THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2001 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Adam Brooks's THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS is a handsome travelogue and mystery about a young woman venturing to Europe in order to discover the exact circumstances behind her older sister's suicide 7 years earlier. Although well cast and acted, the movie doesn't amount to much. Still, it is an enjoyable enough diversion.
Based on Jennifer Egan's novel, the story opens in 1976 in San Francisco. Phoebe O'Connor (Jordana Brewster, who looks like a young DEMI MOORE) is troubled about her mother's (Blythe Danner) dating, even though she has been a widow for 9 years. Her father's death from leukemia was the seminal event that caused her sister, Faith (Cameron Diaz), to become a radical and, in an escalation in her underground activities, leave for Europe.
Phoebe leaves home with her sister's postcards in hand so she can retrace her sister's route through Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and Portugal. Joining her on her search for the truth behind Faith's death is Faith's old boyfriend, Wolf (Christopher Eccleston). As they travel, we meet Faith in flashbacks. Diaz, like the rest of the cast, is quite good, but, in Diaz's case, she never makes a convincing revolutionary. In fact, the more militant she acts, the less believable she becomes.
At first, Faith's protests are like beautifully choreographed ballets. Bursting in on some dining diplomats in Paris, the radicals shower feathers down on the diners like falling snow. It is perhaps one of the most picturesque protests on record. Faith, who is stoned much of the time, joins the Red Army, where her duties are rather akin to that of a maid. Eventually, she becomes a full-fledged, gun-toting, bomb-throwing terrorist, while still staying her sweet lovable self. One suspects that she must have suffered from a horrible, split personality disorder.
"She thought she was changing the world, but, in the end, she was just one more person getting her kicks," Wolf summarizes the meaning of Faith's life to Phoebe. The movie itself is like that. It just doesn't add up to anything.
THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS runs 1:38. It is rated R for sexuality, language and drug content and would be acceptable for older teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com
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