Written as part of the blogathon hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. If you'd like to join (and you should), just pick three films that fit the week's them and post to your blog!
This month's "All in the Family Edition" of Thursday Movie Picks is focused on Father-Daughter Relationships. Being neither a father nor a daughter I have nothing to say in general about these kind of relationships, except that they're not always centered around a protective papa and a pony-wanting little girl. Here are my three picks for this week.
In A World... (Lake Bell, 2013) The story of a vocal coach and her famous voice-over actor father, actress Lake Bell's debut as a writer-director was one of the most pleasant surprises in recent years. As Bell's Carol tries to come into her own as a woman and as a professional, she inadvertently lands a trailer voice-over gig, earning the ire of her father (Fred Melamed, perfectly cast) and his protegé (the ever-reliable Ken Marino). Indignant that such a prominent gig would go to a woman, Daddy vows to come out of retirement to do the voice-over himself, and does just that when he finds out it's his own daughter who is the mysterious woman in question. Funny, smart, and cynical all in just the right amount,
In A World... (yes, it's named after the immortal trailer line made famous by the late Don LaFontaine) has a lot to say about Hollywood and its attitudes toward women, in addition to the loving, contentious relationship between family members in the same professional arena.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin, 2012) Probably my favorite film of this decade, Benh Zeitlin's first full-length feature is a miracle. Adapted by Lucy Alibar from her play
Juicy and Delicious, this lovely, lyrical film takes place in a Louisiana bayou in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Wink and his daughter Hushpuppy (played by revelatory first-time actors Dwight Henry and Quvenzhané Wallis, who won a deserved Oscar nomination for her stunning work) love their life in The Bathtub, primitive though we may find it. And when government-type outsiders try to take them away, they fight to stay. This film is unspeakably gorgeous on every level, and the incredibly lived-in performances make this thorny, touching father-daughter relationship one of the all-time greats.
To Kill A Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962) Perhaps the greatest page-to-screen adaptation of all time, this adaptation of Harper Lee's novel is pitch perfect, and nowhere morseso than in Gregory Peck's wonderful performance as Southern lawyer and all-around good man Atticus Finch. Though the story is told from his young daughter Scout's point of view, so it could just as easily be a brother-sister movie, the heart of the film is in the relationship between father and daughter. And a more honest encapsulation of the perfect parent-child relationship you won't find in any film before or since.
Loving the In The World pick, it may not the best film out of the three but it's the best pick as in it's a surprising and interesting one. I did like the feminist slant on the film, hope to see Lake Bell in more films.
ReplyDeleteIn a World I mean...
DeleteThanks! Bell totally impressed me with this one. I thought she was just okay before, but it's tough to write, direct, AND star in a movie. And she did a pretty good job with all three, so I have to give her props.
DeleteI also picked Beasts of the Southern Wild so I'm in full agreement with you there. Nothing more to say about To Kill a Mockingbird other than "Yes." Haven't seen the last one, though. Great job.
ReplyDeleteBeasts just... it's INCREDIBLE. The end is just heartstopping, and the rest just makes my heart overflow with joy and positive feeling. To Kill A Mockingbird is a stone-cold classic and I'm shocked I'm the only one so far to pick it. In A World... is not as great as the other two but is very good in its own right and totally worth a watch.
DeleteI still need to see In a World.
ReplyDeleteLove the To Kill a Mockingbird pick! I can't believe you're the only one to pick that one.
I KNOW, RIGHT?!? I thought more people would choose Mockingbird. Easily one of my All-Time Favorites. In A World... is very good. I was kinda shocked by it since Bell has always struck me as little more than a good-but-not-great actress who mostly got by on her looks. Turns out there's a LOT more to her!
DeleteTKAM is such an awesome choice! I didn't even consider it.
ReplyDeleteI refuse to watch Beasts. I remember all the hype around it and being so annoyed with it all. The wounds are still fresh with that one, ahha.
I suppose I don't blame you for bristling against heavy hype, but... Beasts is SO. GOOD. Even after the hype, I was blown away by it in ways I was not expecting. It is so much more than the hype.
DeleteI've never heard of your first pick but it sounds enjoyable, I've already added it to my queue and am looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen Beasts either!! So many are picking it this week I'll have to correct that.
Now I like Mockingbird, I really do, but I have friends who rhapsodize over it and that I just don't see. I love Gregory Peck and he's wonderful in it but I've never connected with it the way others have, it is however a perfect pick for this week and like Drew I'm shocked to see you being the only one who has chosen it so far.
I tried to be good and only pick three, of course I try that every week and am rarely able to limit myself!, but my extra came to mind when I was done the first three and it fit so well I had to add it.
So mine this week with my bonus are:
Music Box (1989)-Jessica Lange stars as Ann Talbot a lawyer who has a close, loving relationship with her émigré father, suddenly after nearly 40 years in America the father is accused of horrendous war crimes. Sure of his innocence she represents him but as the case progresses she begins to wonder if there is more to it than she knows. Slowly their relationship starts to unravel. Jessica was Oscar nominated.
Life Begins at Eight Thirty (1942)-Ida Lupino plays a young disabled girl who spends her days trying to help her alcoholic father, Monty Woolley, return to his glory days as a famous actor, until handsome composer Cornel Wilde comes into her life. Monty finally lands the lead in King Lear and a chance to return to the spotlight, but will he lose the daughter he's taken for granted all these years? Beautifully acted.
Little Nellie Kelly (1940)-A young Irish lass, Nellie Noonan played by Judy Garland, loves a man, Jerry Kelly her father doesn't approve of but over his objections she marries him anyway and the three move to America where Nellie tries to play peace maker between the two until she dies unexpectedly in childbirth. The film then jumps ahead 18 years where the baby is now a young girl, Nellie Kelly also played by Judy, who has assumed her mother's role of trying to keep peace between her understanding dad, now chief of police and her hard headed grandfather who has stayed home and raised her. They live under an uneasy truce until Nellie falls for a young man and all the old tensions flare up. Minor film in Judy's canon but she does sing It's a Great Day for the Irish, Singin' in the Rain and a few other songs beautifully.
Honorable Mention-The Heiress-A mousy young woman is slavishly devoted to her father, a cold martinet who resents her for causing her mother’s death in childbirth and who constantly crushes her spirit by comparing her unfavorably to the woman who in his mind was perfect. At a dance she meets a man who shows interest in her and embarks on a whirlwind romance and engagement of which her father strongly disapproves. She stands her ground but is jilted and her paternal relationship turns poisonous. Strongly directed by William Wyler with brilliant work by the entire cast and an Oscar winning performance by Olivia de Havilland, one of the most deserving ever in that category.
In A World... is definitely enjoyable. Melamed is PERFECTION, and kudos to Lake Bell for being such an unexpected triple threat. It's a very low-key film but very well-done. Beasts is just incredibly special. I know some people who did not like it, but I am convinced those people don't have hearts (except for one who was a little too close to parts of the subject matter and bristled against it in a way I kind of expected but hoped could be overcome and weren't). It just blew me away and Quvenzhané Wallis is just... her face is MADE for film. Incredible.
DeleteI can kind of see how one might not fully connect to Mockingbird, but for me it so perfectly captures the book (which is one of my favorites) that I treasure it.
Of your picks I've only seen Little Nellie Kelly, which is worth it for Judy but ultimately a very minor film for all involved. I've wanted to see Music Box for a while. Same for The Heiress. Life Begins at Eight Thirty I haven't seen but now I want to. I'm a sucker for movies about the theatre!
LOVE that the one you've seen is Nellie Kelly! It's a big old slice of blarney to be sure and without Judy would have vanished into the ether of time but she's so pert in it, blessedly free of Mickey Rooney and even gets a bit of drama with her deathbed scene it's worth a watch. The sentiment is laid on with a trowel but when she sings who cares.
DeleteLife Begins is a tough one to track down, I haven't seen it in years, but hopefully TCM will roll it out soon.
Music Box is a good one but you are in for such a treat when you finally watch The Heiress, it's one of my top 100 films. de Havilland is so, so marvelous in it but she is backed up by an amazing ensemble. Monty Clift usually gets most of the critical attention but Ralph Richardson matches and at times exceeds him. Miriam Hopkins is super too but her role doesn't give her as much to work with. Would love to hear what you think once you have the chance to catch up with it.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a great choice, loved both the book and the movie!
ReplyDeleteThanks! That film really is such a stellar adaptation of the book.
DeleteYES to all three of these! Excellent movies. I love that you went with In A World most of all. The relationship between those two was so complicated and I loved how that film ended.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, the end of In A World... is kind of perfect.
DeleteNailed it, man! I almost went with Beasts myself. That movie made me cry real, snotty, messy tears for like an hour after it was over. A beautiful film! I still need to see In a World. It beckons me every time I open up Netflix and I just never do it.
ReplyDeleteDO IT, MAN! In A World... is good stuff. It actually makes for good background viewing, and I don't mean that in a negative way.
DeleteYeah, Beasts brings out the tears. The end is just... GAH it's so beautiful.
I can't believe To Kill a Mockingbird slipped my mind. It's such a perfect pick.
ReplyDeleteI was honestly shocked that more people didn't pick it!
DeleteBeasts of the Southern Wild and To Kill a Mockingbird are great picks. I haven't seen the other film on your list.
ReplyDeleteI love those two movies like few others. In A World is nowhere near their level, but it's very good.
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