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Safety of Objects, The
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MPAA RATING: R for sexual content and language
Starring Glenn Close, Dermot Mulroney, Jessica Campbell, Patricia Clarkson, Joshua Jackson, Moira Kelly, Robert Klein, and Mary Kay Place
Over the course of four days, four suburban families will open up and lean on one another, sharing their burdens and joys, and help each other remember, it is the people we know and love - not the objects we own - that provide real hope and security to face whatever life throws at us. (IFC Films)
| GENRE(S): | Drama |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Rose Troche
A.M. Homes (book) |
| DIRECTED BY: | Rose Troche |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: October 14, 2003 Video: October 14, 2003 Theatrical: March 7, 2003 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 121 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA / UK |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Chad S. gave it an 8:
Writer/director Rose Troche's "Go Fish" first made me conscious of a formal cinema for gays and lesbians. "The Safety of Objects", however, tells the stories of white suburban heterosexuals, and to my surprise, nobody comes out of the closet, unlike Lisa Cholodenko's "Laurel Canyon", when Alex(Kate Beckinsale) unexpectedly kisses Jane(Frances McDormand) in the pool. Working from a short story collection by A.M. Homes, Troche can no longer be pigeonholed as a talented director from the "queer cinema" sector; she's just talented, period. If Troche scaled back on Helen(Mary Kay Place)'s misadventures in almost adultery, "The Safety of Objects" would've been a more focused piece of filmmaking. Troche could've sketched her in a few, broad strokes like Howard(Robert Klein), who we understand without any deep delving. Another misstep is the confusing relationship between Randy(Timothy Olyphant) and Sam(Kristen Stewart), which suggests that Randy harbored an attraction for his deceased younger brother. But that can't be right. Troche could've been a little clearer. To offset these minor flaws, Troche does a brilliant job with Jake's scary crush, and the crossed spiritual paths of Esther(Glenn Close) and Jim(Dermot Mulroney). Close is very good, but Patricia Clarkson is incandescent. And if we're going to toss out influences, it begins with Atom Egoyan's "Exotica". In both films, the final piece that ties everything together takes place in a car.
Stephen S. gave it an 8:
Comparisons with the suburbia of Short Cuts and American Beauty are inevitable, but I thought I saw more signs of the Todd Solondz or Hal Hartley movie chic. Rose Troche delivers her best film yet. She is technically assured, takes risks, works the cast, and shows emotional rigour. The similarity with Short Cuts is superficial. Sure, we flip continually between the several suburban stories, but these mini-stories are really linked and united, more conventionally than the styling suggests. They revolve around the deepest emotional cut, Esther Golds (Glenn Close) resolve to deal with the trauma of her comatose son Paul. Ive never liked Close this much, in fact never liked her at all. But she finds the right nuances here. Dermot Mulroney makes out as the distracted lawyer on time out from job and marriage, aiding Esthers bid to win a car in a sadistic shopping mall contest. Jessica Campbell is disciplined in her performance as Esthers daughter, decidedly unimpressed by mums attention to the living dead. Kristen Stewart performs with a wisdom beyond her age, as the temporarily abducted young daughter of Esthers neighbour. Chance and consumerism almost wreck community, but there is a kind of silver lining to it all. Dont mind, because Troche has earned the right to exact a few tears at the end. If you want to be picky, the flashback scenes for the pre-accident version of Paul are not delineated clearly against the multiple jump-cuts of the present-time stories. If youre watching this late at night, it might take a while to figure out whats going on.
Brian R. gave it a 10:
An outstanding movie. Smartly written. Very funny and keenly observant. Thumbs way up!!
Althea W. gave it a 3:
The worst of its genre-- white suburban ennui.
Karen L. gave it a 9:
One of the best films this year!!!
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