Map of the World
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Movie Reviews of Map of the World
Movie Review: Excellent acting
Summary: 4 Stars
Amazing Sigourney Weaver, Julianne Moore, and David Strathairn portray middle America and a compelling drama in this little known, overlooked movie. More movie-of-the-week than theater going movie, the acting is the major propellent in this piece. Weaver plays a overworked, underacknowledged mother, wife, and school nurse, who while watching her best friend's daughters tragedy strikes. Weaver's character is brought to the edge and back, while her husband now has to learn how to care for all the things he just seemed to overlook so easily because his wife was there. Strong performances make this a standout, especially for any fan of these actors. The movie shows how circumstance can bring you to the edge of the world and bring you back and show you what you have and what you never want to forget you take for granted.Movie Review: A Must Have for Sigourney fans
Summary: 4 Stars
This film was hugely overlooked and underappreciated. The performances are honest and very real. The story of a woman who, through a series of horrific incidents, misconceptions and misunderstandings, loses everything including herself. Sigourney Weaver portrays this broken down human being with humility and elegance. Weaver is all at once, strong, emotionally unavailable, depressed, sad, scarey, loving, supportive and charged. This is an Oscar performance if there ever was one. The style in which Weaver illuminates her character is completely different than any other performance in any of her other films (Aliens, Gorillas In The Mist, The Ice Storm).
The story is challenging, but the rewards are fascinating.
Movie Review: Great Acting but Challenging Movie
Summary: 3 Stars
I know this film is based on a popular novel but it almost felt like there was too much story here. Two families dealing with the tragic death of a daughter in the other's care (one movie). A woman unjustly thrown into jail with other "baby-killer" women (another movie). A courtroom drama of fighting sexual abuse charges (yet another movie).
A MAP OF THE WORLD nearly pulls off all of these storylines...except Sigourney Weaver's character keeps confounding us with distracting and even frustrating lines and actions.
Don't get me wrong: I love Sigourney Weaver. I loved her in ALIEN, I loved and lusted after her in HALF MOON STREET (and GHOSTBUSTERS). I loved her in GORILLAS IN THE MIST. I even remember falling for her the first time I saw her in 1981's EYEWITNESS.
And she's outstanding here. Even playing a difficult woman like this character, you sit back and watch, amazed. But this character makes it hard to root for and like her sometimes. This obviously works for a lot of reviewers here, but the story takes too many twists and turns that you end up wanting to throw your hands up at (at least) one point (and it's a courtroom scene).
I don't know how the book reads, but there are several times that Sigourney's character has so much contempt for country folk--like when she's pratically sneering at a priest arriving at the hospital to comfort Julianne Moore's family--that I could see where viewers would lose sympathy for her. David Straitharn's husband remains aloof and wounded but never really lets us in. I don't know. No easy answers with these characters. Kind of like life....
So obviously this is one of those movies where it doesn't matter what I say or all the other reviews: you may like or dislike this film, but it will challenge you.
The overall cast is great. I really enjoyed Arliss Howard's attorney.
But if you enjoy Sigourney Weaver, definitely check this out.
Movie Review: A MAP OF THE WORLD DVD
Summary: 3 Stars
I'VE BECOME A HUGE SIGOURNEY WEAVER FAN AND HAVE GONE BACK NOW TO COLLECT ALMOST ALL OF HER MOVIES SINCE FINALLY GETTING THE FIRST ALIEN MOVIE ON DVD WHICH IS NOW 30 YEARS OLD. UNLIKE MANY OF HER MALE COUNTERPARTS AFTER A WORLDLY HUGE GROUNDBREAKING FILM SUCH AS THE FIRST ALIEN, SIGOURNEY DID NOT BECOME STUCK DOING THE SAME ACTION FILM OVER AND OVER WITH DIFFERNET EXCUSES TO BLOW THINGS UP, THEATRICALLY TRAINED HER RANGE IS UNBELIEVEABLE, AND SHE IS WITHOUT QUESTION THE BEST ACTRESS I'VE EVER SEEN.
A MAP OF THE WORLD DISPLAYS HER RANGE AS SHE PORTRAYS A SMALL TOWN WISCONSIN WOMAN ACCUSED AND ARRESTED FOR CHILD ABUSE, THE FILM IS A BIT SLOW AT FIRST HOWEVER IT BEGINS TO BRING YOU IN WITH AN UNFORTUNATELY ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF WHAT DOES HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE CASES OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ACCUSED OF THIS CRIME, GUILT OR INNOCENCE CAN BE AND IS AN ENIGMA WHEN A 9 OR 10 YEAR OLD ACCUSER IS BEING QUESTIONED BY A LAWYER ON THE STAND,THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH INFO WITHOUT GIVING THE MOVIE AWAY I HOPE.
THE MOVIE IS NOTHING SPECIAL BUT IF YOU ARE A SIGOURNEY FAN ITS ENJOYABLE WATCHING HER FLEX HER ACTING MUSCLES IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF FILM, YOU ALSO GET TO SEE HER NUDE. RATED R FOR NUDITY AND SOME SEXUALITY.
Movie Review: Solidly acted...
Summary: 3 Stars
A Map of the World finds Sigourney Weaver as Alice, a school nurse who stands accused of child abuse following an unfortunate accident that left her best friend's (Julianne Moore) daughter drowned while in her care. The film occasionally descends into movie of the week territory (particularly during the ending's Voiceover narration), but for most of its duration manages to avoid the trap.Weaver's Alice is quite interesting. She scoffs at the charges, since she feels she did nothing wrong. She initially looks at her jail stay as a vacation from her two children. Her character's attitude diffuses many of the melodramatic aspects of the events on display.
Moore turns in a terrific performance, as always, in what is a small role. One scene in particular, in which Moore and Weaver collide at night near the pond where Moore's daughter died is a powerhouse. David Strathairn, playing Alice's husband, does what he can with an underwritten role...
The film is not very well directed, but the sheer drama of the events carries the film to watchability. The script is uneven, but it works more often than it dosen't