If I were to categorize this year in terms of my prevailing preoccupation, I would have to say that 2007 has been the Year of Harry Potter. Just behind the boy wizard, however, were several other fictional fancies, prominent among them the hit ABC drama LOST and Jane Austen's enduring classic, Pride and Prejudice. When I learned that a marriage, however tenuous, between the two could be found in Gurinder Chadha's Bride and Prejudice, a splashy Bollywood adaptation of Austen's novel, I couldn't wait to attend the ceremony.
It was Naveen Andrews, better known to me as (mostly) reformed Iraqi
torturer Sayid, whose inclusion in the cast pushed this cinematic take
on the Elizabeth and Darcy saga up to the top of my must-see list.
Sadly, the happy-go-lucky (and marvelously fleet-footed) Balraj Bingley
doesn't get a lot of screen time, but he's sufficiently lovable for this
gal who harbors suspicions that, delicious as Darcy is, she may be more
of a Bingley devotee at heart. And Martin Henderson is, alas, no Colin
Firth, nor is this Darcy written to be nearly as interesting or
intoxicating as the original.
Few of the other cast members were familiar to me. Alexis Bledel, whose role in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
I enjoyed, puts in a sweet performance as Georgie, good-natured little
sister of the inscrutable William Darcy, and Ashanti makes a rather
random appearance. Otherwise, while I recognized the characters, I can't
say the same for the actors playing them. The cast is solid, however,
from Indira Varma, who plays the high-falluting, flirtatious Kiran
Bingley, sister to Balraj and pursuer of William, to Nitin Ganatra, the
insufferable Mr. Collins-like Mr. Kohli who could give Fran Drescher a
run for her money in a most-annoying-laugh competition.
Most
of the characters have names that are similar to the Austen version, but
before they were properly introduced it was fun to point to them and
guess which character they corresponded to. I was impressed by how many
of the characters remained relatively intact; obviously, since the bulk
of the film takes place in modern-day India (with brief forays into
London and California) rather than Georgian England, there are going to
be changes, but the basic nature of the characters is pretty similar.
The Bakshi family is very much like the Bennets, with an easy-going dad
(Anupam Kher), a hilariously high-strung mom (Nadira Babbar) and four
unmarried daughters. Poor Kitty, who never was very distinctive, is
excised entirely, but Elizabeth is present in all her feisty glory,
though this time her name is Lalita (Aishwarya Rai). Her older sister
Jane becomes Jaya (Namrata Shirodkar), whose charitable personality
isn't as developed as Jane's but who still is perfectly likable. Maya
(Meghna Kothari) is Mary-like primarily in one scene in which, instead
of a tedious musical performance, she subjects guests to a poorly
performed snake dance. Lakhi (Peeya Rai Chowdhary) is the irresponsible
Lydia through and through, though her fling with Johnny Wickham (Daniel
Gillies) turns out quite differently than in the book.
The
most striking aspect of this film, even more than the setting, is the
fact that it is a musical, and an incredibly eye-catching one at that.
The first half of the movie is loaded with extended, vibrant dance
numbers, most of which do little to advance the story, though they are
roughly in keeping with the emphasis the novel places on dance. Of
course, this is dancing of a very different sort, and even the liberal
Elizabeth would likely blush at some of the rather immodest displays -
though it's all beautifully coordinated, and still much more tasteful
than the half-dressed gyrating of From Justin to Kelly.
It's fun to watch, what with the dazzling array of fabrics and the
unique cultural dances, particularly those involving sticks that the
dancers slap together, and there's an entertaining Matchmaker, Matchmaker-style
derisive ode to Mr. Kohli, but most of the songs went on a bit longer
than I thought was necessary, and I was rather relieved when the second
half focused mostly on character development and dialogue.
If you're a fan of Jane Austen, you're in for a treat with this unique re-telling of Pride and Prejudice, and if you're lost without LOST, prepare to be doubly delighted!
Showing posts with label Alexis Bledel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alexis Bledel. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Friday, October 28, 2005
Travel to the Nearest Video Store to Get Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Working in a bookstore, I’m usually pretty up on what books are
especially popular with each demographic. Within the young adult
section, very few titles have done so well lately as Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
and its sequels. I didn’t really know much about the book, however,
until the movie came out. Around the same time, my friend read the book,
and she heartily recommended it, and we decided it would be a great
movie to go see together sometime. That “sometime” finally arrived a
couple weeks ago, when the film hit video stores. At a mild PG, it’s a
teen flick that celebrates friendship and family, making it an ideal
pick for sleepovers or family film nights.
When I was in elementary school, I used to read a series of books entitled Friends 4-Ever. Each volume consisted largely of the correspondences of four friends to one another. Each of them picked out special stationery and wrote letters that they signed with clever phrases beginning with “Yours till the…” This film reminds me of that series with its focus on four lifelong friends who have been separated from one another but keep one another close through the mail. But their secret lies not just in writing to one another. When they find a pair of jeans that mysteriously fits each of them perfectly, they decide to share the pants, wearing them for a week before sending them off to the next lucky recipient. Whoever has the pants will have a little piece of her friends with her, and they will hopefully bring good fortune.
The girls in question are Carmen (America Ferrera), Bridget (Blake Lively), Lena (Alexis Bledel) and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn). The movie is almost four separate movies as it cuts from one girl to the next, developing four very different stories. The pants provide a common element, and each of the girls has at least one voice-over in the form of the letter accompanying the magical garment.
Carmen, who provides narration at the beginning of the film in which she introduces us to the group, is an aspiring writer of Puerto Rican descent. Her father (Bradley Whitford) left her and her mother six years earlier, and she has seen him only a few times since, so she is thrilled at the prospect of spending an entire summer with him in his home. The vacation quickly turns sour, however, when he surprises her with his new suburban life in a development – with a new family to go with it. Lydia (Nancy Travis) and her teenage children, Paul (Kyle Schmid) and Krista (Emily Tennant), strike Carmen as some sort of eerie Barbie-doll family, particularly the way-too-perky mother-daughter twosome. Paul, meanwhile, scarcely says a word throughout her visit. As plans for the upcoming wedding proceed, Carmen grows more and more uncomfortable, feeling as though she has been replaced and has no part in this new life her father has constructed for himself. Of the four stories, hers strikes me as the most depressing, and though the film leaves us with some resolution, I couldn’t help but wonder how long it would last.
Bridget is by far my least favorite of the four, and I wouldn’t have complained if her part of the film had been excised entirely. Her character never appealed to me at all until a moment toward the end in which she reminisces about a treasured moment with her mother, who committed suicide. (With Tamblyn in the film, I couldn’t help but draw lots of Joan of Arcadia connections, and I found it interesting that this character’s backstory was so similar to that of Adam Rove, Joan’s sometime boyfriend, though the two characters react to their mothers’ suicides in almost opposite ways.) It seems I should feel sorry for Bridget because of what she’s been through, but I don’t. I find her actions, particularly at soccer camp, obnoxious and overbearing, and her friends’ descriptions of her don’t really seem to match up with what I see on the screen. But she is loyal to her trio of buddies, and they stand by her when several weeks of flirtation with soccer coach Eric (Mike Vogel) lead to a gnawing emptiness that threatens to consume her upon her arrival back home.
Lena, in contrast to Bridget, is a shrinking violet. Sweet and quiet, she sees her vacation in sun-soaked Greece as an opportunity to spend quality time with her grandparents, gregarious Yia Yia (Maria Konstadarou) and taciturn Papou (George Touliatos), and draw idyllic locales. When hunky, free-spirited Kostos (Michael Rady) takes a shine to her, she isn’t sure what to make of his affections, particularly when she learns a Romeo and Juliet-style animosity exists between her family and his. I would say of the four stories, hers is the happiest, which was rather gratifying since she reminds me so much of myself. She also undergoes a significant change in her way of looking at the world that still leaves her integrity uncompromised.
Aside from a general interest in the story, what really drew me to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was Amber Tamblyn, particularly after I learned that my favorite show was axed by Les “Let’s Skew Younger” Moonves. Never mind that a majority of the major characters in Joan of Arcadia were teenagers… Anyway, she did a brilliant job on that show, so I was eager to see what she would be like in this film. Oddly enough, blue-haired, angsty-documentary-making Tibby’s a lot like Joan: sarcastic, pouty, but ultimately good-hearted and open to a life-changing encounter with another individual. While on the surface the friendship she unwittingly cultivates with an eccentric 12-year-old (Jenna Boyd) is reminiscent of Joan’s relationship with death-obsessed young Rocky, like God in all his various forms on the show, young Bailey helps the jaded Tibby to see the promising possibilities inherent in each individual. Ironically, though Tibby is the only one of the four to stay home all summer, it is she who undergoes change at the deepest level, and I found her story easily the most moving of the four, inspiring and heart-wrenching.
The film celebrates the power of friendship and its ability to endure, and even be strengthened by, distances. The girls are very different, and apart from one another they shine in ways they would not have as part of the group, much as Merry and Pippin come into their own when they are finally separated from one another for a time in Return of the King. But when they are reunited, the bond is more solid than ever. There is very little in this film that could be deemed offensive, and the only story line that strays ever so subtly into more PG-13 territory is Bridget’s. Much is left to the viewer’s imagination, however, so there’s nothing to be particularly concerned about. A fine film for friends, for mothers and daughters, for anyone looking for a wholesome, thoughtful movie, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is well worth a trip to the video store.
When I was in elementary school, I used to read a series of books entitled Friends 4-Ever. Each volume consisted largely of the correspondences of four friends to one another. Each of them picked out special stationery and wrote letters that they signed with clever phrases beginning with “Yours till the…” This film reminds me of that series with its focus on four lifelong friends who have been separated from one another but keep one another close through the mail. But their secret lies not just in writing to one another. When they find a pair of jeans that mysteriously fits each of them perfectly, they decide to share the pants, wearing them for a week before sending them off to the next lucky recipient. Whoever has the pants will have a little piece of her friends with her, and they will hopefully bring good fortune.
The girls in question are Carmen (America Ferrera), Bridget (Blake Lively), Lena (Alexis Bledel) and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn). The movie is almost four separate movies as it cuts from one girl to the next, developing four very different stories. The pants provide a common element, and each of the girls has at least one voice-over in the form of the letter accompanying the magical garment.
Carmen, who provides narration at the beginning of the film in which she introduces us to the group, is an aspiring writer of Puerto Rican descent. Her father (Bradley Whitford) left her and her mother six years earlier, and she has seen him only a few times since, so she is thrilled at the prospect of spending an entire summer with him in his home. The vacation quickly turns sour, however, when he surprises her with his new suburban life in a development – with a new family to go with it. Lydia (Nancy Travis) and her teenage children, Paul (Kyle Schmid) and Krista (Emily Tennant), strike Carmen as some sort of eerie Barbie-doll family, particularly the way-too-perky mother-daughter twosome. Paul, meanwhile, scarcely says a word throughout her visit. As plans for the upcoming wedding proceed, Carmen grows more and more uncomfortable, feeling as though she has been replaced and has no part in this new life her father has constructed for himself. Of the four stories, hers strikes me as the most depressing, and though the film leaves us with some resolution, I couldn’t help but wonder how long it would last.
Bridget is by far my least favorite of the four, and I wouldn’t have complained if her part of the film had been excised entirely. Her character never appealed to me at all until a moment toward the end in which she reminisces about a treasured moment with her mother, who committed suicide. (With Tamblyn in the film, I couldn’t help but draw lots of Joan of Arcadia connections, and I found it interesting that this character’s backstory was so similar to that of Adam Rove, Joan’s sometime boyfriend, though the two characters react to their mothers’ suicides in almost opposite ways.) It seems I should feel sorry for Bridget because of what she’s been through, but I don’t. I find her actions, particularly at soccer camp, obnoxious and overbearing, and her friends’ descriptions of her don’t really seem to match up with what I see on the screen. But she is loyal to her trio of buddies, and they stand by her when several weeks of flirtation with soccer coach Eric (Mike Vogel) lead to a gnawing emptiness that threatens to consume her upon her arrival back home.
Lena, in contrast to Bridget, is a shrinking violet. Sweet and quiet, she sees her vacation in sun-soaked Greece as an opportunity to spend quality time with her grandparents, gregarious Yia Yia (Maria Konstadarou) and taciturn Papou (George Touliatos), and draw idyllic locales. When hunky, free-spirited Kostos (Michael Rady) takes a shine to her, she isn’t sure what to make of his affections, particularly when she learns a Romeo and Juliet-style animosity exists between her family and his. I would say of the four stories, hers is the happiest, which was rather gratifying since she reminds me so much of myself. She also undergoes a significant change in her way of looking at the world that still leaves her integrity uncompromised.
Aside from a general interest in the story, what really drew me to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was Amber Tamblyn, particularly after I learned that my favorite show was axed by Les “Let’s Skew Younger” Moonves. Never mind that a majority of the major characters in Joan of Arcadia were teenagers… Anyway, she did a brilliant job on that show, so I was eager to see what she would be like in this film. Oddly enough, blue-haired, angsty-documentary-making Tibby’s a lot like Joan: sarcastic, pouty, but ultimately good-hearted and open to a life-changing encounter with another individual. While on the surface the friendship she unwittingly cultivates with an eccentric 12-year-old (Jenna Boyd) is reminiscent of Joan’s relationship with death-obsessed young Rocky, like God in all his various forms on the show, young Bailey helps the jaded Tibby to see the promising possibilities inherent in each individual. Ironically, though Tibby is the only one of the four to stay home all summer, it is she who undergoes change at the deepest level, and I found her story easily the most moving of the four, inspiring and heart-wrenching.
The film celebrates the power of friendship and its ability to endure, and even be strengthened by, distances. The girls are very different, and apart from one another they shine in ways they would not have as part of the group, much as Merry and Pippin come into their own when they are finally separated from one another for a time in Return of the King. But when they are reunited, the bond is more solid than ever. There is very little in this film that could be deemed offensive, and the only story line that strays ever so subtly into more PG-13 territory is Bridget’s. Much is left to the viewer’s imagination, however, so there’s nothing to be particularly concerned about. A fine film for friends, for mothers and daughters, for anyone looking for a wholesome, thoughtful movie, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is well worth a trip to the video store.
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