he masters bravely. The script is full of bizarre squeaks, when Alex stands up in the funeral to shake the truck drivers hand I very nearly gave up. Even for an American production that is simply too rich!! I think this 'drama' only survived the first screening because of it's astonishing casting: clearly Alan Rickman and Carrie-Ann Moss carry the whole thing. The fact that they accepted the script must mean that this ambitious project was crippled in the editing room. What a flop.