The Lovely Bones (Paramount Pictures)
Pale Imitation of the Book
Several years ago Alice Sebold wrote a haunting book titled THE LOVELY BONES. It became a major best seller and captured a huge group of adoring fans. Now Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame has brought the story to the screen. It is a beautifully crafted piece of work but it is a pale imitation of the power of the book.
The Lovely Bones tells the story of Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), a fourteen year old girl living with her family in Pennsylvania. One day coming home from school she is lured to a field, then raped and murdered. The film does not show the rape and murder, but only shows Susies ghost fleeing the scene.
Later she watches her father (Mark Wahlberg) and mother (Rachel Weisz) go through their grief. Susie is stuck in a place between life and Heaven. She can not go forward or go back but instead spends her time observing. This goes on for years.
Peter Jackson chose not to incorporate the rape and murder into his film. He does not ignore it occurred but doesnt film the incident either. By removing this portion of the story from the visual portrayal he in a sense desensitizes the audience. There is still horror at the murder but not the abhorrence that should have been felt. Susie goes from life to ghost in the flash of an eye without any of the turmoil necessary to create the mood of the story.
Ronan is excellent in her portrayal of Susie. She brings to the character the exuberance of youth along with the sadness of her loss. Ronan holds the film together and is the perfect narrator for the story. Stanley Tucci is equally good as the suspicious acting neighbor. He gives him the slightly flawed actions of a man with a secret.
Not so good is Mark Wahlberg. His portrayal of Susies father is bland in the extreme. Wahlberg is one of the best young actors in Hollywood but in this role he brings nothing to the screen. Not as bad, but not good either, is Weisz. You never get a sense of who her character is or what she is feeling. You know she is hurting but there is never more than that.
Then there is Susan Sarandon who is playing Weisz mother. She seems to come out of another movie altogether. Her mannerisms and actions are so bizarre that they never find a place in this film and remain on the outside looking in. What was Jackson thinking, or who was Sarandon playing
The film is rated PG-13 for violence and profanity.
Some of the visuals in the film are stunning. This is where Jackson excels. But visuals without a compelling and well thought out story are not enough. Jackson should have kept his focus on the plot and let the visuals be a background effect.
I scored The Lovely Bones a sensitized 5 out of 10.
