‘Unforgettable’ Review: Katherine Heigl Proves She Can Be
Very Good At Playing Very Bad
Very Good At Playing Very Bad
In the spirit of Fatal Attraction, Sleeping With The Enemy
and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (and their endless imitators) comes yet
another predictable variation in the form of the suspense thriller Unforgettable.
The title alone is obvious catnip for critics, and it would just be too easy to
take the Un away, but quite frankly I am not sure what the title has to do with
this movie anyway. So yes, the premise is not exactly memorable, but what the
movie does have going for it, surprisingly, is a real corker of an icy villain
portrayed by Katherine Heigl.
and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (and their endless imitators) comes yet
another predictable variation in the form of the suspense thriller Unforgettable.
The title alone is obvious catnip for critics, and it would just be too easy to
take the Un away, but quite frankly I am not sure what the title has to do with
this movie anyway. So yes, the premise is not exactly memorable, but what the
movie does have going for it, surprisingly, is a real corker of an icy villain
portrayed by Katherine Heigl.
As I say in my video review above, getting her inner bitch
out is just what the doctor ordered for this undeniably talented star’s uneven
career. As Tessa, the ex-wife of David (a very soap opera-ish looking Geoff
Stults), her checkered-past mental problems come to the foreground as she sets
out to manipulate and make life miserable for his new fiance, Julia (Rosario
Dawson), when she moves into the nice upper-class neighborhood where David and
daughter Lily (Isabella Kai Rice) live (at least when Lily is not with mom).
The fact that Julia has her own troubled past is ripe for Tessa’s dirty work it
turns out.
out is just what the doctor ordered for this undeniably talented star’s uneven
career. As Tessa, the ex-wife of David (a very soap opera-ish looking Geoff
Stults), her checkered-past mental problems come to the foreground as she sets
out to manipulate and make life miserable for his new fiance, Julia (Rosario
Dawson), when she moves into the nice upper-class neighborhood where David and
daughter Lily (Isabella Kai Rice) live (at least when Lily is not with mom).
The fact that Julia has her own troubled past is ripe for Tessa’s dirty work it
turns out.
Actually, the film opens six months later, with a battered
Julia being interrogated as the only suspect in the murder of her abusive
ex-boyfriend Michael (Simon Kassianides), but she could not be more confused as
to how all those signs point to her. Flashback to her idyllic relationship with
David and Lily, which becomes increasingly difficult as Tessa (responsible for
her divorce in the first place due to an affair) sets her up to fail in every
way, especially when it comes to Lily. The creation of a fake Facebook account
leading to the re-emergence of that abusive boyfriend is just one of her
devious methods, but I don’t want to give away a lot of detail except to say
you can pretty much bet the farm that ultimately the catfight of all catfights
is probably going to come to a boil.
Julia being interrogated as the only suspect in the murder of her abusive
ex-boyfriend Michael (Simon Kassianides), but she could not be more confused as
to how all those signs point to her. Flashback to her idyllic relationship with
David and Lily, which becomes increasingly difficult as Tessa (responsible for
her divorce in the first place due to an affair) sets her up to fail in every
way, especially when it comes to Lily. The creation of a fake Facebook account
leading to the re-emergence of that abusive boyfriend is just one of her
devious methods, but I don’t want to give away a lot of detail except to say
you can pretty much bet the farm that ultimately the catfight of all catfights
is probably going to come to a boil.
This is a female-driven picture in every way as the men are
used as basic props, but refreshingly it doesn’t paint Dawson’s Julia as a
helpless victim even though essentially this is a woman who has been victimized
twice. That said, it is still Heigl, with blond hair straightened to an inch of
its life, that steals the show here. As a woman who seems to have not one of those
hairs or anything else out of place in her ordered life, her own vulnerability
is allowed to show through in scenes with her even more domineering mother (a
perfectly cast Cheryl Ladd). You almost understand what made Tessa the way she
is in those moments, but still it is hard to work up sympathy for someone as
calculating as all of this.
used as basic props, but refreshingly it doesn’t paint Dawson’s Julia as a
helpless victim even though essentially this is a woman who has been victimized
twice. That said, it is still Heigl, with blond hair straightened to an inch of
its life, that steals the show here. As a woman who seems to have not one of those
hairs or anything else out of place in her ordered life, her own vulnerability
is allowed to show through in scenes with her even more domineering mother (a
perfectly cast Cheryl Ladd). You almost understand what made Tessa the way she
is in those moments, but still it is hard to work up sympathy for someone as
calculating as all of this.
Top-notch producer Denise Di Novi makes an effective
directorial debut with Christina Hodson and David Johnson’s script — they have
taken a familiar genre and given it girl power. For its intended audience that
should be more than enough to justify a couple of hours of fun, if (OK,
forgettable), movie entertainment. And oh my, that Heigl is something to see.
directorial debut with Christina Hodson and David Johnson’s script — they have
taken a familiar genre and given it girl power. For its intended audience that
should be more than enough to justify a couple of hours of fun, if (OK,
forgettable), movie entertainment. And oh my, that Heigl is something to see.
Alison Greenspan and Ravi D. Mehta join Di Novi as producers.
Warner Bros releases it today.
Warner Bros releases it today.
Do you plan to see Unforgettable? Let us know what you
think.
think.
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promise, regal cinema, gifted, going in style
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