_A_Map_of_the_World_ (R) ** 1/2 (out of ****)
Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of an Iowa farm wife/school nurse accused of child abuse is indeed worthy of all the accolades it has received, most notably a Golden Globe nomination. The role of Alice Goodwin is an exceedingly difficult one; her portrayer must have enough of a dark side to make the accusations plausible while at the same time remain likable enough to make the audience care. Weaver's achievement is not only pulling off the balance but making a real person.
Unfortunately, Scott Elliott's film as a whole is far less convincing. _A_Map_of_the_World_ is the second in the new subgenre of drama I call "the Oprah film": a woman faces adversity of a domestic nature in a story usually coming from a novel on Oprah's book club list. That should tell you how gooey with sentiment the film is, not to mention the outcome of the entire affair. Nonetheless, Weaver and the rest of the stellar cast--which also includes Julianne Moore, David Strathairn, Arliss Howard, and Chloë Sevigny--do their best, even while saddled with some very "movie" dialogue (e.g., a sobbing Moore laments, "It's amazing how much a person can cry!").
Michael Dequina twotrey@juno.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com | mrbrown@iname.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown CinemaReview Magazine: http://www.CinemaReview.com on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL Instant Messenger: MrBrown23
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