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“Laurel Canyon” is an interesting character study showcasing the clash in lifestyles between New England Ivy League intellectuals and the free living artists of the West coast. There are several solid performances but the film’s weak ending makes the film less satisfying than it otherwise might have been.
The film features Christian Bale and Francis McDormand at the top of their game. Bale gave one of the greatest performances of the last 20 years as Patrick Bateman in “American Psycho”. He has struggled to find material that is up to that level since then.
McDormand is best know for her Oscar winning portrayal of Marge Gunderson in "Fargo" and her effective parental presence in “Almost Famous”. In nearly all of her roles, McDormand embodies an multifaceted, living, breathing person and, like De Niro, she easily and effectively plays radically different roles.
In “Canyon” she plays Jane, a successful record producer in her 40’s, who owns a house in the hills of Laurel Canyon and another one in Malibu. A sexual free spirit from her early days, she is currently producing an album with a promising British rock singer named Ian (Alessandro Nivola) who is 20 years younger and her lover.
Jane has a son around Ian's age, named Sam (Christian Bale), who is the product of an early and fleeting relationship. Sam is the opposite of his mother, preferring the academic structure of Harvard Medical School, where he has found a beautiful fiancee named Alex (Kate Beckinsale).
They come to Los Angeles from the East Coast so that Sam can begin his residency at a mental hospital, while Alex finishes her dissertation on the reproductive habits of fruit flies. The plan is to live in the Laurel Canyon house while Jane is at her Malibu pad. But Jane has given the Malibu house to her ex-lover and is still in the Hollywood home working to complete her new boyfriend's album.
Sam and Alex begin to drift apart as each is slowly drawn into Southern California’s seductive web of debauchery. Each is accosted by beautiful people as if they were contestants on “Temptation Island”. Sam meets an attractive fellow resident (Natascha McElhone) at the hospital that tests his commitment to Sara. Without Sam around, Alex faces the difficult choice of whether to sit in her room by herself all day and finish her dissertation or party and hang out with rock stars.
Inevitably she becomes so fascinated by Ian that she abandons her studies and embarks on a course of wild behavior that leads to a menage à trois and tests the very foundations of her relationship with Sam.
Bale plays Sam with convincing emotional injury while struggling against temptation, providing the sympathetic protagonist we cling to, and leaving us with a desire to see more of this actor's dramatic fury that was showcased in “American Psycho”.
The Brit-flavored, alt-rock soundtrack feels authentic and gives the film a musical feel that is rich in color and visually sensual. Sexual tension is everywhere, and writer-director Lisa Cholodenko uses it to underscore the idea that art and artists fill deep voids in the world as well as being fun to be around. "Laurel Canyon" doesn't explore the dark and dangerous side of indulgence, instead preferring to be more joyous in its depiction of the creative process.
The second act seems slow and drawn out which is ok in and of itself, but it makes the ending seemed a bit rushed. Cholodenko is clearly talented but it seems as though she's afraid to push harder. The addition of more conflict and dramatic tension would have added a lot to the story. The film doesn’t really end, so much as it stops. The un-satisfying ending lets down an otherwise entertaining and witty drama.
“Laurel Canyon” is definitely worth taking a look at despite whatever shortcomings it has in it’s pacing and ending. It’s atmosphere and performances make it an intriguing cinematic ride. Solid B. |
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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