Laurel Canyon (2002)

In the 1960's, when the nation was divided over a war that many thought to be a tragic waste of human life, when many citizens thought the man in the White House to be an incompetent crook, and anyone who protested got labeled `unpatriotic'. wait, this is starting to sound familiar.

Anyway, in the sixties, Bob Dylan wrote a song wherein he sang, `Something is happening and you don't know what is, do you Mister Jones?' He was of course referring to the squares total inability to understand what the hipsters were up to. In fact, the squares would sometimes hear this song and have no idea what it was about. Well, the same holds true for writer-director Lisa Cholondenko's latest work, `Laurel Canyon'.

Here is a movie featuring characters that are truly authentic. The story is captivating, introspective and well worth telling. And yet, this picture is only playing in relatively few theaters and the critics, for most part, don't seem to get it. How can this be?

What's unique about this movie, to me, is that is has a soul. At certain moments it reminded me of some of Altman's work in the seventies. It moves at an organic pace. The characters feel alive. The house in Laurel Canyon, where much of the story takes place, serves less as a backdrop and more as window into one's self. Perhaps this is what some of the critics found particularly disturbing.

Here's what some of them had to say, followed by my comments.

E! Online said they couldn't figure out `what point the filmmaker is trying to make'.

The filmmaker isn't `making a point'. Most movies which try to make a point, suck. She is instead asking questions - questions which might present a challenge for some people to confront.

The New York Times called writer-director Lisa Cholondenko `an acutely observant chronicler of upscale bohemian subcultures'

What the hell does that mean? This movie is not about bohemians. It's about boundaries - the boundaries that destroy relationships and the boundaries that preserve them. It's about the limitations we place on ourselves which cheat us of the possibility of discovering who we truly are - and it's about the limitations which prevent us from hurting ourselves and others. Perhaps these issues fly beneath the radar of "Mister Jones".

Variety thought the `characters tediously one-dimensional, the dialogue banal.'

Well, all I can really say about that Bob Dylan already said much better. `Something is happening and you don't know what it is.'

The music in this movie is awesome, thanks to the writing talents of Mark Linkous, the creative force behind the critically acclaimed band "Sparklehorse." The songs are sung by actor, Allesandro Nivola, who's performance was awesome - as was Francis McDormand, Kate Beckinsale, Christian Bale and Natascha McElhone. All I can say is go and see it.

I saw it a week ago and it's been on my mind ever since. The movie speaks for itself.

Fmovies: There's a clash of cultures, families and sexual orientations in "Laurel Canyon", and I enjoyed all of it. Sam (Christian Bale) and Alex (Kate Beckinsale) are an uptight, New York couple in complete control of their lives, until they move in with Sam's mother Jane (Frances McDormand) who is a loose hippie (in all senses of the words). Jane also has a slew of rock-and-roll men living in her house, most notably, Ian (Alessandro Nivola), her primary boyfriend with an irresistible accent - but then again Jane and Ian don't really label anything, especially relationships.

As Sam grows increasingly frustrated by his mother's lifestyle, Alex grows increasingly intrigued by it. Sam's need to control everything can get annoying, but Bale plays well off of Beckinsale's quiet energy. The sexual tension between Beckinsale, Nivola and McDormand is electric and is able to keep driving the film forward.

The dialogue is funny enough and the actors are all very good that they make up for the slightly predictable plot. At the Independent Spirit Awards, Frances McDormand was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Alessandro Nivola for Best Supporting Actor. Well deserved nominations and quite possibly the best performances of their careers. Be prepared for sexual energy in every direction, but I recommend "Laurel Canyon".

Laurel Canyon deals about the adversities you have to deal with whether you are more or less experienced. Every character on this story has different experiences: some are more naïve, some are more bohemian, some are more averse, and some don't care at all, but all of them have consciously made a mistake. I say consciously because there's no such thing as someone making mistakes in these situations without thinking thoroughly about the outcome. The premise and development are as simple as it can be, but simplicity doesn't mean banality. The screenplay in its simplicity has an incredible depth and reliability, whether it is on the awkward situations characters get into, or the sexual adventures, that some of us have been through. And to those who have, this movie speaks our language, because it relies on us and us in it. This is why some independent movies are such a pleasure to watch, because even though we are not there, we are those characters.

Laurel Canyon fmovies. I really enjoy reading other folks reviews of films I have seen. It is interesting to see how personal perspective is, well, personal.

I have been a paid critic in the past and have often explained to folks that opinions are just that, opinion. So I will endeavor to explain my case for this fine film.

This is a story of a journey. It is not the journey the characters think they're taking. It is the odd place they go on their way to what they thought they wanted. In that way, it is a lot like life.

You have the fish out of water aspect. A young couple wonders into his mother's life. A life he has never appreciated or enjoyed. His girlfriend, on the other hand, seems primed for the hedonism she encounters.

The mother (played to amazing life by Frances McDormand) is a record producer with a successful business life and a spotty personal one. She's in the midst of recording a record when her son descends. But it is the young man who fronts the group she's producing that has both her and her son's girlfriend in a lather.

There are emotional affairs flying about. There is moral condescension from characters who've been less than honorable.

On top of a good to great cast of principal actors, there's the soundtrack of flat-out great music.

Well directed, admirably cast, with an ambiguous and thoughtful script, plus enough sexual tension to fuel a score of teen comedies. Great flick. Bring your moral compass, and your ears.

I saw this film at the Miami International Film Festival and was thoroughly absorbed and entertained. I don't know if it will be as successful as the director's much-lauded "High Art" from several years ago; "Laurel Canyon" is not as serious, though it does explore some of the same themes. All of the performances are pitch-perfect. I suspect audiences will especially enjoy and identify with Kate Beckinsale's character: a studious and sheltered young doctoral student who takes to the hedonistic Los Angeles lifestyle in a big way. Frances McDormand and Christian Bale are also wonderful.

Music is almost another character in this film; it pervades the atmosphere. The music, by such artists as Mercury Rev and Clinic, complements and underscores the dynamics between the characters. It's been awhile since I've seen a movie with such an intoxicating sense of place as well: whether accurate or not, Los Angeles is portrayed as a sybaritic wonderland. The film revels in the sensuality and freedom of this rarefied realm, and it's intriguing to see the effect on the young couple.

When Frances McDormand's music producer character asks Alex her opinion on the record she's producing, Alex declines, saying she doesn't know much about popular music. McDormand responds, "Follow your instincts. It either pulls you in or it doesn't." This movie pulled me in.

"Laurel Canyon" is a story about 'family'. The grown son (Christian Bale) of a record producer (Frances McDormand) ends up bringing his girl friend (Kate Bekinsdale) to California. They expected to stay in his mother's empty home while he worked at a psychiatric hospital and she worked on a thesis. Due to a schedule change, his mother is still in the home when he and his girl friend arrive. It is obvious that there is substantial tension and resentment on the son's side of the relationship. He feels his mother was not a good parent and that she is irresponsible, and she is still living the carefree and wild lifestyle she has always lived. His curious girlfriend is drawn into the lives of his mother and her boyfriend (Allesandro Nivola), with the potential for disastrous results.

Frances McDormand does a fine job as the mother. Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsdale are also good as the young couple. Allesandro Nivola is entertaining as the mother's current lover. This is a nicely done film. However, something seems a bit flat and the story line doesn't pick up as much steam as a good drama should. It tends to have a 'so what' mentality about the immorality taking place, and the result is that the impact of the film is minimalized. Christian Bale and Frances McDormand have a poignant scene at the end of "Laurel Canyon", but again the film strangely mutes the power which the actors imbue their characters with.

I'd rate this film a 70/100. Fans of the actors involved will enjoy seeing their favorites on the screen, but others will most likely be a bit disappointed by this movie.