Bonneville | Christian Toto saw, Drama | DONNE TEMPO
Bonneville
June/19/08 10:08 PM Filed in: Christian Toto
saw | Drama
But while that film involved violence, women's rights and Brad Pitt's abs, "Bonneville" is content to stay more or less in neutral.
You can do worse than idling away 100 minutes with this trio, but they deserve a better vehicle than this
Arvilla Holden (Jessica Lange) is mourning the loss of her husband, Joe, when Joe's daughter from a previous marriage announces she wants control over his ashes. Joe lived a pretty full life, so full, in fact, that he forgot to amend his will over the last 20 years to make room for Arvilla. So the new widow either must give up his ashes to his daughter or risk angering her. That anger could lead to Arvilla losing the house she and Joe called home.
So Arvilla decides to take a road trip to Santa Barbara where the funeral will take place. Two of her longtime pals, Margene (Kathy Bates) and Carol (Joan Allen), hop into Arvilla's '66 Bonneville to assuage her grief - and see the sights.
Along the way, they pick up some eye candy (a dazed Victor Rasuk), flirt with a weathered trucker (Tom Skerritt) and cope with Carol's Mormon views. She's a stick in the mud who finally lets loose - a little.
None of the characters is as interesting as the actresses inhabiting them, but their combined skills make "Bonneville" a pleasing albeit bland trip. The male characters in "Bonneville" fare worse, though it almost seems like fair play for a women-centric film to deal so hastily with them. The shoe is far too often on the other foot.
The Mandatory Extras: The gag reel is a bust, but the array of deleted scenes are surprisingly poignant. Usually, these editing room rejects deserve their fate, but some of the scenes sliced here could easily be stitched back into the feature.
Above and Beyond: The mandatory making-of feature packs few surprises, much like the film itself, but it does reveal the nurturing nature that enveloped the set. It's also fascinating to watch baby-faced director Christopher N. Rowley steer his veteran leads through their paces. Bet he was taking notes at the end of the day, every day.
— Christian Toto
