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Georgia Rule (2007) DVD Review
Georgia Rule (2007) DVD Credits:
Georgia Rule (2007) Directed by:
Garry Marshall
Georgia Rule (2007) Written by:
Mark Andrus
Georgia Rule (2007) Cast:
Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Cary Elwes, Garrett Hedlund
Georgia Rule (2007) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Georgia Rule (2007) DVD Release Date:
3rd September 2007
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Georgia Rule (2007) Synopsis:

Three generations of top actresses unite in a film from director Garry Marshall ("Beaches," "Pretty Woman," "Runaway Bride") about the power of redemption, freedom in forgiveness and unbreakable bonds of motherhood--"Georgia Rule." Rebellious teenager Rachel (Lohan) screams, swears, drinks and is--in a word--uncontrollable. With her latest car crash, Rachel has broken the final rule in mom Lily's (Golden Globe winner Huffman) San Francisco home. With nowhere else to take the impulsive and rambunctious girl, Lily hauls her daughter to the one place she swore she'd never return...her own mother's Idaho farm. Matriarch Georgia (two-time Oscar® winner Fonda) is not your typical sweet and doting grandmother. She lives her life by a number of unbreakable rules, demanding anyone who shares her home do the same--God comes first and hard work comes a very close second. Now saddled with raising the young woman, it will require each patient breath she takes to understand Rachel's fury. But as Rachel succumbs to her summer of misery and shakes up the tiny Mormon town, Georgia notices something is changing within her granddaughter. Given structure and responsibilities, Rachel is letting her guard down and learning compassion...especially for her mother. Her journey will lead all three women to revelations of buried family secrets and an understanding that--regardless what happens--the ties that bind can never be broken.

Georgia Rule (2007) DVD Review:

We all know the end result for a film like Georgia Rule, with the estrogen of three generations running through it. There are no surprises for the audience watching a sensitively charged feel-good film, but what makes Georgia Rule hard to swallow is the fact that the actors seem to know the end result as well as the audience. When a stubborn teenage girl played by Lindsey Lohan exits her mother’s car in the first five minutes of the film, she quickly encounters two characters that will inevitably reappear. One of which is certain to be a love interest for the rest of the film and the other provides Rachel with the opportunity to fill in back story as she talks to the stranger, who will eventually end up being her boss and a family friend. Before there is even a moment to ask questions, the answers are neatly provided in a neat package that reduces any unnecessary characters from the film. Rachel even has her cell phone patiently held in her hand the moment the stranger asks her if she wants to make a call. At which point we are told that the easily accessible phone doesn’t even work, at which point Rachel throws it from the car. These moments might be liberating and fun, but they are also ridiculous and indulgent as well as a spot on reminder that Lohan is an amateur on many levels.

The young actress has received plenty of attention in the gossip magazines due to her rebellious behavior, which is probably why it was thought to be a good idea for her image to make a film like this. Unfortunately as long as the gossip continues it becomes difficult to see Lohan as anything more than a spoiled actress. The fact that she seems to be anticipating each motion in the film tips her hand and makes it perfectly clear that she is acting. On the other hand, although Jane Fonda had a rocky comeback with a disastrous Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy, she is a breath of fresh air as Georgia. Georgia, of the title, is the grandmother of Rachel and the mother of Lilly (Felicity Huffman). When Rachel has acted up too much Lilly takes her to Georgia’s house in Idaho. The rules of the title are whatever suits Georgia, regardless of how strange they may seem to Rachel, and her mother before her. In one instance Georgia makes it perfectly clear that she sees a distinction between obscenities and profanities, allowing one and insisting on sticking a bar of soap in Rachel’s mouth for the other.

Georgia has rules for just about everything, making it a perfect place for Rachel. When Rachel accidentally lets it slip about a family secret her mother rushes back to Georgia’s house to deal with it. At one point or another all three of the women fight with each other, each showing their individual weakness and shared personality traits. These are very easy to spot in the transparent and unrealistically direct dialogue written by Mark Andrus. Characters say exactly what their precise motivation is within many of the scenes, leaving nothing to the imagination and no subtleties. Many of the same issues were addressed in unexpected ways in Black Snake Moan, but Georgia Rule takes the most direct approach that ends up seeming more cliché and manipulative than honest. This is a format that Garry Marshall has just about perfected, and often times his direction is so spot on that it makes the trite dialogue seem almost believable. He is too good of a director to continue to waste his talent on generic material.

The special features include deleted scenes with commentary by Garry Marshall. There is also a gag reel, including an introduction by Marshall who has a great sense of humor. Unfortunately there isn’t much humor in the gag reel. Marshall also has a featurette with him on set and a commentary track, uninhibited in talking about his films. Other featurettes include one about the three women in the film and a making-of featurette.



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Georgia Rule (2007) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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