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FILM
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Hollywood and the hills
hat old Hollywood joke that actors all day
politics of enter
dream of directing is a cliché, but it’s less fre
ing a community
quently mentioned that actors do seem to
and recording its
make good directors. Films in recent years by
culture—seems
Robert Duvall (The Apostle), Jodie Foster (Home
fascinating and
for the Holidays), Sean Penn (The Pledge) and Liv
valid. The music
Ullmann (Faithless), all of whom made their
is impeccably
by C hristopher M c Q uain
names as actors, have been rather well received.
researched;
So one goes into The Anniversary Party, the
incidentally and passing with little comment.)
teaches school. She intends
Greenwald obvi
new film co-written and co-directed by (and
The Anniversary Party takes much longer to
to pursue her project of col
ously has spent
starring!) Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cum
lecting, transcribing and
lose interest in its tiresome detours than the
time with the
ming, optimistically assuming the direction at
audience undoubtedly will. This is a shame,
recording the indigenous
Smithsonian
least will showcase the well-aimed spontaneity
because in the final hour, when it finally focus
music of mountain people.
American Anthol
and inventiveness that both actors usually
es on dissecting the relationships between the
But things don’t go exact
ogy of Folk Music.
manifest in front of the camera. It’s a letdown,
couple and the more integral guests, confes
ly as Lily planned. She has
But she seems
then, that the first third of the movie contains
trouble getting her research
to lose all re
sions are made, wounds are opened, and the
exactly the indulgences one prejudicially would
straint when it
film dives exhilaratingly from its oblivious
subjects—poor people who
expect of a movie made by actors.
comes to the
ozone to plumb some rare emotional depths.
have not had good experi
Leigh and Cumming team up to throw quite
trite love-inter
The story takes place on one fateful evening
ences
at
the
hands
of
the
Watching Joe and Sally evolve from a flip
a party
est story line
when Sally and Joe (Leigh and Cumming), in
pant, irritating pair of showbiz superficialities
learned and privileged—to
celebration of the surprising longevity of their
involving Tom Bledsoe (Aidan Quinn), a local
into a real couple with shattering insecurities, a
trust her, and she discovers, to her horror, that
man
who plays guitar and causes Lily, entirely
troubled marriage, throw themselves a sixth
scarred past, terrible secrets and a tender, frag
Elna’s female roommate is actually her lover.
out of character, to swoon. These sequences, a
anniversary party at their exclusive hilltop home
Lily condemns her sister and remains aloof
ile bond is authentically moving. The Anniver
constant distraction from the more worthy
outside Los Angeles. The setting is ripe for expos sary Party is deeply flawed by its scattershot ini from the community; with everyone well alien
parts of the story, display an unbecoming senti
itory anecdotes and confessions from the couple
ated,
she
realizes
she
must
learn
new
ways
of
tial setup, but its end stretch is almost extraor
mentality, contradicting and undermining the
perceiving and communicating with her fellow
and their guests; the problem is, at least half of
dinary enough to redeem it.
human beings. However, even as she makes
film’s stoic dignity.
the attendees (high-powered Hollyw<xxi industry
Although The Anniversary Party bests Song-
headway
in
her
research
and
repairing
her
rela
characters played by Leigh and Cumming’s
ane Adams, a fine character actor and one
catcher by virtue of its almost-successful uncon
tionship with her sister, religious fundamental
famous actor friends) are frankly extraneous.
of the more poorly utilized acting talents in
ventionality and emotional power, they both
ists interfere, leading to a tragedy that destroys
It seems that in this case, the casting/writ-
The Anniversary Party, also has a prominent
must be called interesting failures. Neither is a
her sister’s happy home and ruins Lily’s
ing eyes were bigger than the production stom
supporting role in Songcatcher, written and
waste of time, but be forewarned: The former is
research.
ach, and as the guests arrive and begin to min
directed by Maggie Greenwald.
like having the unfunniest bits of LA. Story
To Greenwald’s credit, she avoids patroniz
gle, some of the performers are required to
Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds) stars as the
spliced
into a Bergman film, and the latter is
ing any of her characters; even the fire-and-
film’s protagonist, Dr. Lily Penleric. She is a
enact seemingly interminable scenes of point
like catching Willa Cather cribbing from a
brimstone fundamentalists aren’t painted with
musicologist at the turn of the century who,
less, belabored quirkiness. (Joe’s bisexuality—
supermarket romance paperback. JF1
too broad a brush, and the lesbian story line in
one of the guests is his well-wishing ex
feeling forced to leave a prestigious college
particular is handled with a remarkable degree
boyfriend—is, happily for the film’s queer audi
after being passed over for a promotion because
C hristopher M c Q uain is a Portland writer and
she’s a woman, moves to a tiny Appalachian
of understanding and subtlety.
ence, not a mere quirk but simply an accept
tireless observer of pop culture.
The film’s real subject—the ethics and social
able part of Joe and Sally’s history, coming up
community where her sister Etna (Adams)
T
Queer-positive films The Anniversary Party
and Songcatcher are mixed bags
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