Peter Jackson's new story of a murdered preteen girl who is looking in on her family from somewhere in between heaven and earth is both disturbing and sad. Based on the book by Alice Sebold, the story of Susie Salmon and her life after death takes you on a journey that you may not want to go on, one that taints an otherwise innocent time. Set against a suburban 1970s background, Susie is a normal 14-year-old high school freshman. On her way home from school one day she falls victim to a child killer who is living quietly among the neighborhood. Susie, now dead, finds herself in the in-between, a place somewhere between heaven and earth, where she looks in on both her family and her killer. All the while Suzy's family is falling apart as they try to cope with the loss of their daughter and sister. Her sister who may just be Mr. Harvey’s next victim, her little brother, her father,(Mark Wahlberg), who desperately wants to bring the killer to justice, her mother, played by Rachel Weisz, who just wants to get away, and her grandmother, played hysterically by Susan Sarandon, who comes to help and is never more than arms length away from a bottle wine. Susie must decide what's more important whether to bring her killer to justice and save his future victims, or to move on to the next step after death and bring closure and peace to her family.
I don't know how I can start this review without mentioning Stanley Tucci. In my opinion the entire story hinges on the believability of the killer and Tucci knocks it out of the park. He’s both creepy and realistic with a speech impediment to put him right over the edge. The ingredients really came together for his character between his acting and the wardrobe he was given complete with wispy comb-over and Chester the molester mustache, you get chills every time he's on screen and not the good kind. Mark Wahlberg actually delivers a decent performance this time as the obsessed father. I've always found his dramatic acting to be lacking and think he should always stick to action movies, however, I didn't find his performance here laughable. The other standout star of the film is Susan Sarandon who delivers a hilarious and much-needed kick of humor into this otherwise dark film. Her portrayal of the pill popping alcoholic grandmother is spot on and really what the family needs to bring some levity and normalcy, strange as that sounds. Now it wouldn't be a Peter Jackson movie without some amazing effects, and while they are not mind blowing, the visuals of the in-between, where Susie spends most of the film, are pretty striking. Like something out of abstract painting the world in between is made a sight to see. Unfortunately, this flick didn't pan out to be the epic that it was hyped to be. Don't get me wrong the story is solid and the movie is enjoyable but it's far from amazing. I almost would go so far as to say it's forgettable, to be honest the only thing that stuck in my head was the shudder I got from seeing Stanley Tucci as Mr. Harvey the child killer. Rachel Weisz is all but wasted save for a few emotional scenes, and Michael Imperioli pretty much phones it in as the lead detective in the murder case, which is unfortunate considering his lack of work these days, I always liked the kid. I will say that one of the things this movie does best in show you the innocence lost in today's world. While the film does show you horrible things happening in the 1970s, you can tell that these were the exception rather than the rule. Hell, today you can’t let your kids outside to ride their bikes for fear of the 10 Mr. Harvey's probably lurking in your neighborhood. Lastly I will say that although there wasn't a ton of stuff for her to do Saorise Roan does impress in her debut as Susie Salmon. It was quite a difficult role to play in she did it well.
I wouldn't go so far as to say skip ‘The Lovely Bones’completely, especially if you've been looking forward to it, I just wouldn't see it in theaters. It's not that I dislike the movie it's just that I didn't really like the movie. I know that sounds like a cop-out, or at best indecisive but this was just one of those movies that doesn't make you feel either way. The visuals were impressive, the cast was for the most part pretty damn good, and the story was more than adequate but even with all this there is something about ‘The Lovely Bones’ that just didn't blow me away. I honestly think that unless you've read the book and her huge fan of the story, that this one should stay reserved for the rental column.
