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Bill5
IMDb member since December 2005
Reviews
Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
Good Film, But Unrealized Potential
30 December 2005
IMDd's average rating at the time of this post (7.5/10) is about right.
This is a good movie, but it suffers from:.
- Exaggerated/unbelievable southern accents.
- Insufficient development of Anney's character before Glenn's arrival.
- Bone is treated more as a supporting character for Anney and Glenn than the protagonist in her own rite (she receives no exclusive scenes of her own -- a major weakness given Jena Malone's acting ability).
- Raylene's character is pivotal at the end but she almost appears out of nowhere.
- Bone's illegitimate birth has limited impact on characters' actions (Anney wants a man "to take care of us girls", not "make you legitimate"), yet the last scene portrays it as a major subtext throughout the movie.
Had I been Anjelica Huston I would have:.
- Portrayed more of Anney, Bone, and Reese's life before Glenn.
- Given Bone at least 50% more screen time, especially not as a pretext for scenes that ultimately center on other characters.
- Made Glenn less of the stereotypical child abuser (a true type of abuser to be sure, but one that is over-represented by Hollywood). In fact, much greater depth could have been brought to his character.
- Chosen someone other than Laura Dern to narrate (her languid narration actually dampens otherwise powerful scenes).
As stated, this is a good film, but it has even more potential not realized.
On the plus side:.
- Jena Malone's acting ability, especially facial expressions.
- Atmospheric, though not 100% accurate, representation of the period South.
- Except for two scenes, mercifully free of gratuitous representations (the beatings were much more powerful portrayed from Anney's side of the door).
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