The most insensitive comedy ever about alcoholism or the softest drama ever about child molestation.
Georgia Rule (2007)
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Reviews Counted:116
Fresh:20
Rotten:96
Average Rating:3.9/10
Consensus: Comedic and dramatic in all the wrong places, Georgia Rule is a confused dramedy that wastes the talents of its fine cast.
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Gary Marshall's GEORGIA RULE brings together Lindsay Lohan, Jane Fonda, and Felicity Huffman to play three generations in need of one another's guidance in this story about the bonds between... Gary Marshall's GEORGIA RULE brings together Lindsay Lohan, Jane Fonda, and Felicity Huffman to play three generations in need of one another's guidance in this story about the bonds between three equally feisty women. When teen troublemaker Rachel (Lohan) pushes her alcoholic mother, Lilly (Huffman), over the edge, it becomes the responsibility of her grandmother, Georgia (Fonda), to set things straight. But even getting from San Francisco to Georgia's home in Mormon country proves difficult, with Rachel literally jumping out of the car and flirtatiously hitching a ride from handsome but guarded stranger Simon (Dermot Mulroney). No one in town is ready for Rachel, whose manic sexuality and screw-you attitude is a stark contrast to the strict Mormon values most of the local residents live by. Rachel's arrival and drama-filled stay force everyone she meets to question their way of life. Meanwhile, Georgia force-feeds Rachel the stern structure her own mother was too inebriated to offer, and while Rachel adamantly resists at first, she slowly starts to change, thanks to her grandmother's tough love. The early tone of the film abruptly changes when Rachel makes a bold and disturbing confession, but then takes it back, forcing everyone around her to figure out the truth on their own. For the rest of the film, characters scramble to navigate Rachel's lies and to decipher the truth from her statements. Viewers are kept equally in the dark, as GEORGIA RULE struggles to be both a comedy and a serious drama. Shifting back and forth somewhat clumsily, the film does offer some funny moments, but dwells on issues far too unsettling to pass itself off as a lighthearted "chick flick." While the film seems unsure at times of its goal, it does feature strong performances from its leads: three women who are more similar than any of them would like to admit. [More]
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Jane Fonda, Dermot Mulroney
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Jane Fonda, Dermot Mulroney, Garrett Hedlund, Cary Elwes
Director: Garry Marshall
Director: Garry Marshall
Screenwriter: Mark Andrus
Producer: David C. Robinson, James G. Robinson
Composer: John Debney
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Georgia Rule
It's an honest hard look at a very messy family, with a fantastic cast. The movie threatens to lose its way -- and its audience -- but ends up right where it should by the last scene.
Minow rule: If Hector Elizondo barely makes an appearance in a Garry Marshall film, watch out. If the only place Marshall can find for him is a few seconds on screen as a character with a funny name, the movie is in trouble.
How bad is it for actresses in Hollywood? Well, three really good ones thought Georgia Rule was their best option.
With a different tone -- or in different hands -- its dark and light elements might have managed to coexist rather than vie so awkwardly for attention.
It's Fonda who represents the movie's real lost opportunity. Now that she's back, which filmmaker is going to win the prize for figuring out how to put her gifts, and her looks, to use?
[A] lively and occasionally funny but ultimately disappointing comedic drama.
The American public likes nothing better than a tragedy with a happy ending, William Dean Howells observed. But Marshall so cautiously downplays the tragic elements of his plot that the sweetness and light left a sour taste in my mouth.
Opening with a raunchy but light comic tone, the story veers into queasy territory.
It's the kind of small-town movie that looks as if it was made by people who never set foot outside Hollywood.
Director Garry Marshall's comedy-drama suffers from an unfortunate role reversal. The comedy is stunningly unfunny, while the drama is sometimes disturbingly funny.
Georgia Rule, directed by Garry Marshall from a script by Mark Andrus, swerves and spins, taking its predictable plot in some surprising directions.
Maybe Georgia Rule should be required viewing for Paris Hilton during her term in the slammer. But not for us.
[C]elebrates acting like a selfish bitch, being reflexively promiscuous, and screaming a lot at everyone around you as the best way to overcome years of abuse: sexual, emotional, whatever. Try it, it's fun!
The tone is so inconsistent that the only effect it has is to confuse the audience.
Even when the lack of forward motion in the narrative shines through, Georgia Rule is worth watching for Lindsay Lohan alone.
If there was ever a film project that deserved sabotaging, this is it.
Three noisy women and a worn-out premise rattle around in Georgia Rule, an incoherent dramedy of rampant parental insufficiency from director Garry Marshall.
Latest News for Georgia Rule
February 25, 2008:
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