Movie Review: In the Land of Women
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that teen girls will want to see this
drama thanks to star Adam Brody -- aka Seth from
The O.C. -- but his character here isn't a teenager;
instead, he's a man with women issues. Despite marketing
positioning it as a teen-centric romance, the movie includes
some heavy subject matter: A central character has cancer, and
its onset affects her entire family. Plus, a teenage girl
smokes, drinks, and has a combative relationship with her
mother, and a sometimes-senile grandmother believes she's on
the verge of death. There are a few passionate kisses, and the
protagonist's job as an erotic-film writer is mentioned
throughout the film.
Families can talk about women's roles and mother-child relationships. Does being a stay-at-home mom make a woman worthless, without anything to show for her life? Why does Lucy perceive her mom as a failure and a fake, and how does Carter challenge Lucy to change her perspective? How does the media depict housewives? Is this film an accurate portrayal? Families can also discuss the difference between Sarah's relationship with her two daughters and how Carter helps the women around him feel better about themselves.
Common Sense Media Review
To
O.C.
devotees,
Adam
Brody will forever be fast-talking, lanky-limbed,
high-strung Seth Cohen. Writer-director Jonathan Kasdan (one of
Lawrence
Kasdan's two showbiz-savvy sons) plays up Brody's inherent
Seth-ness in the role of Carter Webb, the kind of sensitive,
witty soul to whom women want to bare their soul -- and
eventually their hearts.
Carter, a Los Angeles writer who pens soft-core porn scripts, has just been dumped by his gorgeous girlfriend (sexily accented Spanish starlet Elena Anaya). He decides to recover by visiting his healthy-but-nonetheless-ready-to-die grandmother ( Olympia Dukakis) in the Detroit suburbs.
While playing nurse-boy to his cranky grandma, Carter strikes up a friendship with her neighbor Sarah ( Meg Ryan) -- the kind of cardigans-and-cargo-pants-wearing stay-at-home mom whose house looks like a Crate and Barrel catalog. After just a few walks to the park and trips to the store, the two become confidants. Turns out Sarah's life isn't as tidy as her home: Her teenage daughter, Lucy (a distractingly thin Kristen Stewart), seems to hate her, and her husband ( Clark Gregg) is having a not-so-discreet affair. But the worst thing? She's just discovered she has breast cancer.
Carter forms fast, complicated friendships with both Sarah and Lucy, and they provide the emotional heart of the film. As he gets to know Lucy, her steely veneer of teen angst (she paints when she's "freaked out") gives way to a fraught confession of just why she's perpetually angry at her mom. And, naturally, both mother and daughter crush on Carter, lending the film even more teen-opera drama.
The predictable plot is the stuff of movies of the week, but thanks to the winning charm of the actors involved, it's emotionally satisfying to watch Carter help these women mend their broken relationships and overcome their self doubt. IN THE LAND OF WOMEN is exactly the kind of well-acted -- albeit formulaic -- "chick flick" that a mother and teen daughter would equally enjoy.
Families looking for similar estrogen-fueled films should see One True Thing , Stepmom , and the mother of all tearjerkers, Terms of Endearment .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
