Thursday, June 07, 2007

Mia Reviews "The Senator's Wife"


Next up is a review from Mia, who had some very positive things to say about the script. Mia runs the Trendy Reel blog. She’s a “girl from the eastside with a hobby interest in what occurs on the other side of the screen.”

Thanks so much, Mia.

-MM

--------------------------------------------------

I had heard about this movie back in 2004 and at first was not sure of the plot. I knew the basic summary; a woman whose husband is running for public office, has an illegitimate child come out of the woodwork, just in time for elections. I had reservations about that plot not being strong enough because when people run for public office, things like an unknown child come to light when opponents dig for dirt about each other. Of course, my fears were put to rest after reading the script. In general terms, there was a nice twist to the whole story. More than I expected there to be. I really liked reading this script.

This script works because the characters work. The characters are well written. The thing that really stood out to me is that the characters at the beginning are like whole new people at the end. You have Rosalind who for years put on a really good charade, covering who she really is. Through meeting Joel, Rosalind not only reconnects with the child she gave up for adoption as a teenager, but also she gets to reconnect with who she really is. In life a lot of times we try to mask who we are for whatever reason, but deep down inside, it will always be with you and apart of you. Even hard ass Donny Flynn, becomes another person at the end. I want to talk a little about my favorite character; Little Joel Toothhaker. This role will be the most intricate role. I love this character because he is so smart and charming. He spent time to plan all of it out piece by piece just so that before he dies he gets to see his birth mom. At the beginning, Joel to me was a little bratty but sincere, because he generally seemed to want to help his friend find his birth mom. I have to say, usually I am good with storylines and predicting where they will go, but this one threw me for a loop, because I did not, until if was obvious, catch on that Joel was Rosalind's son. I do have a question about Joel that was not made clear in the script. How can a dying boy not show any symptoms of being terminally ill? Joel spent a few days with Donny and Rosalind, and nothing was mentioned about them noticing anything wrong with him. I know kids have resilience, but that much? Now about Jennifer Aniston as Rosalind. I think this character would give her a chance to stretch her acting skills. I can picture her as Rosalind, and I think some the scenes in the script would be interesting to see her act in because they would be a departure from what she has done in the past. Some scenes that come to mind are the scene with the hurricane and of course when Rosalind is clogging. I think it is safe to say that Jennifer Aniston has not clogged a day in her life, and to me this would be utterly entertaining to watch. Jennifer is the only named attached, so I was also trying to rack my brain for actors to fill the other roles. I think this film would really work out with the right actors to play the roles. I do not know if this movie will see the light of day for a December release date, unless they are going to pull a Ocean's 12 and have the movie done and edited by the end of the year.

1 comment:

Mystery Man said...

Thanks again, Mia.

Despite all the concerns everyone else listed, there are a number of praiseworthy elements and strengths to Fugate's script, which I intend to acknowledge and recognize when I post my review at the end. The sharp writing, quick scenes, and distinctly different characters and voices are some of the reasons I do like Fugate and respect her work.

I think you hit the heart of what she's trying to accomplish when you wrote: "In life a lot of times we try to mask who we are for whatever reason, but deep down inside, it will always be with you and apart of you." Exactly.

And I very much agreed with the concern, "How can a dying boy not show any symptoms of being terminally ill?"

Reveiwing's not easy. You did a good job.

-MM