The Astronaut's Wife
2/4
Starring: Charlize Theron, Johnny Depp, Joe Morton, Clea DuVall, Donna Murphy, Nick Cassavettes, Blair Brown, Tom Noonan
Rated R for Violence, Language, and a Strong Scene of Sexuality
Psychological thrillers are fairly risky to make. A good thriller in general is hard to get right, but a thriller like "The Astronaut's Wife" can't fall back on action scenes or chases to keep the audience from falling asleep. Done right, you can end up with "Single White Female" or "The Debt." Done poorly, you can end up with something like "The Astronaut's Wife."
Rand Ravich's directorial debut is not a terrible movie. Despite his miscalculations, his two stars, Charlize Theron and Johnny Depp, are consistently good. The story is engaging enough, and he effectively sets up the story. That being said, there are plenty of serious problems that keep this "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" movie from being the terrifying thriller that it could be.
Second grade teacher Jillian Armacost (Theron) is married to the handsome astronaut Spencer (Depp). They are deeply in love, and Jillian wants to savor every moment with him before he goes up in space on a mission to repair a satellite. During the mission, NASA lost contact with Spencer and his fellow astronaut, Alex Streck (Cassavettes) for two minutes. The team was brought down early in response to the incident, but there's something strange. Spencer is perfectly fine, but Alex is not. Further events cause Jillian to question not only what really happened during those two minutes, but whether her husband is still human.
It's pretty obvious that this is a directorial debut, more so than with other filmmakers. Ravich doesn't have a good sense of story rhythm (a must for a psychological thriller), nor does he know how far to push the emotional level of a scene. Some scenes start out effective, but lose their impact as they go further over the top. Because Theron and Morton (Depp is kept low-key and effective) are so talented and intelligent, it can't be blamed on them. Two scenes are a case in point: one is where Jillian faces a difficult decision and the other is when NASA Representative Sherman Reese (Morton) is trying to tell Jillian something important. These two important scenes don't land because they aren't handled correctly.
Really, this is a two-person show. There are other characters, but the ones who really matter are Jillian and Spencer. Theron and Depp are two talented actors, and they generate a surprising amount of heat together (their sex scene, which features a very cool transition, is kind of hot). And they don't stumble on the sometimes clunky dialogue. Joe Morton isn't very good, and Clea DuVall isn't as irritating as she usually is; it's the best performance she's given, although that's not exactly saying much.
There are many times when the film shows flashes of what it could be. The premise is terrifying, and because of the acting by Theron and Depp I bought into it a little. Ravich bungles the job, yes, but it's not a total loss.
Starring: Charlize Theron, Johnny Depp, Joe Morton, Clea DuVall, Donna Murphy, Nick Cassavettes, Blair Brown, Tom Noonan
Rated R for Violence, Language, and a Strong Scene of Sexuality
Psychological thrillers are fairly risky to make. A good thriller in general is hard to get right, but a thriller like "The Astronaut's Wife" can't fall back on action scenes or chases to keep the audience from falling asleep. Done right, you can end up with "Single White Female" or "The Debt." Done poorly, you can end up with something like "The Astronaut's Wife."
Rand Ravich's directorial debut is not a terrible movie. Despite his miscalculations, his two stars, Charlize Theron and Johnny Depp, are consistently good. The story is engaging enough, and he effectively sets up the story. That being said, there are plenty of serious problems that keep this "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" movie from being the terrifying thriller that it could be.
Second grade teacher Jillian Armacost (Theron) is married to the handsome astronaut Spencer (Depp). They are deeply in love, and Jillian wants to savor every moment with him before he goes up in space on a mission to repair a satellite. During the mission, NASA lost contact with Spencer and his fellow astronaut, Alex Streck (Cassavettes) for two minutes. The team was brought down early in response to the incident, but there's something strange. Spencer is perfectly fine, but Alex is not. Further events cause Jillian to question not only what really happened during those two minutes, but whether her husband is still human.
It's pretty obvious that this is a directorial debut, more so than with other filmmakers. Ravich doesn't have a good sense of story rhythm (a must for a psychological thriller), nor does he know how far to push the emotional level of a scene. Some scenes start out effective, but lose their impact as they go further over the top. Because Theron and Morton (Depp is kept low-key and effective) are so talented and intelligent, it can't be blamed on them. Two scenes are a case in point: one is where Jillian faces a difficult decision and the other is when NASA Representative Sherman Reese (Morton) is trying to tell Jillian something important. These two important scenes don't land because they aren't handled correctly.
Really, this is a two-person show. There are other characters, but the ones who really matter are Jillian and Spencer. Theron and Depp are two talented actors, and they generate a surprising amount of heat together (their sex scene, which features a very cool transition, is kind of hot). And they don't stumble on the sometimes clunky dialogue. Joe Morton isn't very good, and Clea DuVall isn't as irritating as she usually is; it's the best performance she's given, although that's not exactly saying much.
There are many times when the film shows flashes of what it could be. The premise is terrifying, and because of the acting by Theron and Depp I bought into it a little. Ravich bungles the job, yes, but it's not a total loss.
Comments
Post a Comment