DVD Charms for the Easy Life
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Review(s): DVD Charms for the Easy Life | |
| Fascinating character study. |  |
This film surprised me in a lot of ways. The title makes it sound "fluffy" but there's a lot of punch in the story.It's about 3 strong-willed women as they live their lives and interact with each other and the world around them. The grandmother, Charlie Kate (Gena Rowlands) is the pivot of the story. She's tough but not uncaring. She knows who she is and what she wants from life. Her daughter, Sophia (Mimi Rogers), is also strong but in a different way. Margaret (Susan May Pratt) is the granddaughter, who blends the best of her grandmother and mother. There's a lot of humor in the film and a fair amount of pathos as well but it's neither a comedy nor depressing. There is a lot to admire in all 3 women and how they respond to each other and live their lives.
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This is a beautiful film about strong people and strong women living their lives how they so choose. This film made me laugh and it made me cry. Watching people enjoy the simple but beautiful pleasures of life is refreshing. These characters never seem too busy to miss the beauty of the world. Whenever I get caught up in life and start to think it is too difficult to stand, films like this make me realize how to make lemons into lemonade. This is a beautiful film that promotes the feminine spirit, love, and the desire to follow one's heart in order to become truly happy in ones life. However, this film goes beyond simple mind candy to waste the afternoon with. It left me inspired about the wonders of life.
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I stumbled across this film on a Saturday while surfing our movie channels. I was immediately interested when I saw that it was a period piece and that Gena Rowlands was in it. She has done a lot of movies lately where she is a great mom or grandmother (Hope Floats, Something to Talk About, etc.). The movie is set in the south in the early 1940's. Its a story about three strong women - Charlie Kate Birch (Rowlands), her daughter Sophia (Mimi Rogers) and her granddaughter Margaret (Susan May Pratt) and their experiences in their small town. Charlie Kate is a healer/midwife/herbalist. She is extremely independent, and a staunch feminist. She is not afraid to stand up for what is right in her opinion, which can cause problems in town from time to time, and embarrass her daughter, who is much more conservative. Charlie Kate spends most of her time helping people in the community, and her granddaughter is eager to immitate and learn from her. While she is out helping her grandmother, Margaret is asked to help wounded soldiers read and write letters. As a result of this experience she meets a young man and falls in love. I found Charlie Kate and Margaret to be the most relatable and interesting people in the film. Sophia seems to be desperate for a relationship, and petulant and demanding when it doesn't go the way she wants. But in Mimi Rogers defense, I get the impression that this is how the character is (obviously I haven't read the book). Gene Rowlands does not disappoint in this film. I had never seen Susan May Pratt in a film before, but I enjoyed her performance immensely. Her smile lights up the screen, and the natural curiosity of her character is infectious. Overall I thought this film was beautiful and enjoyable.
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