Evening (2007)

This new film with the tagline of having the greatest actresses in the world (Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Vanessa Redgrave, Toni Colette, Claire Danes, etc.) is about a dying woman, Redgrave, and her contemplation of "mistakes" in her past. Well, it was a mistake for me to see this film. I admit that I was suckered into seeing this film because it starred some of my favorite actresses--any time Meryl Streep is on screen, you can bet I'll be there. Despite the negative reviews I had already heard about this film, I drove forty miles and paid eight dollars (not including gas) to see a certified disaster.

The film begins with Toni Colette and Natasha Richardson gathered around their dying mother's (Vanessa Regrave) bed. Their mother was reliving her past and saying some crazy stuff, much like any alzheimer's patient. The film shows her glory days as a beautiful young woman, played by the beautiful Claire Danes, searching for love in New England. Of course she had a few romantic moments with a man she was destined never to marry and made her wonder if her whole life was a mistake. It was. There was also a weird supernatural part of the "night nurse" played by Eileen Atkins. I love Eileen Atkins, but this attempt at adding a mystical element was literally laughable. It might've worked if the whole movie were a mystical search for meaning like Fellini's 8 1/2, but since no one can be Fellini, it wouldn't have worked.

The film dragged on for over two hours--well beyond the maximum amount of contrived emotion a normal person can handle. This film failed on many levels: the script, direction, plot, and emotion. Its only good qualities were the actresses and the cinematography; everything else made me want to commit suicide. The film reminded me of an overly dramatic and contrived Pat Conroy novel. I hate Pat Conroy novels. I found myself waiting and waiting for something to come along and save this movie from itself. Actually I was waiting for Meryl Streep to show up on screen. She did, for about a split second. It amounted to less than the average cameo. It was as if she came on the set, did her acting bit, and then realized what a disaster it was going to be, so she left. I think the person with the best lines was Toni Colette, but her scenes were out of place and did not work for the most part.

The entire film was disjointed, confusing, and basically a waste of time. I found myself laughing hysterically in some parts--and this is supposed to be a drama. The funniest part was Glenn Close's meltdown after her son dies. Her hysterical screaming was hilarious! Near the end of the film, after hours of tedious, contrived emotions, I thought about something one critic said which was "At the end I felt like screaming to Vanessa Redgrave 'Just die already!'". I couldn't agree more!

Rating: * 1/2