LeeLee Sobieski is the Meryl Streep to be of her generation. All of us who call themselves fans of hers are anxiously waiting for the breakout role that will catapult her to the A-list stardom her talent deserves.
Sadly, we will have to keep waiting.
My First Mister is a very well meaning first time feature from Christine Lahti. The material she has chosen would make for an interesting ABC Afterschool Special movie, but the quality of the writing certainly demands less talent than Albert Brooks and LeeLee Sobieski, who strain to reduce the amount of schmaltz and syrup written for them and flesh out well-rounded characters.
I think the story is a very good one, and some judicious re-writing would have made a world of difference. For example, little time is spent in exposition for the character of Randall, who though portrayed as boring and staid, has a rather deep inner life with regret over his marriage breakup and a secret he keeps hidden from everyone, and more situations could have been written to introduce his character. The movie centers around Jennifer, and Randall's introduction seems done only as a device to add plot to Jennifer's character study.
If you have a teenage daughter, it might be a good idea to see this movie with her. I know lots of girls from high school and college who could have used a hero like Jennifer, who in the end lets go of her gothic pretensions and finds real love. LeeLee Sobieski does better than any other actress could have with this script, and Albert Brooks is always a wizard with the spoken word.
It's not necessary to see this film in the theatre, but I do suggest it on video.
Sadly, we will have to keep waiting.
My First Mister is a very well meaning first time feature from Christine Lahti. The material she has chosen would make for an interesting ABC Afterschool Special movie, but the quality of the writing certainly demands less talent than Albert Brooks and LeeLee Sobieski, who strain to reduce the amount of schmaltz and syrup written for them and flesh out well-rounded characters.
I think the story is a very good one, and some judicious re-writing would have made a world of difference. For example, little time is spent in exposition for the character of Randall, who though portrayed as boring and staid, has a rather deep inner life with regret over his marriage breakup and a secret he keeps hidden from everyone, and more situations could have been written to introduce his character. The movie centers around Jennifer, and Randall's introduction seems done only as a device to add plot to Jennifer's character study.
If you have a teenage daughter, it might be a good idea to see this movie with her. I know lots of girls from high school and college who could have used a hero like Jennifer, who in the end lets go of her gothic pretensions and finds real love. LeeLee Sobieski does better than any other actress could have with this script, and Albert Brooks is always a wizard with the spoken word.
It's not necessary to see this film in the theatre, but I do suggest it on video.