All of you folks planning to not see this movie because it stars Lindsey Lohan, don’t make that your reason. And all of you folks planning to see it because she stars in it – be ready for a surprise! This is not your typical Lindsey Lohan flick. Take it from the two guys who were sitting next to me and completely shocked that it wasn’t a “teeny-bopper” flick. “It was really intense!” said one. I agree. Although I knew Lohan had some acting chops after seeing her in Prairie Home Companion, Georgia Rule confirmed my suspicions.
This assumed “chick flick” stars Lohan as Rachel, a troubled teen who has been dragged from San Francisco to Idaho, “The land of the famous potato”, where resides her strict grandmother (Jane Fonda). Rachel’s mother (Felicity Huffman) no longer wants to deal with her daughter’s drug-induced mendacity, and so she places her in Georgia’s care. In Small-Podunk-Town, Idaho, Rachel befriends a couple of local townsmen with her charmingly seductive ways. Dermott Mulroney plays Simon, a local veterinarian/doctor who doesn’t have a license to practice on humans. While working for him, Rachel discovers that his wife and child have died in a car accident. While discussing this topic Rachel admits something to him, which he then proceeds to tell her grandmother who then tells her mother. I will not tell you readers what she admitted to him - this would betray a very shocking moment in the film. I, along with many others in the theater, was quite caught off guard by her confession. Once opened, the confession can of worms spreads and wreaks havoc on her already weak family ties.
One of the deeper themes to Georgia Rule is the difference between truths and lies. Rachel has always lied to her mother and stepfather. Simon tells her that she can no longer tell the difference between truth and lie and neither can the audience. Throughout the movie, the audience is pulled back and forth between belief and doubt in the sincerity of Rachel’s character. The viewer cannot be sure, until all is revealed, whether or not she is lying or telling the truth about her ordeal. Meanwhile, the characters within the film are torn between whether or not to believe her story as well.
Though the subject matter here is heavy, the writers impressively interspersed comedy with weighty content. In fact, the movie is quite funny despite the gravity of the topic. The quick exchange between laughs and serious moments threw my fellow audience members off at first. This is what made Rachel’s initial admission so shocking. You are laughing one minute and the next it is all seriousness. Still, the writers used comedy very strategically to lighten the tone, never awkwardly. There was always a chuckle within the tears, and many all out guffaws. Touching on the humor in every situation makes the characters even more enchanting than they already are.
Lohan was excellent in a hefty role. This is a new challenge for her, which she accomplishes well. This deeper side of Lohan has much to admire and I hope to see her in more like this. Of course, Huffman and Fonda shine, but especially Fonda as the tough rule hungry mother/grandmother.
Georgia Rule was more of a surprise than I can say. It was wonderful and I think it will be this summer’s sleeper Thelma and Louise. Even the guys that I was with enjoyed it, and that’s saying something for a “chick flick”! See it. I give it an A-.
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