Okay, I admit: I was a fan of the show The O.C. at the beginning of the first season. When the show went on hiatus, so FOX could air the World Series in 2003, it pretty much dropped off my radar, along with most of the actors who were in the show.
Earlier this year (2007), I saw a preview for a movie called In the Land of Women. Even though I hadn’t seen The O.C. for over four years, I immediately recognized Adam Brody. I had appreciated the sarcasm that his character, Seth Cohen, used in the show, and I noticed that there were traces of that dry humor in the trailer for this movie.
I didn’t expect great things from the movie, but it was something that caught my eye and I made a mental note to see it at some point. I missed it in the theaters, but luckily the DVD found its way into my hands for review. Read on to see what I thought.
The Movie
Carter Webb (Adam Brody) is a mess. He is completely heartbroken when his girlfriend, Sofia (played by the drop-dead gorgeous Elena Anaya), dumps him, and he is having a bit of a hard time finding solace in his work as a soft-core porn writer. In an attempt to get away from it all, he decides to leave L.A. and go to Michigan to care for his ailing grandmother.
Upon arriving in Michigan, Carter discovers that his grandmother, Phyllis (Olympia Dukakis), is ailing mostly mentally; in fact, she is pretty much completely crazy. To make matters worse, she is the only person that he knows on this side of the country. Instead of turning around and heading back to California, however, he decides to stay and care for her to the best of his ability.
Soon Carter meets a mother and daughter who live across the street, and he begins to form friendships with each almost immediately. He goes on walks with the mother, Sarah (Meg Ryan), where they talk about life and love, sharing their insights and opinions with one another. When he is with the daughter, Lucy (Kristen Stewart), Carter mostly just listens to what she has to say and tries to help boost her already fragile teenage self-confidence.
What results from all this is a sort of sweet, innocent love story that leads Carter, Sarah and Lucy to discover feelings within themselves that they never knew existed.
This movie is much better than I expected. I didn’t think it would be a bad movie, but I expected something mediocre at best. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it depicts life in a very truthful way.
The acting is great. All of the leading actors give really good performances, which helps to make the movie that much more real. My favorite character is Phyllis, hands down. Olympia Dukakis pulls off the crazy bit absolutely perfectly; she looks and acts just like a mentally unhinged old lady, and it is laugh-out-loud funny.
The DVD
In the Land of Women comes as a single DVD in a standard case. The cover art is nice, with pictures of Carter, Lucy, Sofia and Sarah on a white background. It isn’t fantastically original or creative, but it is simple and attractive.
The main menu isn’t fancy at all. It shows a picture of Carter and Lucy kissing, with the title and menu options displayed on either side. Piano music plays in the background. The mood of the movie isn’t really conveyed all that well through this menu, because the story isn’t really about passion; when I see an image of two people locking lips, I generally think “passion” instead of “sweet love story.” Maybe it’s just me.
Video is presented in both full screen and widescreen formats, thanks to a double-sided DVD. The image quality is great and colors are generally pretty neutral, as far as clothing and sets go.
Audio is presented in Dolby 5.1 surround in English and Spanish, which is overkill for this movie. I only recall one scene that really utilized surround sound, and that was a high school fight scene. Most of the audio comes in the form of dialogue or music.
Special Features
This DVD doesn’t have any special features. There are subtitles in English, French and Spanish, but those are just basic fare. It would have been nice to see some commentaries or featurettes, or even some deleted scenes.
Overall
If you’re a fan of romantic comedies (which I am, to a degree), or if you are a fan of Adam Brody, this movie is worth watching. It has a good story, and it feels very true to life. I definitely recommend it.
Overall: 6.0