HEAVENLY CREATURES
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
HEAVENLY CREATURES is a true story based on a murder in 1954 New Zealand by two fifteen-year-old girls. The movie starts with the murder and then switches in a flashback to the year before and brings you up to the time of the murder plus tells what happens afterward in a textual epilogue. The script uses the actual diary of one of the girls to narrate the show.
The movie stars Melanie Lynskey as the pudgy brunette who lives in a working-class household. Kate Winslet plays the attractive blond who lives in a manor house and whose parents are upper-class intellectuals. The two, quite dissimilar, girls become instant buddies when they meet. Later, they develop romantic attachments with each other. They spend most of their time together in a fantasy land of knights and ladies, and they commit all of their story to a novel they write together. They also live the novel. They share a hatred of their parents, and they make a mockery of their school.
What is right with this movie is the true story and the excellent performances by both of the lead actresses. Lynskey reminded me a lot of the actress from ANGEL AT MY TABLE which was also set in New Zealand. Watch the scorn on Lynskey's dark eyes when she gets angry at her parents or at her teachers. The romance between the two girls is quite convincing and well done.
Sad to say that the writer and director, Peter Jackson, could not decide what kind of movie he wanted to make so he made three. The first is the murder story and the hatred and alienation of the two lead characters with the adult world. This works very well. It could have easily been a *** 1/2 movie if he had stuck to that. I guess he decided that would not sell enough tickets.
The movie tries to be a comedy as well - a sort of true story HAROLD AND MAUDE. This works for some people. The woman in front of me spend almost the entire movie in one belly laugh after another. Just having Lynskey smile or frown would set her off. I found it funny a few times, but as a comedy it was a * show.
The saddest part was that they spent a lot of money on special effects and made a significant part of the movie in a sword and sorcery show ala WILLOW or EXCALIBUR. This was an abysmal failure for which I would have given it no stars at all.
So they had some great material and they blew it! I give HEAVENLY CREATURES ** and do not recommend it. It runs too long at 1:38. It is correctly rated R, but I think older teens could see it if for some reason they so desired.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEWED WRITTEN ON: November 25, 1994
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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