Welcome to July! I hope you all had a wonderful month celebrating PRIDE. As we move into the new month I’ll be diving into the films of 1995, officially marking the beginning of the second half of a great decade of films. To celebrate America as we inch closer to the 4th of July, I’ll be talking about a film that highlights an American quality that has only gotten larger since the initial release of today’s film…blind ambition backed by minimal talent and the quest for unearned fame.
From the moment she stares into the camera, locks eyes with us, and with professional poise begins to describe the murder of her beloved husband, Suzanne Stone, played by Nicole Kidman, does everything she can to get us on her side. It’s important that she addresses the camera directly instead of another actual human, because for her, the camera is more important than a living, breathing soul will ever be. She’ll have that personal connection with others when it absolutely suits her, like when she needs the security of a husband and a home, but when it comes to her career, it’s the potential viewer that matters most.
And the more she talks, which she does at length, you begin to realize that while she wholeheartedly believes every word that slips from her television worthy mouth, she doesn’t understand a syllable of it. The details can easily be shared but not expanded upon, but that doesn’t matter because her lovely face is ready to make the sale.
In 1995, when Buck Henry (writer) and Gus Van Sant (director) adapted Joyce Maynard’s book, we hadn’t yet as a society begun to scratch the surface of what would become “reality television.” Story still mattered. Character still mattered. Talent still mattered. Or so the newscasters of our nation hoped we’d believe. While the fairness doctrine had been absolved by Reagan, we had yet to fully dive into the shallow pool of “news entertainment.” Suzanne Stone would’ve been a star if only she hadn’t wanted to kill her husband.
Today this type of story would be all over HBO or Netflix as an original docuseries or perhaps an award winning podcast. But in the aftermath of Joey Buttafuoco and Lorena Bobbitt, where spurned lovers turned to bodily harm as a means to an end, Suzanne Stone seducing her poor, uneducated students, to do the dirty work for her absolutely fit the bill. But instead of being the next Dianne Sawyer or Barbara Walters, she’d likely be an anchor on Fox and Friends or probably attempting to scam us all with a MLM scheme that involves crystals, dietary supplements, and some sort of self help. Can you imagine her with access to YouTube?
Assisting Kidman with the tale are a wide variety of talents. As her charming and clueless but devoted husband Larry, Matt Dillon turns in an excellent performance, reteaming with Van Sant after their fantastic film Drugstore Cowboy. But perhaps most impressive are the talents of her students, who Suzanne cannot help but exploit. As the dim and troubled trio, Casey Affleck, Alison Folland, and Joaquin Phoenix are exceptional, showcasing their naivete yet desire to fit in with anyone willing to believe in them. Add in the always lovely Illeana Douglas, Maria Tucci, and Dan Hedaya as Suzanne’s in-laws who decide to take matters into their own hands and you have a wonderful black comedy that delivers on all fronts.
We should’ve taken the film as a warning instead of entertainment though.
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
