I love Annette Being so factor that into your analysis of my review of Twentieth Century Women. Annette Bening plays a 55-year-old single mother raising a son in 1979. Her son Jamie, played by Lucas Jade Zumann, is a typical 15-year-old trying to come to grips with school and love and sex. Bening’s character owns an old mansion which she decides is too big for her and her son so she rents out two of the rooms. One goes to Greta Gerwig who plays a talented photographer with a lot of “baggage.” She dyes her hair red after seeing David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth.
The other tenant is a jack-of-all-trades guy played by Billy Crudup. He helps Bening restore the stately mansion and does some “renovation” work on Greta Gerwig as well. As if this wasn’t enough, Director/Wrier Mike Mills adds another character, Julie (played by Elle Fanning), who values Jamie’s friendship (by sleeping in his bed–but no sex) and alters the group’s chemistry from time to time.
If you’re looking for a very quirky movie that pretty much meanders for 2 hours and 17 minutes, then Twentieth Century Women is the movie for you. GRADE: B+
Pass.
Bob, TWENTIETH CENTURY WOMEN isn’t a chick-flick. This story of raising a teenage son by a single mother is compelling.
I love Annette Bening too, but not Greta Gerwig. I had no idea the movie was that long. I think Jackie has it on her list, so we will probably get to it in the next month or so, but first we have to catch up on ARRIVAL and other nominated films.
Jeff, Greta Gerwig plays a convincing photographer with “problems.” You and Jackie will like TWENTIETH CENTURY WOMEN if you’re in the right mood.
She confirmed that “quirky” is definitely for her.
Jeff, I agree with Patti: I thought Annette Bening should have gotten a BEST ACTRESS nomination.
I thought she had a lock on a nomination but I do admit it meandered too much. And I am still mystified by what she wanted from the two women if not to make her son a feminist. Ambiguity on the character’s part is okay in small doses but it was the whole plot.
Patti, TWENTIETH CENTURY WOMEN was all about ambiguity. You didn’t know what was going to happen from scene to scene.
No thanks–although I’d like to see Annette Bening one day get her due…and her Oscar. As for Greta Gerwig, I think she’s overhyped. Perhaps someone told her she’d be her generation’s Meryl Streep–and she believed them!
The new Meryl? Not! She’s the new Michael Pare, perhaps, or the new Gretchen Mol, one in an endless series of overly hyped actors who never became the “superstar” they were predicted to become,
Jeff, Greta Gerwig–with her flame-red hair–is convincing in TWENTIETH CENTURY WOMEN.
Deb, like you I’m hoping Annette Bening gets the recognition due to her. I think her performance in TWENTIETH CENTURY WOMEN is first-rate. Greta Gerwig is more controlled in this film.
Sounds like a movie in search of a plot. I’ll skip it and get ready to read short stories for SHORT STORY FEBRUARY. (was that subtle, or what?)
Rick, I may be joining you in February 2018. I love short stories and i certainly have plenty of collections and anthologies to choose from. But, my goal for this February is to get caught up on my Library books.
Rick, I was looking at the short story collections I have on the Kindle and discovered the complete F. Scott Fitzgerald shorts, which could take the entire month as there are nearly 150 stories. I’ve read quite a few of them – Pat Hobby stories as well as famous ones like “Bernice Bob’s Her Hair” and “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” – but the price was right and these are in chronological order as originally published.
I’ll catch this someday, but it’s not a “in the theater” one for me. I agree about Gerwig. I also agree about Benning (I would have sworn she’d gotten an oscar nod for this). The other best actress snub I’ve heard mentioned is Amy Adams.
Interesting side note: Benning grew up in the San Diego area (La Mesa) and her parents still live there. When she and her family come down for the holidays, there’s usually a mention in the paper of the visit after the fact. I get the feeling she’s very down to earth.
Maggie, I wish Annette Bening made more movies. She’s terrific!
Maggie, she was nominated four times – for The Grifters (NOT the Trump family bio!), American Beauty (which I hated), Being Julia, and The Kids Are All Right. I liked her in the latter, as well as The American President.
I agree Jeff, I didn’t like American Beauty (which is why when Charlaine Harris told me Alan Ball bought the rights to true blood I wasn’t as thrilled as that news deserved)
Love your take on the grifters, jeff
I see perhaps 6 movies a year, mostly cartoons with the kid! This one has nothing in it for me! PASS!