A Map Of The World

"Good"

A Map Of The World Review


What American Beauty did for the suburbs, A Map of the World aims to do for the farm life.

I said "aims," of course. A Map of the World is deeply flawed yet still worth a look, especially if you're into grandiose, weepy, self-important dramas. And hey, who isn't?

Obviously based on an Oprah-class novel, A Map of the World is the story of Alice Goodwin (Weaver), a put-upon school nurse who lives on a Wisconsin farm as part of an "experiment" by her rather oblivious husband Howard (Straitharn). Right with the voice over at the film's beginning, it's clear that Alice is going to have some Bad Times ahead, and within 20 minutes, said Times are upon us.

Alice is so frazzled she can't even keep an eye on the neighbors' precious daughter, who wanders off about 200 yards to the pond and promptly drowns. Hair tearing and chest beating ensues, and Alice's mindset only gets worse. Then the kicker: A real bitch of a woman (Sevigny) accuses Alice of abusing her son, a student at the school where Alice works. Go to jail, Alice. Courtroom drama follows.

As a story, A Map of the World is all over the map (no pun intended) -- from marital troubles between Alice and Howard to in-law problems (Fletcher playing Howard's doting mother) to legal mumbo-jumbo to a bizarre and out of place stretch with Alice doing time in jail during her trial. The whole notion of jail as a metaphor for Alice's mental healing (you know, a personal prison for dealing with her anguish over the death of the neighbor child?) is unbelievably over-the-top and just comes off as phony.

In fact, very little of this holds together as a narrative, and at 127 minutes, so much of this is extraneous padding that the film positively crawls. Even worse is Weaver's character (not necessarily Weaver herself, mind you). Alice is so selfish, melodramatic, and just plain dumb that the character hurts the film. Contrary to speculation, there will be no Oscar nod for Weaver this year.

Still, there's something to like. Most notable is Julianne Moore as the too-perfect neighbor whose daughter dies. Her character grows more than the rest of the cast combined, and her heartfelt performance makes up for a lot of the rest of this World. Still, the film can't ride on her surprisingly small role alone, so unless this all sounds like your idea of a great way to spend an evening, you'll probably want to pass.

World weary.



A Map Of The World

Facts and Figures

Run time: 125 mins

In Theaters: Friday 21st January 2000

Production compaines: Overseas FilmGroup, Cineventa, First Look International, The Kennedy/Marshall Company

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 3 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Fresh: 36 Rotten: 19

IMDB: 6.6 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director:

Starring: as Alice Goodwin, as Howard Goodwin, as Theresa Collins, as Carole Mackessy, as Debbie, as Robbie Mackessy, as Dan Collins, Hayley Lochner as Audrey Collins, as Nellie Goodwin, as Paul Reverdy, as Dyshett, as Sherry, Bruklin Harris as Lynelle

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews