Laurel Canyon
by Lisa Cholodenko
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alessandro Nivola, Christian Bale, Frances McDormand, Kate Beckinsale, Natascha McElhoneDirector: Lisa Cholodenko
Brand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Letterboxed, Live, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 103 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-07-15
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of Laurel Canyon
Movie Review: great character movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I discovered this film as I have been going through Frances McDormand's body of work. I only began to really pay attention to her after Fargo (loved her, mostly hated the film - just not my cup of tea), and recently went completely nuts over her in "Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day." After Pettigrew, I started watching every one of her films I could get my hands on. I can't say enough about how powerful she is on the screen, and I am way at the back of a long line of admirers.
In this movie, McDormand plays Jane, a semi-famous record producer in LA, and Christian Bale plays her son, Sam. He has been at Harvard finishing medical school and gets a position at a medical institute in Los Angeles (LA). Bringing his rather sheltered East Coast girlfriend Alex (Kate Beckinsale) along, he goes to LA thinking his mother will be at her beach house so he and Alex can stay at her Laurel Canyon residence until they get set up with a place of their own.
Unfortunately for the plan, the record Jane is producing is taking longer than she thought it would, and the young couple find themselves in the midst of Jane's world of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Needless to say, all manner of comedic and personality fireworks ensue.
This is a good character driven film, with lots of interesting, although somewhat predictable, situations as each person "goes through their changes," as a friend of mine who lived in LA used to say. The characters seemed familiar and quite real, and reminded me of more than a few people I have known. I found it all quite believable and immediately cared about the characters and the story.
There is nudity (including McDormand's sweet body), drug use, and serious swearing, so be forewarned. If that bothers you, then you probably won't like this movie. There are all manner of emotional conflicts and "cognitive dissonance" as the two worlds collide, including parent/child issues, fidelity issues, forbidden fantasy issues, and so on. It is a rich tapestry and it is all handled rather well, which is a nice change from most films, with their predictable mainstream Hollywood preaching.
Of course, I could rant on and on about McDormand, having become quite smitten of late with her and her work, but I won't bore you with that. Everyone does a great job: Alessandro Nivola as Jane's new lover and musical find, Nastacha McElhone as a resident at Sam's new workplace with designs on Sam, and the musicians, who are an actual band. The music was really played by the band, and Nivola really did the singing, which added a great deal to the realism.
The extras on the DVD, including writer/director's commentary and making-of featurette, are interesting and fun.
A great film, highly recommended.
Summary of Laurel Canyon
A california tale of a conservative harvard graduate his academic fiance & their mind-altering stay with his wild record producer mom. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 10/04/2005 Starring: Frances Mcdormand Natascha Mcelhone Run time: 103 minutes Rating: R Director: Lisa CholodenkoWhen young psychiatrist Sam (Christian Bale), the son of record producer Jane (Frances McDormand), brings his girlfriend Alex (Kate Beckinsale) to stay at his mother's house, he's expecting that Jane will be gone--but a delay in finishing an album with a British rocker named Ian (Alessandro Nivola) has kept her there. Instantly, the tensions of Sam's counterculture childhood set off a series of betrayals and attractions that threaten to wreck Sam and Alex's relationship. Director Lisa Cholodenko has a keen eye for the behavior, delineating doctors and musicians by the ways they talk and greet each other--it's an almost anthropological study of different tribes. Laurel Canyon lacks the focused story of High Art, Cholodenko's previous movie, and some viewers may find the ways the characters change too subtle to be rewarding; but for others, the rich, detailed performances will be a pleasure worth having. --Bret Fetzer
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