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Product Description
Amy Adams and Ben McKenzie light up the screen in this comedy about love, family, ambition, and the choices that come with each. When worldly art dealer Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) meets her new Southern in-laws, she finds herself questioning the things s
Amazon.com
Junebug spotlights some big fat culture clashes--small town vs. city ways, art-world bohemian vs. church-going folk--yet social commentary never overwhelms a delightful, emotionally rich portrait of family life. When Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz, Schindler's List), a chic art gallery owner from Chicago, meets with an outsider artist in North Carolina she's eager to represent, she and her new husband George (Alessandro Nivola, Laurel Canyon) take a side trip to visit George's family. The visit sends everyone spinning: George's mother (Celia Weston, The Village) doubts the suitability of the marriage; his brother Johnny (Ben McKenzie, The O. C.) quietly seethes at being overshadowed again by his older sibling; and Johnny's very pregnant wife Ashley (Amy Adams, Catch Me If You Can) fixates on Madeleine, seeking in her a companionship that she can't find in her normal life. Junebug's unexpected rhythms slowly and subtly tease out the past; few movies are as eloquent about the mysteries of family--the hidden rules and resentments, the shifting alliances, the emotional pushes and pulls. Adams' justly praised performance lights up every scene she's in, flowing from comic to heartrending without missing a beat, but the rest of the cast delivers complex and mesmerizing character portraits as well. Junebug will resonate with you long after it's over. --Bret Fetzer
Junebug Reviews
Junebug Reviews
| 69 of 80 people found the following review helpful  Roots, By These are a couple of the themes working/being investigated in Phil Morrison's "Junebug." Embeth Davidtz (painfully thin but beautiful) as Chicago art gallery owner, Madeline and Allesandro Nivola (in a rare turn as a good guy) as George arrive in North Carolina, George's home, to try and sign on as a client, an "outsider" artist David Wark (Frank Hoyt Taylor). And since Wark lives a half hour away from George's family, they also decide to give them a visit, which may or may not be a mistake as George has written a memoir about his North Carolina home that is felt to be unflattering to both his family and their neighbors; though George's intention was quite the opposite. Mother (Celia Weston in a wise but world-weary performance), Father (Scott... Read more 17 of 19 people found the following review helpful "Where would I be if I was a screwdriver?", By This review is from: Junebug (DVD) The story opens in Chicago, where ultra-chic gallery owner Madeline (Embeth Davidtz) has just discovered a primitive painter she wants to represent. She and her husband George (Alessandro Nivola) drive down to North Carolina to meet him and then stay with George's family who live nearby. In that house, Mom runs the show, Dad is invisible to everyone, and son Johnny is mad at the world in general and at his very pregnant wife Ashley (Amy Adams) in particular.This slice-of-life story takes us into the everyday life of the Johnsten family as seen through the eyes of an outsider. Madeline is the fish-out-of-water in Bible-belt country; the most important thing in life to her is her gallery, but slowly her priorities change. Embeth Davidtz makes a lovely Madeline and Amy Adams easily steals all of her scenes as the sweet and silly Ashley. George's character isn't developed, perhaps to leave more time to get to know his family. They do come across as real people and we... Read more 17 of 20 people found the following review helpful Refreshingly unadorned, honest filmmaking, By This review is from: Junebug (DVD) I was a little wary of this film going in. Any film that basically sends a Yankee woman down South can easily turn in to something that ridicules Southerners - and not only did this film take place in the South, it came right here to my own Tar Heel backyard. Starting things off with some footage of the state's annual hollerin' contest seemed a bad omen, but - much to my delight (and relief) - I found nothing to really complain about here. Sure, there are some stereotypes in the mix - but these are only on the surface (with the exception of the painter character) and Junebug goes far beyond skin deep. It's an unusual film, to say the least. Refreshingly different, this film brings together a wonderful myriad of public and private, deeply personal moments, allowing the actors to truly become their characters rather than having their characters imposed upon them. Some folks won't enjoy this film at all, I'm sure, finding the silent moments others of us find uncommonly compelling... Read more |
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