“Georgia Rule” (Universal Pictures)
A Mess, But An Interesting Mess
“Georgia Rule” is one of those rare movies that is just a mess in a million ways, but what is on the screen is interesting. Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan and Felicity Huffman are the stars of the film and they take their sow’s ears of roles and make them into silk purses. It is a case of talent surviving anything that is thrown at it.
Lilly (Huffman) is a woman who is at her wit’s end where her daughter Rachel (Lohan) is concerned. She finally comes up with the idea to pawn her off on her own mother, Georgia (Fonda), who lives in Idaho. Rachel is not thrilled with the idea but decides to bide her time there.
Georgia has a strict set of rules for anyone who lives in her house. Rachel breaks them all. Still she eventually takes the job Georgia has found for her as a receptionist for the town veterinarian, a man named Simon (Dermot Mulroney). She also finds a boy who interests her. His name is Harlan (Garrett Hedlund) and he is a strict Mormon. That means he is virtuous where she is promiscuous.
Eventually Rachel admits to Simon that her troubles started when her stepfather (Cary Elwes) sexually abused her when she was twelve years old. This revelation brings Lilly back to town to try to determine if Rachel’s allegations are true. It is not until the final moments of the film that the audience finds out this answer.
Garry Marshall directed the movie and he can not get all the plot sorted out in a way that makes a lot of sense. There are subplots on top of subplots in this movie such as the early relationship between Lilly and Simon, or Lilly’s distance from Georgia because of her father’s problems. These two get short shrift as the focus of the movie must stay on Rachel and her complexities.
Lohan is the best part of the movie. She is the focus of the film and she portrays her character to a “t”. She looks great and acts even better. Fonda needs more to do in the film but what she does, she does with gusto. Huffman is okay in a mildly thankless role. She is capable of much more but never gets an opportunity to show it.
Mulroney is sweet and loveable in his role and Elwes is sneaky and despicable in his. Hector Elizondo has a brief cameo as a Basque man with a hernia. Elizondo always appears in Marshall’s movies.
The film is rated R for profanity and sexual situations.
“Georgia Rule” will keep you interested from start to finish but you won’t necessarily like what you see on the screen. The language is unnecessarily crude, the Mormon religion seems to be an object of ridicule, and nobody in the movie seems to know two cents worth about raising children.
For those who think this might be a sweet touchy feely film about women’s relationships, remember it is an R rated movie. The sex and the crude language are not perfect for a family outing.
I scored “Georgia Rule” a commanded 5 out of 10.
