A TANGLED WEB OF NOTHINGNESS. (Lantana (DVD))

Name: PRINCESSPUSSYCAT

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Product:	Lantana (DVD)
Date:	02/07/08 (162 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Poor acting, script, plot etc.

--LANTANA--

Released in: 2001 and Directed by Ray Lawrence. Lantana is an Australian film which is based on the play 'Speaking In Tongues' by Andrew Bovell. Starring Barbara Hershey, Anthony LaPaglia, Rachael Blake, Kerry Armstrong, Manu Bennett, Melissa Martinez, Nicholas Cooper, and Marc Dwyer. - Genre: Drama/Mystery - Running Time: 121 Minutes - BBFC Rating: 15 -

I was really looking forward to watching this film. The reviews that I had read, praised it and the story sounded quite gripping. So I was sure that I would enjoy it. How wrong could I have been?! I actually watched the movie a few days ago and so before this dreary film fades into my very distant subconscious memory banks, I will recall it and do my very best to describe Lantana, the film to you in my own words. -


The film opens to a woman's dead body trapped in the twisted undergrowth of an Australian Lantana bush. She is wearing one shoe. The music is creepy and very atmospheric and the camera lingers upon this image for quite some time. This image of the bush is also metaphorical for the deeply disturbed and intertwined relationships within this story. This is probably the best part of the film. -


Lantana is an interwoven murder mystery with quite a few cast members thrown into the pot. I would say that the film appears to centre on and around a female psychologist who is married to a detective. Their marriage is a sorry affair and both the wife and the husband are dissatisfied with their lot. The husband plays away, whilst the wife dutifully stands by his side. His reasons for being unfaithful are unclear even to him. He just seems to be trying to find a place for himself where he can discover who he has become. Take another couple in the film that are young and have a few children. They are very short of money but seem quite content with just each others company. She works hard at the local hospital, doing extra shifts to make ends meet, while he is out of work and takes on the role of 'House Husband' caring for the children. Throw the single, easy, girl next door into the mix and her separated husband. Then take the rich, bored housewife whose husband doesn't want to sleep with her anymore and who works late into the night, supposedly at the office; Shake vigorously and what you have here unfortunately, is a sure fire recipe for disaster. -


Lantana is a car crash of a film. It was dreadful. I wanted to turn the film off about a quarter of the way through as I had gotten more than a clear picture that this film was seriously lacking in many departments. I have no patience with books or films and once I have given the film more than a fair chance then I don't really see any point in viewing it further. This was pure 'b' movie status. I had actually sat and wasted 121 minutes of my life that I would not get back and I was quite cross afterwards as I knew from 10 minutes in that it would be a very unsatisfying film. This is basically a story of relationships, set amid a suburban backdrop, but the problem that I had here, was, that I didn't find any of them to be at all believable.


Firstly the story, the plot; It was jumbled, with no clear direction as to where it was heading. It was a total mish-mash of plot, sub-plot and storyline. It was messy both in script and direction. The acting was ham and the characters unbelievable. The film keeps harping back to Latin dance classes which a few of the characters attend. The dance scenes were not realistiic and at no point did I believe that these people actually wanted to be there. They looked slightly embarrassed and very stilted when doing the Latin dancing and their self consciousness made these scenes look uncomfortable and ridiculous. No it wasn't acting; it was actors uncomfortable in their roles.


There was a 'poignant moment' that was sandwiched into the film and which stood out like a sore thumb. It was when the detective was jogging and he turns a corner and bangs straight into another man. Both end up with bloodied faces and the detective goes into some sort of moment of realisation. It quite simply didn't work, it was totally uncalled for and it was poignancy for poignancy's sake. The film is full of these isolated moments of mental clarity and they seemed to have been added to give the film a David Lynch feel which sadly was never going to work here.


The characterisations were ludicrous and they were the kind of performances you would witness in amateur productions and as I said before, 'b' movies. The acting I'm afraid was the absolute epitomy of second rate and much as I like Barbara Hershey, even she failed to save the day as far as I am concerned. The only credible performance within the film was by Anthony LaPaglia, but the awful floundering script, hindered him at every turn. Now I like Australian films. There are some excellent films to have come out of Australia; however, this isn't one of them. Priscilla queen of the desert and Muriel's Wedding are two such films that spring to mind that really work on every level.


Lantana might be a case of a play that doesn't naturally transition to film and that might explain the feeling that I got with this of a bad 'Off Broadway' production. It felt at times like I was watching a play and this quite simply did not work at all on screen. This Drama/Mystery wasn't mystical or dramatic and I feel it would be an absolute waste of your money. I could go on, but as I have nothing positive to say about this dreadful film, I will stop here.


Just as much as I didn't like it, then just as much, some of you will. However, I personally, would definitely not recommend the film 'Lantana', to anyone. For critics to liken this film to 'Blue Velvet' by David Lynch is an absolute insult to the man. Amazingly, this film did receive quite a few Australian awards. So I guess it all comes down to personal taste really. Someone out there must have liked it. -


'Lantana' is a wild and dense twisted Australian undergrowth bush, that hides things, and it serves as a metaphor for this film's several floundering marriages'.


Thank you for reading
PRINCESSPUSSYCAT
July 2008*

Summary: A very poor film not worth its rental price.