Laurel Canyon | | Cast : | Frances McDormand, Christian Bale, Kate Beckinsale, Alessandro Nivola | | Director : | Lisa Cholodenko | | Studio : | Columbia Tristar Hom | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | January 01, 2002 | | DVD Released Date : | September 13, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 29, 2005 | | Summary | The Graduate Redux | Content
 | Like Al Pacino, Frances McDormand tends to dominate any film she plays in, and so it is here. Unfortunately, it's not enough to salvage this cliche-ridden remake of The Graduate (the major difference being that the girl ends up sleeping with the guy's mother). The other actors provide uninspired, wooden perfromances.
Spend your money elsewhere
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| Rating | | | Date | March 22, 2005 | | Summary | big waste of time | Content
| I found this film to be pretty useless. Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale play a couple who move to Los Angeles to Los Angeles so Sam (Bale) can pursue his medical residency, and Alex (Beckinsale) can complete her dissertation on genomics. Studious and serious individuals, both of them. They are going to live in Sam's mother's house in Laurel Canyon, thinking Sam's mother (Frances McDormand) is going to be away. She is a famous music producer, and unfortunately her latest project has run over time and she is still at the house when Sam and Alex arrive. Sam is perturbed; he clearly does not see eye to eye with his mother or her reckless lifestyle. Alex, though at first not interested in the rock and roll lifestyle on offer, becomes intrigued and gets a little bit too involved in Jane's (McDormand's) activities for Sam's liking. Meanwhile, Sam is feeling like his relationship has problems, is questioning many things in his life and is distracted by an Israeli intern at the hospital where he works (played by Natascha McElhone). As he nearly begins this affair, Alex grows more and more wrapped up in the "cool" lifestyle of Jane. Of course it all leads to a semi-disaster. By watching the film, though, a viewer comes away with nothing. There is nothing remotely interesting about this film apart perhaps from McElhone's pursuit of Bale's character and on occasion, the self-indulgence and insecurity visible in McDormand's character (her desperate need to be "cool" and appear young, etc. and the slight hint of jealousy she feels when her younger boyfriend wants to be with Alex.) In no way can I recommend this film. There was nothing redeeming about it at all that would make it worthwhile to watch. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 21, 2005 | | Summary | Don't bother | Content
| Don't waste your money on this stinker. Either McDormand and Beckensale needed some dough that week and were willing to look foolish to get it, or they were swept along by Hollywood's distorted social consciousness. Maybe both? In any event, this is a silly porno movie without any porno in it: a repressed girl opens up to "new experiences," egged on by her campy record producer mother-in-law, made lonely by her absent doctor-husband. Sound like a 1970's paperback? You bet. Want to see McDormand and Beckensale kissing for about 4 seconds? This is the film for you. The main mover behind this four-legged barker is someone named Lisa Cholodenko, who both wrote and directed it. Hopefully film has heard the last of her because Fellini she ain't.
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| Rating | | | Date | March 19, 2005 | | Summary | Students of terrible music should appreciate this one | Content
| I loved the track that Frances Mcd was striving so hard to produce. It reminded of nothing so much as an attempted serious version of the fantasy Eurovision song contest entry 'My Little Horse' which appears in the peerless sitcom Father Ted and is intended to lose the competition so Ireland do't have to foot the bill of sitting the next one. It had everyone I was watching the film with convulsed with laughter.
Other than risque, well yes especially if you have lived a sheltered life, but the script is more banal than subtle I'm afraid. Give me Woody Allen anyday.
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| Rating | | | Date | December 21, 2004 | | Summary | Lacking a good plot | Content
| Laurel Canyon really disappointed me.
it is not a good movie. |
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