Rabbit Hole: Superb Cast Pulls You In

Based on the Tony award-winning play of the same name, Rabbit Hole stars Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest and Sandra Oh, featuring a screenplay by the playwright himself, David Lindsay-Abaire, and direction by John Cameron Mitchell of Hedwig and the Angry Inch fame. Here’s the breakdown:

Becca (Kidman) and Howie (Eckhart) struggle to come to terms with the death of their young son, Danny. As their relationship crumbles, they find solace and distraction in the people around them; mothers (Wiest), fellow grievers (Oh) and even the unlikeliest of people.

The Monkey: Nicole Kidman wowed as Becca. Her performance was subtle, but fiery when called for. It’s rare to see an actor so embody their character onscreen that it blurs the edges of reality, making the audience forget they are watching a professional. Kidman managed to shed herself entirely, bringing Becca alive onscreen for the audience to sympathize and emote with. She is well deserving of her recent Golden Globe nomination.

Dianne Wiest played Becca’s mother with the same believability and reality as Kidman, and their scenes together were both an accomplishment in acting and storytelling alike.

The themes of the movie were expertly threaded through the story; hints and notes of meaning and thematic material manifested wonderfully onscreen, both through dialogue and, most profoundly, the actors’ expressive abilities. The idea of “rabbit holes,” and parallel existences where one’s life may be happier, less painful, was a unique enough concept to the genre, giving the movie a fresh take and making it memorable.

While much of the plot was predictable, I was pleased to see many of the possible cliches avoided, in particular within the relationship of Howie and fellow grief counseling attendee, Gaby (Oh).

The Weasel: Aside from the “rabbit holes” theme, Rabbit Hole offered little else new – the story of grief is a common one and the movie dwells solely on the subject, becoming overbearing and one-note by the end, making it hard for some of the deeply emotional scenes to come across as powerfully as they should have.

It was clear the story was pulled from the stage, and while David Lindsay-Abaire’s screenplay was well done, the lingering feeling of staticity and quiet made the transition to screen slightly awkward.

Eckhart did a remarkable job as husband Howie, but when placed next to Kidman’s powerhouse performance, he seemed somewhat forced, as if he were trying to match her tear-for-tear, when, in actuality, a much more subdued and contrasting performance would have been more appropriate, not to mention, successful.

A moving film that showcases some of the best talent Hollywood has to offer, Rabbit Hole renewed my faith in movies that can stand alone without over-the-top stories or expensive special effects. This is a movie rooted in storytelling, and it tells its story well.

3.5 Death Stars out of 5

What do you think? If you’ve seen the play, how would you compare it to the movie? Do you think Nicole Kidman deserves her Golden Globe nomination? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Avenue Q: Reinventing the Puppet

I had the chance to see the Tony award winning musical Avenue Q this weekend at Arizona State University’s Gammage Auditorium. Winning several Tony’s, including Best Musical, in 2003, Avenue Q has been a popular show both on and off Broadway. Known for its risque content (often bordering on raunchy), the show gets even more controversial by including several main characters as puppets, similar to kids’ shows like The Muppets and Sesame Street. But this is no kids’ show! Here’s the breakdown:

Princeton, a recent college graduate, moves to Avenue Q, excited to start the next chapter in his budding adult life. There he meets several friends, including porn addict Trekkie Monster, friendly love interest Kate Monster, lazy Brian and his Japanese fiancee Christmas Eve, roommates Rod and Nicky, Lucy the Slut and super-intendant Gary Coleman. Experiencing ups and downs, the characters living on Avenue Q must come to grips with life’s many challenges, challenges that present themselves during the awkward stage after youth is gone and the real world lies in wait.

The Monkey: The musical numbers are hysterical and the dialogue is surprisingly intelligent and witty, not relying solely on raunch or vulgarity. With song titles like “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” “If You Were Gay,” and “The Internet is For Porn,” not only does the show touch on relevant and often controversial issues, but it does it in a way that is funny and light-hearted, taking the sting out of hot-button issues and helping viewers put things into perspective.

Aside from the content itself, the execution of the show was brilliant. The only “human” characters are Brian, Christmas Eve and Gary Coleman. All other characters are puppets, handled on-stage by cast members who sing and provide the voices. The amazing thing about this: sometimes different actors handle different puppets at different times, even voicing and singing for puppets that they themselves aren’t handling at the moment, from across stage! This works, because, despite the seemingly distracting presence of the actors, the puppets really do steal the show. The audience almost forgets the actors are even there!

The Weasel: Overall, the singing was pretty weak when compared to some of the other Broadway shows I’ve seen. The “puppet-actors” were all strong, especially considering they also sang with distinct (and sometimes recognizatable) character-voices, but it was the “human” characters who failed to impress. Which was too bad; Christmas Eve and Gary Coleman have some of the funniest songs and moments, but the scenes often suffered from odd phrasing or poor voice control, taking away from the laughs.

Avenue Q delivers the laughs and succeeds in pointing out the ridiculousness of some of today’s most controversial topics. A brilliant and creative stage production, Avenue Q is a definite must-see for anyone looking for intelligent humor that isn’t afraid to play with the profane.

Unfortunately, Avenue Q is no longer showing at Gammage; however, check out the tour website to see when Avenue Q is coming to your town! Be forewarned: this show is NOT for children or those easily offended by sex and profanity.

3.5 Death Stars out of 5

What do you think? Does Avenue Q have a good message couched in comedy, or is it just jokes for the sake of jokes? Share your thoughts in the comments!

August: Osage County: Dark Comedy at Its Best

Arizona State University’s Gammage Auditorium is currently showing the Tony Award-winning Broadway play August: Osage County.  Sporting an extremely talented cast (including Academy Award-winning actress Estelle Parsons), August: Osage County has embarked on a nationwide tour that you won’t want to miss.  Here’s the breakdown:

The Westons are a dysfunctional family living in rural Oklahoma.  When the drunken patriarch goes missing, the Westons are confronted with family secrets and conflicts, each more shocking than the next…all while dealing with pill-popping matriarch, Violet (Parsons).

The Monkey: The show is not a visual spectacle (although the set is quite impressive).  There are no special effects, wires, fireworks or fog machines.  In fact, there are no scene changes either…the entire 3 1/2 hour show takes place in the Weston home.  That might sound boring, but the hours flew by watching the amazing actors and actresses bring their respective characters to life.  It felt more like watching a reality TV show than watching a play.  Each actor fully embodied their characters, convincing the audience that the drama was actually happening on the stage.

Estelle Parsons stole the show, seamlessly weaving together drug-induced rants, whithering remarks and soul-wrenching pain.  And while all the players were stellar, special note should be made of Shannon Cochran, playing the eldest Weston daughter, Barbara.  Her performance is so nuanced (despite her foul mouth and frequent shouting) and the audience is haunted with the prospect that Barbara might end up just like Violet.

The Weasel: There were two or three “action” scenes in the show (slapping, fighting, etc.) that looked extremely staged and fake, yanking the show from its veil of realism.

The script was dead-on, the acting was flawless.  The range of emotions was extensive, even for 3 1/2 hours…the comedy was biting yet dark, sad even.  The show is a must-see.  The Arizona run goes through the weekend (Jan. 10).  If you’re not an Arizona resident, check the tour schedule and see when it’s coming to a theatre near you.

5 Death Stars out of 5

Have you seen the show?  What did you think?  Tell me what you thought of August: Osage County in the comments!