Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Stuart Little 3, the raggedy little scamp of a mouse. Now. I won’t lie, before all of this Virginia Madsen site stuff I hadn’t seen the movie, and, honestly, had no real desire to either.
I saw the first one a looooooooooooooooong time ago, it was amusing, but not for me. The third film always seemed a bit odd to me. The third movie see It change to a fully animated affair compared to the previous two mix ups of live action and CGI. It also skipped the cinema entirely and went straight to DVD.
We still have Michael J Fox doing the mouse thing, Geena Davis doing the Mom thing and Hugh Laurie doing the Dad thing though, all is not lost.
In Stuart Little 3 we find Stuart and family heading off on a camping trip to Lake Garland. The whole family, including the cat, Snowbell Which, I guess is a bit odd, but we’re talking about a film about a talking mouse here.
Not long into their trip Stuart meets a skunk named Reeko (Wayne Brady) who isn’t the most favourite animal in the forest due to his association with “The Beast”, a female Cougar who is the leader of the forest around Lake Garland. The Beast is the character who sounds remarkably like Virginia Madsen.
I’m pretty sure there’s a joke to be had somewhere around here but I shall refrain from attempting any…
Stuart and Reeko end up making friends, with Reeko even being invited to the family dinner. But, it’s not long before Reeko Is showing everyone just why he’s not the most popular animal in the forest and after deciding that the food he got from the Little family wasn’t enough he hatches a plan to lure Snowbell into the forest for The Beast.
Stuart is obviously having none of this and sets off to save Snowbell, and cartoon based shenanigans ensue.
Virginia Madsen seemed to have a lot of fun making this movie. I guess it’s kind of a different role for her to be the out and out villain in a story. Well, not including her early femme fetale roles anyway. The Beasts character comes from a dark place, snarling, commanding and power hungry. Quite the contrast to most of her other roles around the same time period, and those both before and after. I’d quite like to see her play this kind of ‘evil’ role in live action at some point. I mean, this is a kids film and she manages to pull off evil in a family friendly way, imagine her let loose. I mean, it’s not the first time she’s taken the role of the villan in something animated, look at her Silver Sable in Spider-man, or Roulette in Justice League Unlimited. Let her have some proper live action over the top villany I say!
The movie itself, well. I’m a grown up and don’t mind the odd “kids” film when there is something in there for the adults as well. But this isn’t one of those films.
And, I have to say it was disappointing on a few levels, I don’t think that even as a kid I’d enjoy this film as much as the other ones. I don’t quite know what it was missing, but, something.
One for the collectors of Virignia Madsen to put on their shelves and possibly never watch, heh – One for most people to put on their shelves and never watch I’d imagine.
Availability:
You can trip over copies on eBay, Amazon and wherever else you normally shop if you aren’t careful.
There’s something truly special about a story that gently reminds us of life’s simple joys and the magic that often lies just around the corner. In 2012 Hollywood would bless us with such a movie in the form of The Magic of Belle Isle (or, Once More as it’s known to us in the UK), and it would be like a good old cuddle from your favourite dog. I mean, it’s from Rob Reiner, what else could we expect?
Well. Provided you forgot about the “Misery” of it all in the back of the room.
We’re introduced to Monte Wildhorn (Morgan Freeman), he’s known for a few Western Adventure type novels but it’s been a while since he’s published anything. He’s generally fed up with his lot in life since the death of his wife and confinement to a wheel chair thanks to a car accident involving a drunk driver. We find him grumpy, battling with his own alcohol problems and seemingly unable to do anything with his trusty typewriter than stare at it.
At the insistence of his nephew he’s brought to the lakeside town of Belle Isle, he finds himself one of those little cabins that are achingly beautiful but only ever seem to be found in movies. It isn’t long before Monte meets Charlotte (our Virginia Madsen). She’s a single mother of three who hasn’t had the best of luck herself, but she gets on with it the best she can. It’s not an unfamiliar character in this kind of movie, but Virginia brings a lot of heart to this role as she always does. It’s not a massive change up from the Charlotte we saw in Diminished Capacity character wise, but when it’s done this well you aren’t ever going to complain. Strong, gentle and yet oh so tough.
Charlotte and Monte strike up a friendship when perhaps they shouldn’t. Not shouldn’t, that’s not the right word – Perhaps it’s more you wouldn’t think of them as natural friends but you see them together and you’d think they’d known each other forever.
Monte takes a particular shine to one of Charlotte’s daughters, Finnegan (Emma Fuhrmann). Through her young eyes Monte begins to see the world anew. Finnegans endless curiosity and dreams of one day becoming a writer awaken something forgotten in Monte and allows him to enjoy being himself again. Belle Isle itself is like a character in the film, and it’s impossible not to fall in love with its charming, small-town vibe. With its peaceful lakeside views, lush greenery, and the comforting hum of community life, the town feels like a safe haven—a place where time slows down and where healing can happen in the most unforced ways. Rob Reiner’s direction captures this idyllic setting perfectly, inviting the audience to take a deep breath and settle into the slower pace of a summer spent by the lake.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh. It’s nice to think that in a world like we have today, that a place like that could (or, should) exist. I can’t help but think it’s a little too idyllic – Maybe I’m just getting as old and cynical as Monte.
The Magic of Belle Isle, isn’t a film I’d normally watch. But I can’t help but be pulled in by its charm. Perhaps I was feeling soft when I watched it. Perhaps it’s just that good a film it can force you to like it by not giving you any reason to not like it. It never pretends to be anything it’s not. There aren’t any dramatic twists to the plot, there is no last minute revelation which turns the whole thing on its head. It’s just a good old fashioned story about two people who needed a little bit of niceness in their lives and they didn’t really dare to hope they’d find it. I honestly don’t know if I’d have liked this film without Morgan Freeman or Virginia Madsen being a part of it. They’re both characters who I can’t really see being played by anyone else now that I’ve seen them do it. Of course Morgan Freeman is just as much a master of his craft as Virginia Madsen is of hers. The chemistry between them is definitely there for all to see.
And, it seems not just on screen. In interviews Virginia has spoken highly of Mr Freeman, speaking with Movie Mom she says;
“Can you imagine, first of all, I meet him on the red carpet. He’s tall, he’s handsome, he was in a white tuxedo, a white jacket with black tie, and he just looked so cool, man. And I just went up to him and it was just, he had that big smile and the Morgan Freeman voice and I was like, “This is going to be just fine.” We just had instant chemistry. And then, not intimidating at all, to sit through two hours of magnificence and genius of Morgan Freeman and everyone telling what a genius he is…and I’m like, “I’m the luckiest girl in the whole wide world!” I was the luckiest girl in the room that night, and it did turn out to be just a breeze. It was easy to work with him.”
And it’s not just Morgan Freeman she was happy to work with, talking about working with Ron Reiner, Virginia Madsen was equally enthusiastic when talking to Working Author;
“On the set was happiness and joy and real family feeling, because I think we’ve been talking a lot about the kind of atmosphere Rob creates on his sets and it’s – I think because everything has the appearance of being laidback, and yet he’s extremely focused, and he works really fast so everyone has to be on their toes. But there’s this atmosphere of everything being laidback and easy, so people can be very open and their creativity can soar.”
I mean, honestly – Watching and reading about this one has been wholesome from start to finish.
In short, it’s another of Virginia’s films that is best saved for a lazy Sunday with a cup of tea or coffee, perhaps a blanket to snuggle under.
Availability:
Good! One that you shouldn’t have a problem finding on DVD at all – In case you missed it, it’s called “Once More” in some regions. Other than that it’s all good.
After Sex is a film from 2001, well. The one with Virginia Madsen is. There is another film from the French called After Sex in 1997, and then another from 2007 which is also called After Sex.
So, because it wouldn’t make sense otherwise, we’ll make sure we stick with the 2001 Virginia Madsen After Sex version.
Although that might not also be the best decision. This is another that I actually wasn’t looking forward to rewatching. In fact, it was pretty close to the bottom of the list and another I slipped into the DVD player with a sigh and me wondering what it was I was actually doing with my life.
After Sex, is a comedy drama type of film. Kate (Brooke Shields) receives a depressing phone call from her ex to let her know she’s now been officially divorced for a year. In a bid to make herself feel better she phones her friend Traci (Virginia Madsen) and basically tells her she’s off to Palm Springs for a girls weekend. She phones another mutual friend, Vicki (Maria Pitillo) to tell her the same who phones a fourth friend, Janet (Stephanie Venditto) and it’s all arranged.
Traci, Vicki and Janet are all partnered off already and in various stages of their relationships, but one of their gal pals needs their help so obviously they’re on board. Before you know it they’re off for a night of womanly revelary. Good for them. They road trip there, arrive, have some shenanigans at the pool side. Have a round of Golf, injuring another Guest of the hotel. They’re all in high spirits and hit the town for the night. They end up meeting a bunch of men from various places.
Kate meets the bloke she injured on the Golf course earlier, because of course. Traci meets a nice chap at the bar she’s seemingly got a lot in common with. Vicki and Janet end up talking to some other, less desirable but harmless enough Dudes.
Vicki ends up putting her head between on the gentlemans lap, NO NOT LIKE THAT – She’s sick all over him after one too many cocktails… Tch. And, Janet – Well Janet ends up with one of the others.
In short, the girls all end up kind of paired off, there are some more awkward than others and the degrees of what we see differ. Kate and Janet both take their men home, Traci seemingly stops short and Vicki, well Vicki wonders about if anyone is eating her complimentary hotel chocolate. The Boys left behind are left to prop up the bar. Well, the bar at the strip club, but still.
All good, right?
Well. Not really.
Kate wakes up alone, despite her asking for her man to stay the night. She’s sad that she has been let down again. She joins the other girls at breakfast, and there are obvious regrets about the night before from the three attached ladies. They somehow manage to pin and or blame their debauchery on Kate. Not really sure that’s fair, or accurate, but before you know it Kate is storming off.
And, honestly you can’t really blame her – I mean, c’mon Girls, take some responsibility for your actions…
The trip is cut short and the ride home is strained.
When they all arrive back at home, but the night away has changed them all in some way, and it isn’t long before the fellas they left back at home pick up on this.Initial suspicions are aroused when the ladies are home early, their partners all comment on it for one reason or another. It isn’t long before their trip slowly comes back to haunt them in one way or another.
Janet is the first to fall, she keeps her relationship with the man she met in Palm Springs going, her husband, John (Dan Cortese) finds out who then tells the rest of the husbands. Traci is next under suspicion from her husband Tony (D.B. Sweeney) and when Traci won’t confirm or deny anything he runs to the other husbands and before you can blink it’s Vicki under suspicion from her husband, Matt (Johnathon Schaech).
But maybe, just maybe Tony shouldn’t have pressed the issue with Traci…
… And maybe, just maybe Kate and Janet need to have a sit down at some point and talk, things, through.
I won’t say more than that. I’ve actually said more than I meant to do already, it’s not the easiest film to try and describe without going into more detail.
Did I enjoy it? Well. Yes, actually – Yes and no – It was a very different viewing experience than when I first watched it some 10 to 15 years ago (!!) – BUT – I’m a very different person also. I think my enjoyment might have come more from experience than anything else. Perhaps I wasn’t mature enough to appreciate the film the first time around.
It’s sort of a coming of age movie for grown ups. One, not so much about camaraderie among friends that you’ll think you’ll have for life. But more the reality of what can happen with those friends you’ll think you’ll have for life. A less optimistic view of the world.The film is billed as a dramedy, but it isn’t, really, It’s more drama than anything else. The relationships between the four couples on screen are quite relatable, and at times border on the uncomfortable. I think that’s the “No” of my “Yes and No”. If I wondered what I was doing with my life when I put the DVD in the player then at least by the end of it I’d know that I wasn’t the only one.
The whole movie is interspersed with scene relevant commentary from Drew Pinksky and Adam Carolla, which. I’m not sure if they were a thing or not at the time the movie was released, but. Their inclusion doesn’t seem to make a great deal of sense now. Especially to us in the UK who never really got Drew Pinksky and Adam Carolla anyways. And I might even argue we should be thankful for that after this offering from them.
Virginia Madsen plays a blinder in this one, I wouldn’t say it’s her best work, but man – Yeah – This is still the kind of work you want to see from her. Cute, quirky, honest and earnest. It’s a different side of her acting range than we normally see. Gone is the strong femme fatale type, hell even the “sexy” type. Instead we see a very real person portrayed, one that everyone will be able to emphasise with on some level. It’s a very human, vulnerable turn that she pulls off here.
Got to be fair to Brooke Shields in this one as well, I thought her go at Kate was pretty damn good as well. I’ve not seen her a lot in films, not normally my cup of tea, but – Yeah, fair play, I can see what some of the fuss is about her here.
Of course, Brooke Shields and Virginia Madsen would get together again years later for The Hot Flashes, another film about the highs and lows of life as a woman. Virginia Madsen has also acted with D B Sweeney before in the popular 80’s film Fire with Fire and would do again on the TV Show, The Event.
Would I recommend it? Well, if you’d asked me that before a second, more grown up viewing, I’d have said no. In retrospect, with a different head on my shoulders. Then, yes. Yes I would.
Availability:
Region 1 DVD is pretty easy to find on eBay and the like, but it’s not in abundance so if you’ve half an interest in this one you should grab it while you can.
It’s a quaint little movie. I think that’s the right word.
The story follows Cooper (Matthew Broderick) who is suffering from a bout of memory loss due to hitting his head against a wall in a bar fight in which he was collateral damage, it wasn’t his fight but he took a hit.
After being let go from his job as a Political Correspondent at a newspaper he finds himself heading home at his Mothers (Lois Smith) request to help take care of his Uncle Rollie (Alan Alda). His Uncle is also suffering from his own form of memory problems, his are age related though, Alzheimers, and he’s not getting any better from it. His Mother hopes Conner can persuade him to get more professional help.
This might not be as helpless as it all seems as it’s revealed that Uncle Rollie is in possession of a rare baseball card; Frank Schulte from the 1908 Chicago Cubs lineup. And, if they could convince Rollie to sell this card they could potentially put all their financial woes behind them and get Rollie the help he needs. As he’s back home for the first time in a good while, the inevitable happens and he runs into his ex-girlfriend, Charlotte (our Virginia Madsen). Charlotte is single, good news for Connor. She had a husband, and a child, Dillon (Jimmy Bennett) now she’s back on the market. The two hit it off quite well and rekindle their acquaintance. Not in a romantic way, but a friend way.
One thing leads to another and before you know it, Connor, Uncle Rollie, Charlotte and Dillon are on the road to a Sports Memorabilia Convention to sell the card.
And, yeah – That about sums up the premise and you can probably work out the sentimental trip to the Convention that follows.
It’s not a bad film, and it’s not a good film. It has a lot of heart, I’ll say that much. The performances from all the cast are spot on. Matthew Broderick has a knack for this kind of sentimentality, Alan Alda is always a joy to watch and he pulls off the role with as much gravitas as you’d imagine he would. Virginia Madsen does her whole “Single Mother with a heart of gold just waiting for her chance” thing in this one, it’s not a bad dialled in performance by any means – It’s nothing new though While all of the acting her,e is above par you wouldn’t expect anything less from the cast.
It’s worth a watch, it’s likely nothing you haven’t seen before but it’s still worth a watch for the performances alone. It’ll touch your soul in all the right places and maybe give you a little hope that things aren’t that bad at the same time.
Availability:
Good, not hard to find on DVD and on some streaming services depending on your location (or access to a VPN).
[sigh] – Operation Christmas Drop is a film from Netflix, released in 2020 just in time for, surprise surprise – Christmas. It’s a Romantic Comedy Family film. As if you needed telling…
And, there isn’t any other way of saying this, but Christmas movies aren’t my thing, at all. Well, films like Violent Night pass the criteria checklist, but apart from that, no. The whole family friendly seasonal message of hope and good in the world, no.
So, while I did make an attempt at watching this movie then for the most part I might as well have not bothered. I got 45 minutes in and felt like I knew the whole plot anyways.
I’m not saying it’s a bad movie, I’m not qualified as I didn’t watch it – What I am trying to make clear is that it isn’t one for me. Much like Grace Stirs up Success and Hot to Trot before it, I’m about as far removed from the target audience as it gets.
That being said, it did give me reason to Google the whole “Christmas Drop” thing and I was pleasantly surprised to find it still does exist and happen, so that’s nice.
The plot of the movie is as predictably Christmassy as you can get. Something nice that usually happens is in danger of not happening. Person who is trying to stop the nice thing happening is eventually won round, and the nice thing happens with everyone smiling and being nice because, Christmas.Virginia Madsen plays Congresswoman Bradford – She’s the main reason the Christmassy thing isn’t happening but she’s delegated Grinch duties to her subordinate, Erica (Kal Graham).
And, I know I’ve commented before on Virginia being typecast, but this one really does take the biscuit. Her role in this one is pretty much her role in Designated Survivor, even down the outfit we first meet her in. Black Suit with an American Flag pin. Which, I realise is pretty much the uniform for a US Senator, at least in my head, but. Yeah.
I mean, you couldn’t tell where I’d grabbed each of these from.
(Designated Survivor is the one on the right…)
Virginia actually isn’t in the movie that much, which was pretty much the deciding reason for me to give up on it completely. And when she is in it, she’s pretty much a Kimble clone anyways. But more evil. Nothing we’ve not seen her do before, which again isn’t bad, but it’s nothing to go out of your way to watch the movie for anyways, fan or not.
And, of course by the end of the film the evil Virginia Madsen even gets a bit of the Christmas spirt herself. Availability:
It’s a Netflix film and it’s still available, unlikely to ever see a physical release though, officially at least.
Being Michael Madsen is a Mockumentary from 2007 and it’s a lot of fun.
It tells the story of a Michael Madsen (Virginia Madsens brother if you didn’t by any chance know) who is very much fed up with this personal life been dragged through the Tabloid Headlines and all the lies that get made up about him.
The straw that breaks the camels back is a story that he’s actually gonna and murdered an extra who worked in the background of one his movies.
The story has been released into the public domain by Billy Dant (Jason Alan Smith), Michael of course maintains his innocence but is hounded at every opportunity by Billy at press conferences etc.
The one day, he gets the idea of flipping the script on its head and he employees three Documentary makers to make a film about the paparazzi, focusing mainly on Billy.
Of course he doesn’t like that the camera is now pointed at him and…
The film is presented as that Documentary that they are making, it has interviews with Michael himself and and a whole bunch of other people including his Mother – Elaine Madsen, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Harry Dean Stanton and of course his sister and our favourite lady Virginia Madsen. And, I think it’s fair to say that it’s probably Virginia who has the most fun in this movie. She plays herself as being just that little bit jealous of her brother, and it’s actually pretty damn funny to watch. Her little jibes and sneers at it all. Almost worth the price of admission alone.
It’d be hard to recommend this one to just anyone. But I think if you take it for what it is then you’ll get a kick out of it. It’s quite enjoyable to watch all the fake interviews with Michael’s family and friends.
The “story” is well done, and I genuinely wanted to know what happened next at the end. There’s a whole bit where you know *something* has happened but it’s kept in the shadows for a little bit. I guess this is the part of a normal documentary where you already knew what happened, but as its fake we don’t till the reveal. Quite clever that way. Update: 4th July 2025
With the tragic and sudden death of Michael Madsen, watching Being Michael Madsen now hits a little differently.
The film always played with the idea of myth versus man, but in hindsight, it also serves as a reminder of just how much presence Michael brought to the screen, and that he wasn’t afraid to poke a little fun at himself.
His absence is going to be felt for a long time.
Availability:
Not hard to find on Region 1 DVD but I did have to pay full price for it. No cheap ones kicking around as far as I could see.
American Dreams is a show on NBC that ran for three seasons from 2002 to 2005. The show is primarily about the Pryor family who live in Philadelphia in the early 1960’s, more often that not the Pryors daughter, Meg (Brittany Snow) would be central.
Although the Pryor family are fictional, the show has real life events that affect the characters as though they lived through them. The assassination of Kennedy for example is depicted.
The Pryor family are the owners of a TV and Radio store, well, John Pryor (Tom Verica) is at least. His wife, Helen (Gail O’Grady) is a homemaker. As well as Meg, John and Helen have three other children, John (Will Estes) is the eldest, Patty (Sarah Ramos) is younger than Meg and then finally Will (Ethan Dampf) the youngest.
The show itself celebrates American Music, and many classic songs from the time would feature via the inclusion of American Bandstand into the show’s plot. Famous artists from the time would perform on the show and would often be portrayed by famous musicians of the nowadays. Today’s Musicians would also frequently take other roles on the show, Art Garfunkel would appear as the Record Store owner for example. There are too many to list here but a full list can be found on the Wikipedia page for the show.
Virginia Madsen would only appear in the first Season, she played the character of Rebecca Sandstrom, Helen’s Book Club friend. Rebecca isn’t the typical 1960’s stereotypical woman and she encourages the Book Club to expand their minds by pushing progressive literature on the Club. If you’ve read any of my other pages in historical films then you’ll know that these kinds of thing aren’t for me. I’ve zero interest in period stuff, even if the music is cool.
I actually did give this one a go but I got to the end of the second episode and I’d had enough.
I do believe it was actually worth the watch though if this is your kind of thing.
Availability:
Region 1 DVD isn’t a problem and is easily found at a reasonable price which is good as it doesn’t appear that Seasons 2 and 3 ever made it. Even more odd that so much effort was put into the Season 1 DVD with a special extended edition.
Marriage Drama is a short, just over 5 minutes short, movie from the folks at Funny or Die. It was released on 13th May 2011 and features Oliver Cooper and Virginia Madsen.
I’m not overly convinced I understand the point of this clip, but…
In the short sketch we see married couple, Steve (Oliver Cooper) and Linda (Virginia Madsen) arguing over Steve’s lack of presence in the house due to his work, a fiery argument blows up between he two but before it goes too far it’s revelated that this is all part of a movie (or, TV show, it’s not clear) which Is being produced.
The two actors receive direction about what is and isn’t working in the scene and they reshoot. Virginia questions if her co-star is too young for the scene and Oliver questions if Virginia is brining her A game. The director reassures them both that all is fine, and the show continues on.
Only this time, Steve has a moustache.
And, so it goes.
Not sure what or where the comedy is in this thing, but it’s fun to watch for a few minutes.Availability:
It’s still on the Web, not hard to find on YouTube or funnyordie.com
Just Your Luck, or Whiskey Down as it’s always known is a quirky comedy drama from 1996, with a surprising amount of star power attached.
The movie is set in and around an average every day Diner known as The New Sudka Cafe II, run by Nick (Jon Polito) with a healthy mix of customers partronising it. On this particular night Willie (Ernie Hudson) helping out behind the counter as the Chef, and Angela (Alanna Ubach) on waitress duty. And then we’ve got Kim (our Mrs Madsen), who is on a date with Ray (Sean Patrick Flanery) – The pair of them as sleazy yuppie movie lawyers that you can ever imagine with Straker (Jon Favreau) lurking in the background generally being sleazy. One of the customers, a kindly old gentleman known as “Pops” (BIll Erwin) gets excitable when he realises he’s won BIG on the Lottery. As he gets to his feet to try and borrow a paper from Kim and Ray who are sat a nearby table to check his own is legitimate he suffers a heart attack and collapses.
It’s not long before Kim and the other people in the restaurant figure out what is going on and find themselves in a bit of a dilemma. Do they try and help Pops, or do they keep quiet just long enough to make sure Pops is no longer of the Earth and pocket the money themselves?
Before they can properly make up their minds about what to do the Diner starts getting other customers through the door, including a pair of cops (Mike Starr and Vince Vaughn) who frequent the place often while taking breaks from their shift.
They all try to act normal, but one thing leads to another. A pair of gangsters (Flea and John Lurie) come looking for Straker which further complicates things and… Well, things happen as they usually do in this kind of film, or there wouldn’t be a film.
It is nice to see Virginia doing something a bit different for a change, she’s about an inch away from doing her femme fatale thing but holds it back nicely (mostly). She does have a few good little moments in the film where she lets her guard down a little as well. She does her little bits of comedy well also, great timing and once again makes you wonder what she could have done with more. It’s not a bad film, but it’s far from a great film. The sum of it’s parts certainly don’t live it up the whole anyways. Everyone puts in a good performance, it’s the whole setup that leaves it wanting for me. It doesn’t help that just having the one setting for the most part stifles the action somewhat and leaves you thinking it’s more of a play than anything else.
Availability:
I see this on VHS quite a lot under both “Just Your Luck” and “Whiskey Down”, they’re the US and UK titles respectively. There always seems to be a copy on sale. It’s never had a proper release on DVD and doesn’t seem to be available to stream anywhere, although Plex do have it listed.
The first time I came across this one was on Netflix. I wasn’t paying particularly close attention to Virginia Madsen’s career at that point and I saw her standing there with a bunch of ladies and a basketball.
It was late at night and I’d nothing else to do so I hit play. And, damn. I don’t know if it was because it was late at night or the idea of seeing something new from Virginia after a long time but I properly enjoyed it. For what it was at least.
The film centres around a group of middle aged women, some at the time when menopause is an issue in their lives. Beth Humphrey (Brooke Shields) is one of these women. She’s trying to get herself tested for Breast Cancer but is upset to learn her local Testing Centre is closing down due to the lack of funding.
Not just upset because it’s closing but upset because one of her close friends had died three years prior, she’d left the Centre a substantial amount of money so it could keep going and maybe help someone be more fortunate than herself. It turns out there has been a mistake with some paperwork and so the Centre can’t get the help it so desperately needs. For it to remain open it needs another $25,000. Not willing to let it drop, Beth gets in touch with some of her old high school friends and arranges with them to raise the money for the Testing Centre to remain open with money being charged for various things to see them play and making bets on themselves to win.
Ginger Peabody (Daryl Hannah), Florine Clarkson (Wanda Sykes), Roxie Rosales (Camryn Manheim) and Clementine Winks (Mrs Madsen) have made it through life in many different ways with varying degrees of success, but they agree to help. Some are more willing than others…
And thus the ladies set about trying to prove everyone who thinks they can’t do it wrong and the film goes on. It’s an underdog’s tale, you know the ones.
I guess in some ways it’s kind of a modern take on Long Gone. It’s the same kind of story when you step back and look at it. Not a bad thing at all, just a Virginia related observation. It does actually have a very noble and worthwhile purpose by bringing some awareness to Breast Cancer, at the film’s premiere the ladies walked down a pink carpet instead of a red one and it served as a benefit for the American Cancer Society.
The film was released to mixed reviews, some enjoyed it for what it was (like myself) and others, in my opinion, took it all too seriously and bashed it for no real good reason other than they could. Not everything needs to be deep and meaningful for it to be worth watching.
And, personally I think it’s also worth some points for being a tale of “woman of a certain age” as well, they could so easily have swapped out the cast for some young nubile things which would have lessened the message behind the film. It crossed my mind when I was originally watching it but it seems as though the reviewers, and critics, of the film also picked up on the fact. Good.
[ahem] – Getting back to the film… Virginia has spoken highly of the film, in an interview with The AV Club she has this to say;
“it was a straight-up offer, which is always appreciated. It’s always wonderful to just not have to audition for something. They sent me the script, and I had to be there in, like, two days, but… I think I probably said yes before I read it, because of the cast and the director and just that it was a story about all of these incredible women. I mean, all that cast on one script? I was like, “This can’t be real. This is mine? You want me to be in this with these girls? Yes!” So I said yes without finishing the script. I think I read about 30 pages, and I was like, “Yeah, I’ll do it.” And, luckily, I was in really good shape, so I was ready and up for the challenge. I generally don’t like any sports that involve running. [Laughs.]
But the thing is, when you get a role, actors will do anything to make that role sing. Just the fact that I can have live bees all over me in Candyman proves that we’ll do anything, basically, for a good performance. [Laughs.] So I thought, “Well, I don’t know how to play basketball, but if I look cool, then it’ll be okay.” But that didn’t work, because with this, you really have to know how to dribble the ball, and I couldn’t even do that. They’d all had a basketball clinic, and we had a great coach named Carla who was a professional basketball player, but I pretty much went from the airport to the court, so they all just rallied around me. They just played and played and played. And while shooting, every moment between takes I was learning how to dribble, how to do a layup, and it was really, really hard. It was physically very challenging, which is exciting and appealing to me. I love physical challenge
And it turned out I was pretty good at it! As soon as I knew how to do a layup, I was like, “Oh, that’s it! That’s how you do that!” The girls were really badass, and they just helped me to feel confident. That day, we became a team.”
And you know what? It is good to see all the ladies come together here, I’d like to say Virginia steals the show, but she doesn’t. There is an obvious camaraderie about the gang and I’d be willing to bet there are a few tales to be told from behind the cameras. Of course, the film reunites Virginia Madsen with Brooke Shields who were both previously in After Sex together, and, this is a much better film for both of their talents.
Availability:
Good. Lots of cheap copies on DVD (in a snazzy pink case of course) and it can be found on streaming (like I did originally).
I mean, it’s not the first time she’s taken the role of the villan in something animated, look at her Silver Sable in Spider-man, or Roulette in Justice League Unlimited. Let her have some proper live action over the top villany I say!
