Laurie’s Reel Thing Chick Flick Review: "Notes on a Scandal"
The other afternoon, my pal Ellen (one of my main chick flick companions) and I caught a showing of “Notes on a Scandal.”Whoa. Talk about tension. This movie had me from the get-go – and then it just didn’t let go. All right, in the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t technically see the first seven-and-a-half minutes of it because by mistake I first went to our usual (and in this case, wrong) theater (you know, the one with the free parking) but Ellen did an admirable job of quickly whispering me up to speed.
“Notes” is not fluffy, romantic comedy fare (not that there’s anything wrong with that; I'll give up snaps for a good “Legally Blonde”-type flick any day). It is definitely on the dark side. But boy, talk about wicked fun. Right from the start (okay, right from the time I came in late), I was HOOKED. The whole thing is just so perfectly suspenseful and creepy. Another of my friends called it disturbing and hard to watch, which yes, it can be – there’s a teacher/student liason, an unrequited lesbian love thing, and some major stalking going on – but personally, I was totally engrossed. I am not going to ruin it here for you, but basically the Cate Blanchette character is being emotionally blackmailed by the Judi Dench character (and for the record, they both SO deserve their Oscar nominations; their performances are brilliant). Judi knows a secret about Cate that could cause her whole life to implode – or as the movie ads say, “One person’s mistake is another’s opportunity.”
The whole fragile alliance unravels after a classic mom dilemma scene. Cate’s in the car with her family rushing to see her son’s play and Judi appears and begs her to accompany her instead to the vet, to help her deal with her beloved cat being put to sleep. You can see Cate-as-mummy really struggling here, but you just know she has no choice. Apparently Judi's character didn't get the memo: the cute child always trumps the whacked out blackmailer, no matter how juicy the goods she has on mumsy.
So tell me: if you’ve seen “Notes,” whaddya think? (And, if you haven’t, GO!)
PS: Ellen and I both agreed that our particular other halves would’ve hated “Notes,” but I can definitely see where some guys would like it. Your call; you know your own significant other better than moi.
Comments
WOW, after that Mommy movie, I think you need to lighten it up ie:Because I Said So!!!!!!?
I agree with you about this movie; it is definitely "on the dark side and wicked fun." I really enjoyed watching Cate and Judi acting on the same screen.
Another school-marm movie not to miss is "Freedom Writers". At least in this one, Hilary Swank (who played real-life teacher Erin Gruwell) used only WRITING to help students change themselves and the world around them!
