The FiFi Report 175

Evening…..Directed by Lajos Koltai
Based on: Susan Minot’s book of the same name and adapted for the screen by Susan Minot and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham (The Hours).
Genre: Chick flick/love story/Period drama
Who: Claire Danes, Patrick Wilson, Vanessa Redgrave, Toni Collette,Natasha Richardson, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Mamie Gummer
The Plot: Old lady lies dying in her bed at home. There are Tears. Has Flash back to days as a young girl. Remembers her long, lost love. Dreams of all the fabulous big houses in Newport. More Tears. Flash forward to now. Chats to her daughters. More Tears. Toni Collette is her zany single daughter, Natasha Richardson her perfect, blonde, married daughter. More Tears. Old lady flashes back to young, handsome, long lost love and all those fabulous houses in Newport again. If only we could all do that. Sobs. Repeat Flashback. More Sobs. Repeat Flash back. Sobbing. The end.     
Acting: Such great talent. Some say it’s wasted. Claire Danes is great. There are two mothers and daughters playing each other. Natasha Richardson plays the daughter of real life mother Vanessa Redgrave and Mamie Gummer plays her real life mother Meryl Streep as a young girl. She is Meryl’s double but a little weird looking. Bless
Photography: Fabulous, sumptuously shot, it’s beautiful too look at.
Design: It’s all very fabulously recreated 1950’s set in huge houses in Newport Rhode Island.
Wardrobe: Lots of big full 50’s skirts, pretty cardigans, evening dresses and frocks. Very next season Prada Resort 08
Salon de Beaute: Toni Collette has shocking ‘zany’ red dyed hair and bad eyeliner. Natasha Richardson has a bun. Who wears a bun? Vanessa Redgrave is brave. She doesn’t wear any makeup. We see wrinkles. She is a British actress.  
Botox: Double dose: A ten Kleenex movie = serious frowning.  Natasha Richardson has had nose job and Botox. Toni Collette can still frown very slightly. Claire Danes has never had botox. She shows emotions! She frowns! She Smiles!
Waterproof Mascara: Don’t even bother putting any on. It will end up on your chin.
Blood ’n’ Guts: People die but not from any guns.
Mind drifted to shopping: Seeing the fabulous houses, and the pretty yachts.
Smokin’ smooches: Smoking romance sizzles. No actual fire.
Car chases: No. Thank you.  
Rename It: The Great Gatsby
Best  Review: “Bittersweet and deeply, achingly romantic, this perfect, perfect film… enfolds regrets and memories and love and hope in [a] snug embrace”. Flick Filosopher
Best Worst Reviews: “Easily the most insufferable film experience in a year that has already given us Wild Hogs, The Hills Have Eyes 2 and Premonition.” eFilmCritic.com
See it or donate to the Prada Bag fund: As beautiful to look at as a Prada bag, you can cry over it as well. (isn’t that what a chick flick is all about?)   
http://www.focusfeatures.com/evening/