THE VIRGIN SUICIDES A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES -- a title to be taken literally -- marks the feature film debut of Sofia Coppola as a writer and director. With its morose subject matter, this comedy would certainly have to be classified as a black comedy, but its tone is disarmingly light.
Some films leave their audiences uneasy until the viewers sink into the film's rhythms and approach, but not THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, which constantly confounds while it intrigues. Don't be surprised if you never laugh, and yet you somehow find the film strangely captivating nevertheless.
On a tree-lined suburban street in the 1970s lives the Lisbon family. As American as apple pie, the large family is headed by a high school math teacher and nerd, played with unusual reserve by James Woods, and his wife, played straightforwardly by Kathleen Turner. They have 5 teenage daughters just a year apart in their ages: Therese (Leslie Hayman), Mary (A.J. Cook), Bonnie (Chelsea Swain), Lux (Kirsten Dunst) and Cecilia (Hannah Hall). The neighborhood boys, from whose point of view the story is told, remark on how hard it is to belief that such beautiful girls came from such unattractive parents.
Early on, 13-year-old Cecilia commits suicide, which causes the already cautious Lisbon family to begin erecting a virtual moat around the family home. The parents get even stricter after another incident later in the picture. (We are told from the very beginning that all 5 girls will eventually commit suicide.)
The film's humor is so dry and subtle that is easy to miss. The only outlandish scene comes during a debutante ball in which asphyxiation is the theme. The participants wear gas masks and smoke big cigars to enhance the mood.
What makes the picture is the deliciously wicked performance by Kirsten Dunst (DROP DEAD GORGEOUS and DICK). She keeps you on your toes guessing what she will do next, with her best scene involving a simple footsie under the table.
The problem with the script, which is based on Jeffrey Eugenides's novel, is that most of the incidents have been done before and better. The scene of the boys using a telescope to stare at a girl having sex, for example, appears in many other teen comedies. Overall the picture feels like a pale imitation of HAROLD AND MAUDE.
All of the above notwithstanding, the movie has a captivating aspect that's hard to describe. Still, it is one that would be hard to recommend and that leaves you feeling strangely ambivalent as to whether you liked it or not. It's frequently intriguing, and yet never quite satisfying.
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES runs 1:37. It is not rated but would probably be an R for drug usage, underage drinking, language and mature themes including teenage suicide. The movie would be acceptable only for high school seniors and above.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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