Year of Release: 1995
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Starring: Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands, Kyra Sedgwick, Brett Cullen, Muse Watson, Haley Aull, Terrence Currier, Anne Shropshire
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis and Review:
Following the well received "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", director Lasse Hallstrom tackled a script hailing from Callie Khouri, the award winning writer of "Thelma and Louise". The film follows the story of Grace King, a married woman with a young daughter, living in Savannah GA, who works for her father's horse farm. Her husband is a lawyer, and they both lead very busy lives. While in her daily errands with her daughter, she accidentally witnesses her husband having an amorous encounter with another woman. This event unravels her life, and she starts not only questioning her choices, but also what she wants out of life. It simultaneously also brings to light just how much support she actually has from the people closest to her.
The most surprising thing about "Something to Talk About" is actually how little there actually is to talk about, when it comes to this film. It's a film that came out around the time Julia Roberts was trying to diversify her career path with different types of films, and not solely romantic comedies. It's also a film that is surprisingly shallow, where most of the characters have little to no dimension, living in this reality where apparently everyone dresses well, looks great, and always has impeccable hairstyles (this film is a bit like a cousin of "Steel Magnolias", but without the quirk or the heart). Just as impressive, is the fact that the film focuses its entire narrative on the fact that this intelligent, professionally experienced, and resourceful woman's life, is apparently thrown completely upside down because her husband is having an affair. While that could have been a catalyst for a far more interesting exploration of who this character is, the rest of the film decides instead to focus on a series of attempts at figuring out how to fix the situation, while also placing Grace in situations apparently "comical", where she discovers of other infidelities her husband had during their marriage (and who doesn't like a dose of public humiliation in a ladies who lunch club). Oh and in this reality apparently everyone is caucasian. The cast of this film is fantastic, with Robert Duvall and Gena Rowlands making a great couple, while the rest of the actors try to do the best they can with the roles and arcs they've been given. The cinematography from the wonderful Sven Nykvist is beautiful. While not a horrible film, it's also forgettable one, and a missed opportunity to tell a story with far more insight, both into women's relationship expectations and familial support.
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