film: review

> GEORGIA RULE (2007)
This “chick flick” has a dark side.

By John C. Lyons
Film Critic

Directed by: Garry Marshall

Written by: Mark Andrus

Starring: Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney

Genre: Drama

Our Rating: 7.5/10

Georgia Rule is a good example that with the right material there is life in the entertainment industry left for Lindsey Lohan post-Mean Girls. I really enjoyed her performance here, even though she may be playing herself a bit. Now if she could only take control of her personal life long enough to become something other than “famous for being famous.” But enough about those distractions, Georgia Rule is a strong drama disguised as a summer comedy. The previews completely mask what’s really going on here and I found that to be a refreshing surprise.

Despite a couple plot clichés, this movie has a lot more going on (alcoholism and abuse) and therefore stands above most in the genre. It brings the funny too though as the three female leads (Fonda, Huffman, Lohan) were well cast and play off one another nicely. There are several great scenes between the more traditional Georgia (Fonda) and her daughter and granddaughter (Huffman and Lohan) whose characters' lives spin out of control. The material could have easily drifted off into the melodramatic and I’ve tired of dull Mulroney in cinema, but, because of the talented actresses and those behind the camera, what we end up with is a pretty solid drama.

I saw this film at Cinemark’s Tinseltown 17 Theatres on Peach Street in Erie, PA. Click for showtimes.

related links:
Georgia Rule - official site

MPAA rating: R
for sexual content and some language

length: 1 hr., 53 min.