Virginia (2010)
A sheriff sees his state senate bid slide out onto the ice when his daughter begins to date the son of a charming but psychologically disturbed woman with whom the sheriff has engaged in a two-decade-long affair.
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Charming and brutal
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
It's always difficult to portray mental illness but the mixture of comedy and violence in this movie totally confused the issue.
Slightly disturbed Virginia (Jennifer Connelly) lives with her protective son Emmett in a Virginian town. She's in a long-term affair with Sheriff Richard Tipton (Ed Harris) who is married to Roseanna (Amy Madigan) and has daughter Jessie (Emma Roberts). Emmett is in love with Jessie. Richard uses his powers to keep them apart. Virginia tells Richard that she's pregnant. He's running for the State Senate and pays her out of the campaign funds. She's actually faking it. There is also a cross dressing Max (Toby Jones) with his pink ferris wheel. It all ends with a bank robbery.This is filled with quirky characters that aren't funny. The story meanders a lot. There are a few surprises which don't do much. It's either a comedy that fails to be funny or a drama with too much chaotic quirkiness. Connelly projects a beautiful damaged soul which could be great for a sad drama. I'm just not sure what this movie is trying to be.
This movie has good things but at the end, its defects are too important. The first thing I dislike is the photography and set design because as a 2010s movie, world has become blue / orange ! I'm fed up with those blue props, blue clothes, yellow skin, yellow light . When my mind focuses on the story, i see an jobless mother which is indeed a change from the usual upper classes but one more time, this kind of family is plagued ! In a way, it's like being jobless and poor in America is the trademark of fragile, unstable people ! The kids stories could have been interesting if the daughter wouldn't have lost her faith at once, which is not really believable ! The use of flashback at the start of the movie is useless as well as the sheriff's wife part ! On the positive side, the cast plays really well : Jennifer as a deranged mother, Harris as a pervert sheriff In conclusion, it's like Hollywood wants to do a tearing drama but as it has never experienced real life, the final release is more a collection of clichés.
Few actors today have the breadth of Jennifer Connelly. She never shirks from difficult roles. From Mullholland Falls to Little Children or The House Of Sand and Fog and now this, she plays her characters convincingly as though she owns them in her heart. She never takes it over the top. Ed Harris' character is a cardboard cop and is well done given the parameters of the role. This movie is a brilliant portrait of a mentally challenged mom trying to make the best in this world for her son. Harrison Gilbertson is very good as her boy. Emma Roberts as his girlfriend does a great job as a dutiful Mormon 16 year old. Amy Madigan is convincing as Ed Harris' wife. See it with an open heart and this movie will transport you. Brilliant.