The careers of actresses Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette
have had similar patterns. Both started out with some huge hits under their
belts but then things slowed a bit, then stalled for each. Neither has been in
a box office smash in some time. Then again when most films demand spandex and
explosions that’s not any wonder. So when a drama with a bit of laughter mixed
in comes along for both of them to work together on to create meaningful
characters it’s a nice change of pace.
The pair star as Milly (Collette) and Jess (Barrymore), two
lifelong friends since grade school. As revealed in a quick montage at the
beginning of the film these two have shared everything from first kisses on. It
is Milly though who is the first to marry and have kids. Jess follows a few
years behind with the marriage but not the kids.
Milly and her husband Kit (Dominic Cooper) seem to have it
all. Both have successful careers and the kids while predictably annoying at
times are adorable. Jess and Jago (Paddy Considine) on the other had are happy
living a carefree life on a boat on the Thames and working hard at trying to
start that family. The two families are entwined into one another’s lives with
the husbands becoming close friends as well if not quite as close as the two
leads.
All of that changes when Milly discovers she has cancer. Her
life suddenly turned upside down it’s an aggressive cancer that demands
immediate chemotherapy. The first person she tells after a week of
contemplation isn’t Kit but Jess. As we soon learn while the film unspools the
characters have a set pattern. Milly is the more carefree of the two and always
in need of support in some form or another. Jess is the more stable and
supportive of the two. This becomes one of the dramatic points of the film as
Jago gets upset with Jess putting their lives on hold to take care of Milly.
The story of Milly as cancer patient moves in stages
beginning with not just the diagnosis but the results of chemo. Hair loss and
fatigue plague Milly with Kit doing his best to keep up while trying to work at
the same time. It is Jess who comes to her aid at the costs of her own home
life. On top of that as Milly begins to deal with her possible loss of life,
Jess holds back telling her the news that after fertilization treatments she is
finally pregnant.
When things move from chemo to a double mastectomy Milly
begins to find more ways to become dependent on her friend and less so on her
husband. Difficulties resulting from a misread signal after her surgery lead
Milly to the arms of someone else. While there is a great deal of sympathy to
be had for the character of Milly her life choices and self-centered approach
at first will turn off some viewers. But within the flaws of her character lies
the humanness that we all contain.
The movie is indeed a two or three hankie film that will
have some weeping and others smiling at the joy of life. Most importantly what
it does is take a look at cancer and how it changes not just those suffering
from the disease but those around them as well. This is not to say that Milly
is overlooked to focus on the others but most films target the main character
alone rather than all of those involved in their life. With the number of cases
diagnosed each year it is amazing how few films have been made that are as
descriptive and revealing as this one is. It will be difficult for some to
watch but it should be seen. And once seen the problems of cancer should be
discussed, talked about openly so that there is no misunderstandings down the
road should it appear.
Both lead actresses do a great job here with Collette as
Milly getting the bigger share of dramatic moments. That’s to be expected and
in truth reflects her character as well, the person who takes over a room while
others just enter. Barrymore plays the self-sacrificing friend well here. Her
more down to earth character helps form a yin yang relationship between the two
characters.
In that world I talked about up front, one with explosions
and superheroes and covert ops it is nice on occasion to sit down and watch an
adult drama that features a story that can be taken to heart. That this one
examines something that has touched everyone on the planet and makes the
difficulties of the disease and its effect on everyone is to be commended. It
might seem odd to say that the movie is entertaining but a solid story with
great performances even when discussing a problem like this can indeed be
entertaining. Not a movie to be taken lightly but one that should be seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment