THE HOUSE OF MIRTH A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2001 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
The truth is out there. And the truth is that THE X-FILES's actress Gillian Anderson is badly miscast as Lily Bart, the central character in Terence Davies's THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, based on Edith Wharton's novel of early 1900s manners. "She is herself with few people only," Lawrence Selden (Eric Stoltz) says of Lily. Who these few people might be is unclear since Anderson shows almost no variation in her acting, reading her lines with little emotion.
The movie is sometimes fairly enjoyable in spite of the lead rather than because of her. The credit belongs mainly to the script, whose delicious thoughts are worth savoring ("Where does dignity end and rectitude begin." "Men have minds like moral flypaper.").
Several members of the supporting cast also deserve credit. Lily, who has a predilection for gambling and married men, turns to Gus Trenor (Dan Aykroyd), a married man who "invests" her money for her, giving Lily a handsome return. A boisterous Aykroyd puts some drive into a movie that keeps slipping into neutral. Anthony LaPaglia plays Sim Rosedale, an outspoken man who is the equivalent of today's dot-com millionaire. Rosedale views marriage like a stock investment, and he'd like to make a little IPO with Lily.
Best of all, however, is Laura Linney (YOU CAN COUNT ON ME and THE TRUMAN SHOW) as Lily's friend and foe, Bertha Dorset. While hers is only a small part, Linney proves how much stronger the film could have been had she had the part of Lily. When Bertha stings Lily with, "A married man should not have the burden of being seen alone with a single woman," one can just imagine how much more effective Linney would have been as the star of the production.
Although Glasgow stands in for New York, the sets and the costumes are authentic looking and sumptuous. The sound, however, is jarringly dull. More music and a heightened use of background sounds would have given the film less of a flat feeling.
Sam Goldwyn once remarked, "Why should people go out and pay to see bad movies when they can stay at home and see bad television for nothing?" And why go to the theater to watch mediocre Masterpiece Theater when you can see good Masterpiece Theater on television?
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH runs a long 2:25. It is rated PG for thematic material. Although there is nothing in it to offend anyone of any age, the picture offers little to interest kids under 13.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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