In the Land of Women (2007)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Purely Joyful Movie!

good back-story, and good acting

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I just saw this movie 11 years after release, so won't try to compete with or expand upon the many insightful, comprehensive, detailed past reviews. The truth is that I couldn't if I tried. I can offer up my reaction though. I avoided this film for years due to the title alone, inferring that it must be some kind of rom-com, chick-flick, lesbian or Amazon type. I really like it though. The story was somewhat predictable as it progressed, but pleasantly so. The main characters are smart, insightful and likeable, and I rooted for them. It isn't a complex, deeply layered story with many possible interpretations, that you don't quite understand even after 10 viewings. If you need that, go there. If you'd enjoy a nice relaxing story, try this one.

Traditional Hollywood story. Boy meets girl. Although that's pretty much all that happens. He doesn't get the girl so he can't lose her or get her back.Mainly he acts as a sounding board to the various women in the movie.The ostensible story is that boy goes to the Detroit suburbs (actually Vancouver) to take care of his ailing grandmother, played by Olympia Dukakis. There are several stretches of the movie where Grandma simply disappears. No, she doesn't wander off. She is just not in the story. The writer can't handle that sort of conflict by having the A and B story lines cross.The girl's Father is played by Clark Gregg, whose screen time is less than a minute. He delivers one little speech of maybe two lines and then he is simply not around. He is allegedly having an affair, but not much is made of that. Whether his affair is the cause of the Mother and Daughter's unhappiness and need to talk to Adam Brody, or whether he is having an affair because he is bored with them as much as I was, was not explored.Written and directed by Jon Kasdan, who played a kid in "The Big Chill."

The main character is a guy named Carter, a writer of soft porn who lives in California. He is a good listener, so people reveal things about themselves to him. Because he knows that "life is messy", he is not judgmental. He goes to Michigan to live with his grandmother for a while.His grandmother is a quirky/confused woman who may be senile and who has an obsession with the possibility of her own impending death.Across the street lives a family named the Hardwickes. Carter is drawn into the drama of their lives. The mother, Sarah, is not happy in her marriage. Her relationship with her teenage daughter suffers from the usual poor communication/generational issues. The teenage daughter, Lucy, besides dealing with her family issues, is not very self-defined, like many teenagers. She sees a guy who may be her boyfriend.The younger daughter, Paige, is the precocious tween who hides her immaturity with her verbosity and intelligence.Carter negotiates the minefield of the Hardwickes' individual issues and their feelings for each other. In the process, he learns about himself. The story contains some tears, but the overall tone of the film is light. In the Land of Women reminds us of some basic truths: You are lucky to live, so live your life (and no one else's). You are lucky to love another. Art awakens you to real living. Jonathan Kasdan--the writer and director--is the son of Lawrence Kasdan. This film is not a copy of his father's style, but it did remind me of the superior Lawrence Kasdan film, Grand Canyon. I think father would be proud.

Carter Webb (Adam Brody) is a softcore porn writer. His famous girlfriend dumps him. He takes a break and goes to Detroit to check on his grandmother (Olympia Dukakis). He befriends the women next door. The mom (Meg Ryan) is suffering from cancer and a cheating husband. The daughter Lucy (Kristen Stewart) is angry at her mom for everything.Young Jon Kasdan is trying to inject poignancy and charm into this manufactured premise. Do people actually write porn? It sounds like a made up thing that LA writers create. And the whole relationship with mother and daughter sounds like another porn plot. Is that the connection? All the dialog have this fake idealism.The thing is I love Meg Ryan's performance when she's with Adam Brody. Kristen Stewart is once again her grumpy profound teen. She rambles through all that emo dialog. The dialog can really go from wonky childishness to fresh insightfulness.