Posted by: Princess Lenora
"Georgia Rule" Commentary - 08/24/08 08:07 PM
Synopsis of Georgia Rule from DVD jacket: “Fed up with the antics of her unruly daughter, Rachel, (Lindsay Lohan) exasperated Lilly (Felicity Huffman) takes her to Idaho to live with her flinty, no nonsense grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda). The two lock horns at first but the angry Rachel starts to mellow as she gradually connects to Georgia. Also starring Dermot Mulroney and Laurie Metcalf, director Garry Marshall’s redemptive tale explores themes of forgiveness and family ties.” Also starring Garrett Hedlund and Cary Elwes.
The above synopsis of the film was designed by marketing/promotional consultants to sell tickets. In the behind-the-scenes interview with Garry Marshall, he states that the film took 10 years to develop because the content might be “risky.” To reduce the “risk” he collaborated with those who are able to produce “low-budget” films. He also considered the film a “chick flick.” Why risk millions of dollars in box-office results on a controversial plot that appeals only to women? In terms of box office results, Georgia Rule was indeed a financial disappointment. This is despite the fact that the film is called a “comedy-drama.”
The original writer, Mark Andrus, uses a character-driven story to delve into mother-daughter relationships in three generations. A female viewer may relate to at least one of the characters. The males roles in the film include a mix of good guys and bad guys, none of which the character Rachel can relate to without using her dangerously flirtatious personality.
In the opening scene, Rachel’s mother Lily is driving her from affluent California to an all-American town in Idaho. Roadside, Rachel protests that her mother and step-father are dumping her with an evil grandmother that they have not seen in about 15 years. Upon awkwardly greeting her mother after all these years, Lily immediately lies about smoking and drinking. The theme of secrets and lies has been set.
Rachel is seventeen, insolent, and intelligent. She can’t give a straight answer to a question: She uses shock value and smart-ass responses. She has also been promiscuous and on drugs and alcohol. In other words, Rachel has been “acting out.”
The story takes an abrupt turn when she confides in Simon, the small-town veterinarian. He is trustworthy, indicated by his busy practice where he treats animals, birds, and reptiles, as well as their owners. Rachel blurts out the truth to Simon: Her step-father (whom she loved) started having sex with her when she was twelve. When this suddenly spoken admission of abuse causes chaos in an already dysfunctional family, Rachel recants. She is caught in lies; nobody knows whom to believe, and nobody believes her anyway. Except Georgia. She believes. She knows.
When Arnold the step-father is confronted by his wife Lily, he uses manipulating mind-games typical of a perpetrator. Rachel’s mother does not know who to believe, the charming husband or the willful daughter. A conversation between Lily and Arnold indicates that rehab had been suggested for Rachel, but Lily did not want to participate because Lily would have to face her own demons. In other words, it was not what was best for Rachel, but what is better for Mom. Arnold claims the victim role so well that he convinces Lily to stick with him, leaving Rachel behind. The grandmother, Georgia considers the welfare of Rachel as a whole human being who needs unconditional love and understanding. Rachel is a sympathetic character who has been brutally betrayed.
Throughout the movie, automobiles are cleverly used as representations of power and control, bribery, and seduction. There are one liners that get our attention, such as when Lily asks, “How did I miss what I missed?” However, the response is weak: Simon says, “We get busy.” Mom got too busy to notice that her husband was sleeping with her daughter? This trivializes the role of the mother as inadvertantly complicit, even if she claims she did not have a clue. There are other attention-getting details that show us the story, such as Rachel wearing red spiked heels in a row boat with the local boy. Overall, the film can be interpreted as risky and controversial, or as the truth about our society’s secret problem.
Georgia Rule is a depiction of the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, made more complex with a perpetrator of sex abuse in the family. Although the writer of the story did a good job of portraying the complexities, the real story gets lost in the film. Garry Marshall says the movie was “a bit on the edge.” On the edge of what? The reality of the crimes that are being committed upon children day in and day out? The resulting destruction? The ruins of individuals and family? Look to the nuances of the movie to capture its message. There is more than meets the eye.
There are several on-line forums pertaining to the topics in Georgia Rule. One such board is at http://www.imdb.com. Search for title to join the discussions.
Commentary by Lynn C. Tolson, author of Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor’s Story and founder of the Project for TEARS: Telling Everyone About Rape & Suicide. Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor's Story
The above synopsis of the film was designed by marketing/promotional consultants to sell tickets. In the behind-the-scenes interview with Garry Marshall, he states that the film took 10 years to develop because the content might be “risky.” To reduce the “risk” he collaborated with those who are able to produce “low-budget” films. He also considered the film a “chick flick.” Why risk millions of dollars in box-office results on a controversial plot that appeals only to women? In terms of box office results, Georgia Rule was indeed a financial disappointment. This is despite the fact that the film is called a “comedy-drama.”
The original writer, Mark Andrus, uses a character-driven story to delve into mother-daughter relationships in three generations. A female viewer may relate to at least one of the characters. The males roles in the film include a mix of good guys and bad guys, none of which the character Rachel can relate to without using her dangerously flirtatious personality.
In the opening scene, Rachel’s mother Lily is driving her from affluent California to an all-American town in Idaho. Roadside, Rachel protests that her mother and step-father are dumping her with an evil grandmother that they have not seen in about 15 years. Upon awkwardly greeting her mother after all these years, Lily immediately lies about smoking and drinking. The theme of secrets and lies has been set.
Rachel is seventeen, insolent, and intelligent. She can’t give a straight answer to a question: She uses shock value and smart-ass responses. She has also been promiscuous and on drugs and alcohol. In other words, Rachel has been “acting out.”
The story takes an abrupt turn when she confides in Simon, the small-town veterinarian. He is trustworthy, indicated by his busy practice where he treats animals, birds, and reptiles, as well as their owners. Rachel blurts out the truth to Simon: Her step-father (whom she loved) started having sex with her when she was twelve. When this suddenly spoken admission of abuse causes chaos in an already dysfunctional family, Rachel recants. She is caught in lies; nobody knows whom to believe, and nobody believes her anyway. Except Georgia. She believes. She knows.
When Arnold the step-father is confronted by his wife Lily, he uses manipulating mind-games typical of a perpetrator. Rachel’s mother does not know who to believe, the charming husband or the willful daughter. A conversation between Lily and Arnold indicates that rehab had been suggested for Rachel, but Lily did not want to participate because Lily would have to face her own demons. In other words, it was not what was best for Rachel, but what is better for Mom. Arnold claims the victim role so well that he convinces Lily to stick with him, leaving Rachel behind. The grandmother, Georgia considers the welfare of Rachel as a whole human being who needs unconditional love and understanding. Rachel is a sympathetic character who has been brutally betrayed.
Throughout the movie, automobiles are cleverly used as representations of power and control, bribery, and seduction. There are one liners that get our attention, such as when Lily asks, “How did I miss what I missed?” However, the response is weak: Simon says, “We get busy.” Mom got too busy to notice that her husband was sleeping with her daughter? This trivializes the role of the mother as inadvertantly complicit, even if she claims she did not have a clue. There are other attention-getting details that show us the story, such as Rachel wearing red spiked heels in a row boat with the local boy. Overall, the film can be interpreted as risky and controversial, or as the truth about our society’s secret problem.
Georgia Rule is a depiction of the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, made more complex with a perpetrator of sex abuse in the family. Although the writer of the story did a good job of portraying the complexities, the real story gets lost in the film. Garry Marshall says the movie was “a bit on the edge.” On the edge of what? The reality of the crimes that are being committed upon children day in and day out? The resulting destruction? The ruins of individuals and family? Look to the nuances of the movie to capture its message. There is more than meets the eye.
There are several on-line forums pertaining to the topics in Georgia Rule. One such board is at http://www.imdb.com. Search for title to join the discussions.
Commentary by Lynn C. Tolson, author of Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor’s Story and founder of the Project for TEARS: Telling Everyone About Rape & Suicide. Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor's Story