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Print Warner Bros. Pictures Adam Brody meets Kristen Stewart and her boyfriend problems "In the Land of Women." |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Jon Kasdan's "In the Land of Women" opens with a remarkably long, tearful -- or, rather, verge-of-tears-full -- scene in a Hollywood coffee shop: Our hero is a callow young "softcore porn" TV writer named Carter (Adam Brody). His superstar model-girlfriend has chosen that tacky venue to break up with him.
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Warner Bros. Pictures Meg Ryan radiates charm in "In the Land of Women." Click photo for larger image. 'In the Land of Women'
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Devastated by his dumping, Carter decides to quit L.A. and run away to suburban Detroit to (1) care for ailing, deranged grandma Olympia Dukakis, (2) finish that great American piece of literature he's been (not) working on, and (3) lick the wounds of his broken heart. But upon arrival in Michigan, he is drawn into the painful lives and love-lives of three women across the street from Granny, all of whom fall in love with him.
Sarah Hardwicke (Meg Ryan) has a philandering husband and a serious secret health issue. Her sullen-teen daughter Lucy (Kristen Stewart) has boyfriend problems; younger girl Paige (Makenzie Vega) suffers from terminal precocity and a role-reversal with her older sister. Carter's challenge is to help change their lives, and (obligatorily) his own.
Writer-director Kasdan's plot and dialogue alternate between moments of bright delight and sappy predictability.
"I haven't eaten in three weeks," are Dukakis' first words to her grandson.
"Nothing?" he asks incredulously.
"Well, some pasta," she replies.
Later, there's a wonderful, heavy-duty conversation between Brody and Ryan.
Carter: "I pride myself on being a great listener, but whenever I meet somebody new I find I'm doing all the talking."
Sarah: "Maybe you're not really such a great listener."
Carter: "Hmm?"
Sarah: "Maybe you're not such a great listener."
Carter: "No, that's not it ..."
... and then he plunges forward, with underailed train of thought, on the more fascinating subject of himself.
Dorky-cool, charismatic Brody as Carter comes to us from Fox TV's "The O.C." series, which I (like George Washington, cannot tell a lie and) have never once laid eyes on. In her Diane Keatonesque role, Ryan at 45 radiates her restrained "When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle" charm and brightens all the square footage of this "Land of Women" in which she appears. Over-the-top Dukakis is a delicious grandma. Gorgeous, Euro-accented Elena Anaya is a fine fickle ex-girlfriend.
Kasdan Junior at 27 mirrors Senior's influence -- warm echoes of Lawrence Kasdan's "Big Chill" infuse "The Land." Political correctness and the tragic fate of Don Imus make me hesitant to use the n-word (as in "nepotism"), but let's just say that having a major producer/director for a father hasn't hurt the career of Kasdan fils.
Give him credit, though. Kasdan the Younger elicits strong performances from his cast in an appealing female-centric drama told from a male perspective. At 97 minutes, it's a thoughtful, entertaining and not too big investment of your time.
