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Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her | Year: 2000 Classification: Drama Directed: - Rodrigo García Actors/Actresses: - Amy Brenneman - Calista Flokhart - Glenn Close - Holly Hunter Terrific cast make THINGS worth seeing! Rodrigo García's moving, anthological film about women, features strong writing, a top-notch cast (Glen Close, Holly Hunter, Kathy Baker, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart... just to name a few) and unfortunately, despite big raves at Sundance last year... no distributor. Thank God for cable television. Showtime picked up this film so at least some people got to see it. And now it's available on video and DVD. In THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER, García has attempted an Altman-like anthology. But while Altman often takes a sprawling story and links them tangentially with the numerous characters, García looks at a series of small, intimate stories that are also tangentially linked by supporting characters. Each of the stories deals with women... and the differences between what these women present to the world, and what they hold inside. In each story, there are characters who see beyond the masks these women wear to their inner cores... Callista Flockhart's tarot card reader, "Nancy" the insightful homeless woman who sees through Holly Hunter's tough, capable bank manager, Cameron Diaz' blind woman who might be a better detective than her sister, played by Amy Brenneman. It was refreshing to watch a movie about women as individuals, and not just as appendages to the men who are the real stars. Unfortunately, the stories were uneven... with some standouts (Kathy Baker's single-mom who becomes fascinated by Albert, a dwarf who moves into the house across the street) and some surprisingly inert (Callista Flockhart caring for her lover (Valeria Golina) who is dying of cancer). I think the movie could have been tightened up, with some storylines being more deeply explored (Kathy Baker's or Holly Hunter's) and others being discarded. Still, I felt it was worthwhile, with some terrific performances A fascinating character study from Rodrigo Garcia I stumbled across this film on cable and was drawn by the cast, as most people would be when they see this impressive roster of actresses. I must have seen the title of this film, but really did not pay attention to it. Of course, the title is key to this "anthology" field written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia (yes, believe it or not, this film was created by a male of the species). I picked up on this just by noticing how the first "segment" has Christine (Calista Flockhart) give Dr. Keener (Glenn Close) a tarot card reading while the second has Rebecca (Holly Hunter) a series of similarly disquieting encounters with a bag lady (Penelope Allen). Of course, the "who" and the "how" of the "just by looking" is different in each segment of the film, which is just part of the creative brilliance of this film. "Thing You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her" is not one of those films where the pieces all fit together (e.g, is Robert married to Rebecca's doctor?), although the ending does try to suggest that each of the five main characters (add Kathy Baker as Rose and Amy Brenneman as Kathy to the above referenced actresses) have crossed a major bridge in their lives. Most of the characters appear in more than one segment, symbolism the inherent resonance between segments, and I liked the way one of the characters was both a "looker" and a "lookee" at different times in the film's narrative web. Another major strength of the film is how Garcia always goes off in an unexpected and unusual direction throughout the film. You are constantly surprised by what is happening, not to mention what is being said, which is often outrageously compelling. Garcia is the son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Columbian writer who earned the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. I am sure that bit of biographical information helps to explain why Garcia crafted such an exquisite little film, but do not ask me to articulate why in any comprehensible way concerning the old nature verus nuture argument. The performances are uniformly superb: Holly Hunter was nominated for an Emmy, simply because this film was sold to Showtime instead of getting a traditional theatrical run. Hunter does have the best acting moment in the film, a scene in which she walks down the street (you will know it when you see it). Much was made of Cameron Diaz's performance as Carol, the blind sister of Kathy, but I recognized a while ago that Diaz is a "former model" who takes her acting craft and film choices very seriously. I think Calista Flockhart might be the actress who most impresses you. But as much as you will be impressed by the performances of these outstanding actresses, you have to be even most impressed by writer-director Garcia. I am so glad I stumbled across this film. It has been quite a while since I have been this impressed by a film. I need to go check out more "independent" films, that is for sure. Smart Film That Does Not Patronize Audience The absence of Hollywood-style glitz, cheesy one-liners, and fluffy storylines contributes to this movie's excellence. Another important component of this film is, of course, the thoughful and honest performance given by each of these talented actresses. They key to this film is its honesty. Many women will be able to relate in some way to at least one of the characters-- unlike Hollywood-style movies in which many of the female characters are shallow, one-dimensional, and glammed-up to the nth degree. This movie does a good job of depicting the lives, emotions, and struggles of women as they really are. Buy Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her Search with the Priority Search Engine on Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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