DON'T TRUST ANYONE UNDER 30.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic The French celebration of estrogen, ``Women,'' plays like a Lifetime movie with a European sensibility. Centered around five 40ish women struggling to come to grips with the encroaching sands of time This article is about the magic Sands from the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trilogy. For other uses, see Sands of Time (disambiguation). In the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time video game trilogy, the Sands of Time , the film features all the hallmark themes of a TV movie - sexual betrayal, mother-daughter strife, bouts with drugs and a cancer scare - and deals with them with complete, accepting and almost blase bla·sé adj. 1. Uninterested because of frequent exposure or indulgence. 2. Unconcerned; nonchalant: had a blasé attitude about housecleaning. 3. Very sophisticated. frankness. Its prevailing attitude is that no crisis is too big that it can't be conquered by a good bottle of wine and a satisfying gabfest. ``Women'' also stands as distinctly European in that American studios rarely make movies that exclusively feature an ensemble cast An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows for flexibility for writers to focus on different of women who don't look like they've come straight from the latest Gap commercial. The leading ladies of ``Women'' include a dancer, a model and a cabaret star, and the diversity gives the group an interesting, appealing dynamic. You actually believe the five women could be lifelong friends. The circle includes: Linda (Carmen Carmen throws over lover for another. [Fr. Lit.: Carmen; Fr. Opera: Bizet, Carmen, Westerman, 189–190] See : Faithlessness Carmen the cards repeatedly spell her death. [Fr. Maura), a successful TV journalist who maintains an emotional distance from her lover, Gigi (Joaquim de Almeida) at a cost to their relationship; Eva (Miou-Miou), a professor on the receiving end of intense infatuation from one of her students (who just happens to be the son of one of the friends); and Branca (Guesch Patti Guesch Patti, (16 March, 1946), born Patricia Porasse, is a French singer. Biography Patti was born in Paris France. She choose her artist name from the nickname she had as a child Guesch. Patty is a pet name for Patricia. ), a sexual wanderer having trouble accepting the fact that she's getting older. Rounding out the group are Chloe (Marisa Berenson Marisa Berenson (born February 15, 1946 in New York City, New York) is an American actress and model. Biography Early life Marisa Berenson is the elder daughter of Robert L. ), a bisexual former drug addict with a thing for Branca and Barbara (Marthe Keller), recently divorced and feeling the pain that comes from that status. Throw in a couple of wayward children and deceitful lovers, and you have the picture of the movie's world. Written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Luis Galvao Teles, ``Women'' deals with its subjects in a realistic, if somewhat trite manner. While sympathetically acknowledging the emotional plights of its older women, the movie seems to regard any female under the age of 30 as the enemy. These aerobicized babes are always lurking in the background, ready to make a catty cat·ty 1 adj. cat·ti·er, cat·ti·est 1. Subtly cruel or malicious; spiteful: a catty remark. 2. Catlike; stealthy. remark or steal a man. Perhaps in Teles' view, women, like wine, need a certain aging to reach the proper degree of merit. The Facts The film: ``Women'' (not rated; language, sexual situations). The stars: Carmen Maura, Miou-Miou, Marisa Berenson, Marthe Keller, Guesch Patti, Joaquim del Almeida. Behind the scenes: Written and directed by Luis Galvao Teles. Released by WinStar Cinema. Running time: One hour, 33 minutes. Playing: Landmark Westside Pavilion in West Los Angeles
Our rating: Two and one half stars. |
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