Junebug
by Phil Morrison
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DVD details
Actor: Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Van Couvering, David Kuhn, Embeth Davidtz, Jerry MinorDirector: Phil Morrison
Brand: Sony
Producer: Bryan Thomas
Producer: Daniel Rappaport
Producer: Dany Wolf
Producer: Ethan D. Leder
Producer: Mark P. Clein
Producer: Mike S. Ryan
Writer: Angus MacLachlan
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 106 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-01-17
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Reviews of Junebug
DVD Review: Superb drama of quiet desperate lives
Summary: 5 Stars
There is something almost Chekhovian about this quiet drama of trapped people living frustrated lives and it's enlightened by a sensational performance by Amy Adams.
It takes place in a snall town in North Carolina. George, the eldest son of the family, has escaped several years ago to Chicago and married stylish art gallery owner Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) who boasts a British accent and an obnoxious, condescending manner. Madeleine has located a primitive folk artist whose work she is anxious to show and who lives a short distance from George's family. And so the visit takes place.
George's family consists of his parents, his jealous, bitter, unsuccessful younger brother who in turn is married to the heavily-pregnant Ashley, played by Adams.
The arrival of outsiders exposes nerves and fissures in the family, bringing all their unhappiness to the surface. Ashley is living a fantasy marriage, stuck with a boy-man who is incapable of responding to her or shouldering an adult role. His pathetic attempts to pass his GED just illustrates his basic emotional inadequacy. Adams' performance is deeply touching. She is aware of every nuance of her character. Davidtz also gives a fine performance of a woman for whom gesture is all but has lost touch with genuine emotion. Every attempt she makes to get close to the family ends in a cringe-making failure, from her over-familiar kisses to her blatant failure even to remember her mother-in-law's name.
I recommend this quiet movie as a funny-sad exploration of the alientation that lurks within family life.
DVD Review: On the top of the picket fence
Summary: 3 Stars
I sometimes come across movies where I am very much on the fence about whether I like them or not. Certain aspects of them tug me in both directions. I'll say firmly that the acting was top notch. The settings looked incredibly familiar. The cinematography was innovative and interesting. Unfortunately, there was nothing to tie it all together. The point of view keeps changing and at inconsistent methods. Sometimes you get to hear what certain people are talking about and then it jumps to another person or group meanwhile the first situation is still playing on. The disjoint causes feeling like I'm too a person in the house but have no control over where my body is taking me. Certain realistic issues are brought up with no explanation or closure. I'm not saying that's bad film making, because it is very representative of what I see in real life. However, that's one of the things in life that I don't enjoy very much. To me, a sad ending is a story that's been cut short. I'm disappointed by the thematic cliff that Amy Adams' Ashley is left on after her meltdown at the hospital. All we are treated to after that is an inaudible outburst over the phone to her enigmatic brooding husband. I gave the movie an honest chance, but it delivered a great set of characters with no explanations.DVD Review: A Slap in the Face to Every Southerner
Summary: 1 Stars
This movie was the worst I've seen in ages. If I could give this a negative star I would. I grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, the city next to where this movie was made, and where parts of it were filmed, and this movie is a complete insult to anyone living there. What is extra disturbing is that the writer of this movie is from Winston Salem, N.C., and HE thought it was acceptable to portray the people there as country hicks. The "artist" character was nothing but a mentally handicapped freak. The characters are so one-dimensional it's absurd, and they're not the least bit funny. I can't believe anyone laughed at any line in this movie, unless they were laughing at how those "good ole southerners" act. And why, oh why, are they glorifying smoking? Did the fact that North Carolina is a big tobacco state have anything to do with it? (That's one of my biggest beefs with any movie these days...... smoking is for idiots. Oh, I get it........ those characters were idiots........ )
Since this movie has received mostly good reviews from critics, as I was watching it, I kept thinking "this movie must be going somewhere, anywhere", but it was just as painful to watch at the end as it was at the beginning. There was nothing happening; it moved at a snail's pace. Long shots of the interior of the house........ for what purpose??? Yes, those are bedrooms, that's a living room....... The characters had no chemistry with each other, and I didn't care what happened to any of them. The makers of the movie seem to have thrown in a few curse words and a few unappealing sex scenes in a lame attempt to generate some life in this snorer. And why the focus on all those scenes at Replacements Ltd, a company in Greensboro? How much money did the company pay for that promo? The repeated shots of employees' name-tags with "Replacements" written in bold letters above their names was ridiculous. We never saw those characters again. Why would we need to see their name-tags for heaven's sake??
If you want to see a GREAT movie check out "Once", and another is "Lars and the Real Girl". You'll see two beautiful stories told with great respect for the characters, and you will feel like you have made new friends. Unfortunately, this movie Junebug needs to be in the trash....
DVD Review: good jobs by Amy Adams and Embeth Davidtz--but the film itself is cold
Summary: 3 Stars
Junebug is a film that I will have to give a mixed review. While Amy Adams and Embeth Davidtz give excellent performances, the rest of the cast was given such constricted roles that they couldn't have made much of their characters even if they wanted to do so. The cinematography, on the other hand, is excellent and the plot moves along at a good pace--what little plot there is, I should mention.
The film begins when the Chicagoan, highly sophisticated art gallery dealer Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) meets and marries a guy from North Carolina, George Johnsten (Alessandro Nivola). It's not long before Madeleine hears of a reclusive, backward yet talented artist in North Carolina near where George grew up and where his family still lives. George and Madeleine then head for North Carolina to close a business deal with the artist and visit George's highly dysfunctional family.
The moment Madeleine and George arrive, the oddball dynamics of George's family become rather obvious. The only person to warmly welcome Madeleine is Ashley (Amy Adams), George's pregnant sister-in-law. George's mother sees only the good in George while choosing to put down George's brother Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie) who has financial and emotional problems of his own. In fact, the whole family makes light of Johnny which makes Johnny's situation only worse. George's father Eugene (Scott Wilson) is rather introverted and the entire family is very keen on church-going which is not exactly Madeleine's style.
All kinds of problems quickly surface; and we see a rather "unwrapped" family clinging to the church for emotional strength to get them through their unhappy lives. Madeleine also faces some difficulties getting the reclusive artist to sign a contract so that she can close her important business deal and represent him as an artist.
Will Johnny and his brother George ever be able to resolve their differences? Will Ashley coax other members of the family to warm up to Madeleine? No plot spoilers here, folks--watch the movie and find out!
The DVD comes with a few extras: There is a running commentary with Amy Adams and Embeth Davidtz; and there are a few deleted scenes. There are also two casting sessions on the DVD for actors Amy Adams and Ben McKenzie. The "behind the scenes" mini-featurettes are somewhat superficial but a nice bonus anyway.
Overall, Junebug is good but it could have been better. The script isn't as kind to the actors as it could have been and it hampers the actors' ability to give good performances with depth. I kept seeing so many one-dimensional characters on the screen and they could have and should have created at least a little bit of depth to these characters as the movie progressed. Walk, but don't run, to see this film--and make sure you're watching it when there's nothing better on TV.
DVD Review: 2.5 stars out of 4
Summary: 3 Stars
The Bottom Line:
Junebug is a diverting enough comedy/family drama, but it's very slight and marred by a character (the wacky art dealer) whose presence always grinds the narrative to a halt; though it's enjoyable enough, Junebug isn't really worth seeking out.
Description of Junebug
Rising stars Amy Adams and Ben McKenzie light up the screen in this award-winning comedy about love, family, ambition, and the choices that come with each. When worldly art dealer Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) meets her new Southern in-laws, she finds herself questioning the things she values most inthis powerful and funny hit that critics call "one of the best pictures of the year!" (Andrew Sarris, The New York Observer)Junebug spotlights some big fat culture clashes--small town vs. city ways, art-world bohemian vs. church-going folk--yet social commentary never overwhelms a delightful, emotionally rich portrait of family life. When Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz, Schindler's List), a chic art gallery owner from Chicago, meets with an outsider artist in North Carolina she's eager to represent, she and her new husband George (Alessandro Nivola, Laurel Canyon) take a side trip to visit George's family. The visit sends everyone spinning: George's mother (Celia Weston, The Village) doubts the suitability of the marriage; his brother Johnny (Ben McKenzie, The O. C.) quietly seethes at being overshadowed again by his older sibling; and Johnny's very pregnant wife Ashley (Amy Adams, Catch Me If You Can) fixates on Madeleine, seeking in her a companionship that she can't find in her normal life. Junebug's unexpected rhythms slowly and subtly tease out the past; few movies are as eloquent about the mysteries of family--the hidden rules and resentments, the shifting alliances, the emotional pushes and pulls. Adams' justly praised performance lights up every scene she's in, flowing from comic to heartrending without missing a beat, but the rest of the cast delivers complex and mesmerizing character portraits as well. Junebug will resonate with you long after it's over. --Bret Fetzer
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