Monday, April 14, 2008

In the Land of Women


Carter Webb (Adam Brody) has his heart crushed when his beautiful girlfriend Sofia (Elena Anaya from Sex & Lucia) breaks up with him. When his grandmother (Olympia Dukakis) has some problems in Michigan, Carter uses it as an excuse to get away. While trying to regroup, he meets Sarah (Meg Ryan post plastic surgery bonanza) who lives across the street from his grandmother. Sarah is going through a tough spot in her marriage and with her health. Soon Carter is befriending Sarah's teenage daughter (Kristin Stewart better in Into the Wild) in a bit of creepy pedephile subplot.

In the Land of Women is somewhat a-mess with cliche and narratives that are probably unnecessary. You can tell that this first time effort from Jon Kasdan (son of Lawrence and brother to Jake) is jumbled with changes. The dynamic between Carter and Sarah seems to be the best relationship of characters in the film, but it seems to take a backseat while the other screenwriter devices are used. Even in the ending the film seems to be too tidy for it's own good. You never really get a since that this story has really changed a whole lot in their lives. That being said, I had a reasonably good time watching everything. A lot can be said about good actors elevating subpar material. Kasdan has a nice eye for things in his shots too. Maybe he just needs a hand from his brother Jake on focusing his story.

60/100

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