GILLIAN ON HER 37TH BIRTHDAY 1996
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
1 :-( cause it's my party and I'll die if I want to
Cast: Peter Gallagher, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Baker, Wendy Crewson, Bruce Altman, Laurie Fortier, Freddie Prinze Jr. Director: Michael Pressman Producers: Marykay Powell and David E. Kelley Screenplay: David E. Kelley based on the play by Michael Brady
Gillian (Michelle Pfeiffer) died on her 35th birthday. This fun, carefree, high risk taking, radical mother and loving wife climbed one pole too high before falling to her death. Two years later she's roaming the beaches outside her home communicating with her husband at night. They mostly chat, and roll around in the waves, but she's real enough to touch, kiss and hug but they never do. I guess Whoopi Goldberg isn't around to help mediate the kiss between the living and the dead. So on her 37th birthday, Gillian's family and friends gather to remember her in most unusual ways. With a weekend of karaoke singing, sand castle building and a feast of family melodrama.
There's a lot of "remember this" and "remember that" banter between living husband and dead wife who wallow with nostalgia. Michelle Pfeiffer giggles like an adorable wife, and occasionally throws in a serious expression to show that she's not a single dimensional ghost. Peter Gallagher is the forlorn husband who wanders the beaches at night searching for his dead wife. He doesn't use his thick lips to the best advantage as he pouts and throws moody tantrums. These lips would look far better planted firmly on the mouth of Ms Pfeiffer. More kiss and less talk is needed in this movie. Clare Danes throws in a convincing performance as the distressed teenage daughter, whose loyalty to her father is torn by the intrusion of her Aunt (Kathy Baker).
Eventually this movie reaches the conclusion that one has to leave the past behind before one can progress into the future. It's a good point to make, but it doesn't save Gillian's birthday party from being a long, overdrawn droll sit. Without the birthday girl, the party is as dead as Gillian's corpse. Midway through the movie it becomes evident that the husband needs to leave his dead wife behind him, if he is to rebuild his life. The only problem is that the ghost won't leave the poor man alone. She keeps saying "I won't come anymore if you don't want me to" - yeah like her love sick hubby is going to tell her not to come. If only Gillian had been a little more sensible there would be no goodbyes to be said yet, and if there were goodbyes to be made - it should have been short, snappy and to the point. That way everyone can get on with their lives, including the audience.
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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