Hope Gap (2020) starring Annette Bening & Bill Nighy

Written and produced by John Hughes (Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and directed by Howard Deutsch (Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful), The Great Outdoors was sold on the comic pairing of Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. While the film was a minor hit, the talent involved suggested it would have had potential beyond being a hollow moneymaker. However, despite its 1980s charm, it is a stinker with a degree of crassness which can be cringeworthy at times. I remember Siskel & Ebert being pretty brutal when they reviewed this on their show during its original run. I have never seen the Grown Ups films, but I imagine this movie as their progenitor. This also marked the feature film debut of one Miss Annette Bening. Having hit the age of 30 by the time this film released, Bening had trained at ACT, appeared in regional theatre across the country, and eventually made it to Broadway (she got a Tony nomination for Coastal Disturbances). She was a late-bloomer for a Hollywood actress, but she would speed things up right away.

She used her theatrical background and played up her features with makeup to paint a broad portrayal of a thinly written bland wife role to some effect. The camera loved her and she easily stands out in hindsight, which is no small feat sharing scenes with comic legends. It is no surprise that she would ascend quickly to leading lady and critical and industrial success. But, at the end of the day, she was dealing with a thankless role in a terrible movie. Much better things awaited for her ...

Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool

[Bold]Dangerous Liaisons: Take Two[/Bold] With the followup to Milos Forman’s Oscar juggernaut Amadeus, it was clear that the new gal on the block, Annette Bening, was catching everyone’s eye. However, for her second feature film and first leading role, Bening had the misfortune of immediately following Glenn Close’s Marquise de Merteuil and having to contend with comparisons. Dangerous Liaisons, by way of Christopher Hamptom’s adaptation of his own Olivier-award-winning play, was an undisputed financial and critical success just one year before. Valmont (John Malkovich) and Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer) are more romantic figures caught in the middle of tragedy; the blood shed feels much more real and the lives more destroyed and torn to bits. The long take of Close is both memorable and iconic. The stakes were raised so high, her pain and embarrassment is smeared across every inch of her face. Close was Oscar-nominated for her role, and many cinephiles today consider her performance the best of not only the five ladies nominated, but the best of the year. Forman’s Valmont—released one year later—doesn’t deliver (nor intends to) the sting Liaisons achieves in its finale.

The two films aren’t exactly carbon copies of each other, and offer two diverging tones to the same story. Forman’s version is looked upon as a younger, sexier version of Chodelos de Laclos’ French novel by major critics of the time (including Siskel & Ebert), though the reviews were more mixed and the film tanked massively at the box-office in the wake of its predecessor. Were it reconsidered today, I would wager the critics would be kinder without the disadvantage of immediately comparing it to Stephen Fears’ film. Fairuza Balk’s Cecile plays a more substantial role (her part is a fourth lead and weighs more heavily into the plot) and was arguably better than Uma Thurman. Meg Tilly (originally cast in Amadeus) as Tourvel may not have been considered a great beauty on the level of Pfeiffer, but she matches her in earnestness and wholesomeness. Malkovich is quite effective as the sinister Valmont. He is believable as a playful cad, but human enough to fall under the spell of Tourvel’s charms. However, from a purely sexual perspective, most would agree that Colin Firth is the more physically appealing of the two, and embodies a seductive nature greater than that of Malkovich, who comes off as a tad more lecherous. On looks alone, he’s less believable as a man who get anyone he wants.

Close, as mentioned, has that searing finale. However, Bening is still no slouch in her role. Her spirited performance fit perfectly into the lighter atmosphere Forman created. She brought a palpable carnality and youthful vigour to match Firth in her Merteuil. Her performance symbolises that of her character: she’s a woman working as best she can within the constrictions of what she had been given. Her best scene and one that certainly rivals Close’s performance is towards the end when she breaks into tears and falls into the arms of a sympathetic Valmont. After expressing remnants of the deep-rooted love she feels for him, moments later, she turns on a dime and betrays that vulnerability with a harsh revelation, bursting out in laughter. It is superb acting and an early indicator of what the great actress was truly capable of. Obviously, director Fears saw something in Bening (who auditioned for the role of Emilie in his film before she was cast in Valmont), as he would cast her her in a star-making role a few years later.

Jean-Claude Carriere (Luis Buñuel collaborator who also adapted The Unbearable Lightness of Being) wrote the screenplay. Czech costume designer Theodor Pistek (Oscar winner for Amadeus) was nominated for an Academy Award. Filmed in Paris, cinematographer Miroslav Ondrícek lit the sets with the natural candlelight technique he employed in Amadeus.

[Bold]Scene-Stealer[/Bold]

Annette Bening has a cameo in [italic]Postcards from the Edge[/italic] where she steals the scene from right underneath Meryl Streep’s feet. This fictional variation on Carrie Fisher’s life came from the screenplay she wrote based on her novel (the only feature film she has ever written for which she got a BAFTA nomination) and offers Shirley MacLaine and Streep some memorable lines and scene-chewing roles as mother and daughter. [italic]Postcards[/italic] opened at #1 its opening weekend and was a hit. This crowdpleaser is chock full of stars: Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Reiner, CCH Pounder, Oliver Platt, and future star Bening.

I love this film: the various fake-outs throughout the film starting from the very beginning to the closing song. Director Mike Nichols pulls back the curtain, and reveals the behind-the-scenes tricks of filmmaking (thanks in part to [italic]Amadeus’[/italic] Oscar-winning production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein). I also like the stripped down Streep. This was during a comedy stretch where she completed [italic]She-Devil, Postcards, Defending Your Life[/italic], and [italic]Death Becomes Her[/italic] consecutively. She has no affectation or accent to hide behind which had become her bread and butter for the better part of the 1980s. Here, she is asked to play a recovering addict living under the shadow of her mother. The subject matter isn't treated so seriously, so the light atmosphere doesn’t shoot for realism or provide any great struggles. As a result, we get a subdued Streep who has to search between her lines to gently bring her character to life. MacLaine camps it up and is a delight.

Streep’s Suzanne Vale finds herself in a romance with Jack Faulkner (Quaid), who can’t seem to stay committed to one woman. While in conversation with costar Evelyn Ames (Bening) between takes, Vale discovers her paramour’s philandering ways. Evelyn is blasé about his indiscriminate bedroom proclivities. She is just in it for the [Italic]endolphin[/Italic] rush. Bening plays her like a tart who takes life as it comes. She treats romance like a man would and doesn’t have time to give into petty emotions like jealousy. It’s a colourful little turn.

Bening would reunite with director Nichols in [italic]Regarding Henry[/italic] and [italic]What Planet Are You From?[/italic]

Also, if you vote “other,” please feel welcome to list and discuss the performance of Bening’s that is your favourite!

[Center][Bold]The Breakout Role[/Bold][/Center] In his followup to [Italic]Dangerous Liaisons[/Italic], Stephen Frears directed Donald E. Westlake’s adaptation of the Jim Thompson pulp novel about whip-smart con people desperately scraping by on the outskirts of society. Full of lies, manipulation, and violence, we watch in horror how each lost soul individually chases after their piece of cheese as their lives slowly unravel.

Frears assembled one of his best films which showcased the promise he held early on in his career, which has largely given away to less adventurous and exciting material. He manages to create both an anachronistic and timeless Los Angeles which exists on a level entirely its own. He balanced Classic Hollywood with a modern sleekness and throws in such fun devices like spilt-screening. He's clearly having a ball. Elmer Bernstein composed the snappy, swanky score which covers various moods and tempos and was truly one of the most memorable of the year. The supporting cast is excellent including Pat Hingle as a brutal mob boss and Henry Jones as a nosy, clueless concierge who drones on to others with comical effect. While some or many of the grifts seem silly and pedestrian, they carry a certain degree of charm, and that's attributable partly to the confidence and panache in which Frears styles the story. Not a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination, it is still immensely watchable.

Any actress worth her weight in salt would want this film on her resume. Angelica Huston is incredible as the icy Lilly Dillon. In her platinum blonde wig, she conveys a deeply disturbed, calculating woman who is constantly looking over her shoulder. It is as raw in emotion as mainstream cinema gets, all the way down to the guttural moan she bellows followed by heaving sobs in the film’s shocking climax. It’s primal. She’s an animal. It’s a fascinating performance—one of the best of the decade—for which Bening is up to the task of matching at every step. Similar to how she got the less complicated Merteuil to play, her Myra Langtry hasn’t clocked the miles of road which Lilly has put in with age. She’s a virus looking for a host, dressed like a dream. Myra uses her body to get what she needs. She’s a free spirit living life on the edge, always looking out for herself and her future. Bening knows how to turn on the charm, as well as cut someone down with one line. A faux tart with teeth, she doesn’t play Myra as some floozie, but a beautiful, distressed woman who knows she is working on borrowed time She’ll strangle a bitch if she has to. Bening takes her scheming and coquettish Merteuil and infuses it with Gloria Grahame.

She was nominated for an Academy Award, as well as by BAFTA and the Dallas Film Critic Association, and won NSFC. After Oscar night, Whoopi Goldberg took all of her fellow nominees out for lunch. Goldberg had won the Golden Globe in 1985 for playing Celie in [Italic]The Colour Purple[/Italic], but lost to Geraldine Page who the Oscar with her eighth and final nomination, fueled by sympathy. [Italic]Ghost[/Italic] was a huge hit in 1990, and Goldberg delivered a popular and beloved performance as psychic Oda Mae Brown, so the award already had her name written all over it. But, Bening could have easily won in another year.

With 36.6% of about 44 votes collected in this poll so far, Myra Langry is by far the DL’s most favourite performance of Annette Bening.

saw her many yrs ago on the nyc theatre doing Coastal Disturbances.....shocked she became a 'star'...…...why??

But what we really want to know is does Josh get naked and show peen in the movie?

You summoned me r7

[bold]Guilty by Suspicion[/bold] In 1991, Annette Bening was on fire. After getting her first Oscar nomination, she had three films lined up with top tier talent. Unfortunately for her, with a March release date, it was entirely possible that the Hollywood blacklist film [italic]Guilty by Suspicion[/italic] was failed Oscar-bait for 1990 and left in a Spring ditch. She already had [italic]The Grifters[/italic], and Robert De Niro had [italic]Awakenings[/italic] and [italic]Goodfellas[/italic]. It received respectable, if not lacklustre reviews, and was a turkey at the box-office. Paradoxically styled like Elia Kazan, yet inspired by the testimony of Arthur Miller, David Merrill (De Niro) is a Hollywood director used by Irwin Winkler to encapsulate the Catch-22 of the era: wrestling between self-preservation and humanity. The story is an important one, but the virtuous screenplay feels limp and lifeless. George Clooney would have much better success dealing with the impact of McCarthyism fifteen years later when [italic]Good Night, and Good Luck[/italic] came out. Even the poorly reviewed, yet similar [italic]Trumbo[/italic] would fare better just a few years ago.

Gorgeously produced, and filmed all over Los Angeles, Michael Ballhaus (the D.P. for most of Scorsese’s films from [italic]After Hours[/italic] to [italic]The Departed[/italic]) captured the early 1950s in a well lit, hazy, dull brown palette. Leslie Dilley ([italic]Star Wars, Alien, The Abyss[/italic]) created the production design. Bening plays the supportive ex-wife who goes back into teaching when Merrill falls on hard times. The actress offers a warm, encouraging presence, even digs deeper than the film deserves and has an authentic, emotional moment when her husband’s best friend turns against him. Chris Cooper is outstanding in a supporting part. Patricia Wettig has a campy role. Gailard Sartain plays a grandstanding politician who encapsulates the paranoia of the era.

Oscar-winning producer Winkler ([italic]Rocky, Raging Bull, The Right Stuff, Goodfellas[/italic]) made his directorial debut with this bittersweet, yet idealistic homage to one of his industry’s darkest chapters. A lot of the characters are thinly veiled versions of real people, most notably a Roy Cohn knockoff (played by a young Tom Sizemore). [italic]Suspicion[/italic] was part of an initial series of portrayals of the infamous man; just a year before, [italic]Angels in America[italic] had begun workshopping at the Mark Taper Forum.

[bold]Regarding Henry[/bold]

Harrison Ford is one of the most successful actors of his generation. But, he was not quite one of those actors who opened films like gangbusters on his name only in the early 1990s. And, he wasn’t one of the most critically respected either. That isn’t to diminish what he had to offer. Obviously, he had rugged good looks, charm, and swagger that he employed effectively into various hero archetypes and audiences loved him. His associations with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola paid off richly. And you could quite easily plug him into a preordained hit like [italic]Presumed Innocent[/italic]. He wasn’t, however, a Tom Hanks or even Michael Douglas for a spell. He used his capital to stretch himself in films like [italic]Blade Runner[/italic] and [italic]Witness[/italic]. But nothing made him stand out as “an actor.” That’s what [italic]Regarding Henry[/italic] was supposed to do.

Hollywood was exploring the elite’s crisis of conscience during the Reagan/Bush years. There were a lot of films about white men at the top confronting the social moralities of money. Ford plays Henry Turner, a high-powered Manhattan attorney who protects his corporate interests and leads a glitzy, yet shallow life. That all changes when he is shot in the heart and head during a random robbery. No mention of the bullet towards his heart. But, the shot in the brain hit the part that “if you’re going to get shot in the head, that’s the way to do it.” Ford re-teamed with his [italic]Working Girl[/italic] director Mike Nichols to play a superficial man who must learn to talk, move, and tie his shoes again whilst also becoming a better husband and father in the process.

By the end, Henry and his wife (Annette Bening) eventually grow accustomed to a more humble lifestyle, but they never have to contend with any major economic impact. Henry’s firm retains his services despite his compromised functioning. They keep their maid in their fancy high-rise digs. There is no acknowledgement of his town-car health-plan complete with a magical negro physical therapist. There is even an absurd moment of hijinks when Henry gets lost and manages to buy an ice cream cone followed by a puppy without even re-learning the concept of money and exchange for goods. The screenplay—[italic]Awakenings[/italic] by way of [italic]Wall Street[/italic]—was written by a young and up-and-coming writer-director who would later change his name to J.J. Abrams. Nichols can only offer the light dramatics one would expect from him at that point in his career. Ford just couldn’t nail a role which asked too much of him. Neither of them had the gravitas to pull this off.

[italic]Henry[/italic] would be one of a couple films where Bening, in her early 30s, would play the love interest of a guy pushing 50, if not already there. It would be a retread of [italic]Guilty by Suspicion[/italic] where she played another supportive wife figure. This time, she’s a socialite who helps the husband keep up social appearances, and then has to assume the burden of witnessing his rehabilitation and a minor scene of public shaming. She goes through the same motions, but the material just isn’t there to help her shine.

The film didn’t land with critics either, but audiences were a little more receptive to the banality. It grossed $43M.

[quote]After Oscar night, Whoopi Goldberg took all of her fellow nominees out for lunch.

That's strangely sweet and kind. I wonder if Diane Ladd accepted the invitation. She seemed pissed off that she had lost to Goldberg.

Barry Levinson, riding high off of [italic]Rain Man[/italic], followed up [italic]Avalon[/italic] with [italic]Bugsy[/italic]. The high-profile Hollywood version of Benny “Bugsy” (“Don’t call him that”) Siegel details his affair with Virginia Hill and a chapter in the Las Vegas origins story. A passion project for Warren Beatty, he would get to play this role, as well as another high on his list, Howard Hughes, decades later, in [italic]Rules Don’t Apply[/italic]. Beatty cast Annette Bening based on her audition for Tess Truehart in [italic]Dick Tracy[/italic], and immediately fell in love with her. The film in part plays like a valentine from Siegel to Hill, as well as from Beatty to Bening. And, as positioned in the film, Beatty wanted to make it clear to audiences that his wife-to-be was a leading lady star.

The film tries to balance Siegel’s professional, domestic, and extramarital life. Consequently, it is a drama, romance, and, at times, a screwball comedy. Screenwriter James Toback wrote one effortless zinger after another like, “Why don’t you go outside and jerk yourself a soda” and “Why don’t you suck your apology out of my dick,” but Levinson never settles on one genre. Beatty, nor Levinson, can navigate the balance, especially compared to fellow BP nominee [italic]The Silence of the Lambs[/italic] (the psychological thriller seamlessly slid in and out of high camp). But, the film is gorgeous to look at and exceptionally made. At the centre of it all is the combustible chemistry between the two leads. Beatty, in his early 50s, is still the looker. Bening looks simply smashing. Siegel is a vain and insanely jealous man who is also a short-fused and disturbed psychopath. Beatty gets there at times, but often tries too hard. It’s an interesting, sometimes ridiculous performance, for which Levinson can’t always reign in and nurture. Beatty was just not right for the role, as he’s not an intimidating enough of an actor. He was always more of a lover, a matinee idol. The oft-delivered “twenty dwarves” line demonstrates how Beatty falls short of capturing Siegel’s psyche.

Bening fares much better with her smouldering turn. Hill is attracted to Siegel here in large part because she is a loose cannon herself. She is fascinated by his power and temperament, but also terrified. Unlike with [italic]Guilty by Suspicion[/italic] and [italic]Regarding Henry[/italic], Bening has a role that doesn’t domesticate her. She creates a tough, smokey broad to the full hilt, while managing the comedy with the pathos of the film and the sultriness of Hill. She’s lit and lensed like never really before or since. The camera just eats her up. Cinematographer Allen Daviau ([italic]E.T., The Colour Purple[/italic]), who died a few weeks ago, delivered on mid-1940s old Hollywood glamour. Albert Wolsky ([italic]All That Jazz[/italic]) won an Oscar for costume design. Dennis Gasner, who was double-nominated ([italic]Barton Fink[/italic]), won for production design. Wendy Phillips is wonderful as Siegel’s mistreated wife Esta.

The critics were kind and helped this film’s success with both award bodies and audiences. Except when it came to the big ceremony, Bening was left out. Clarice Starling, Thelma, and Louise took up the lion’s share of critical citations that year. With a nomination from the Globes and Chicago critics for her performance, and the film’s supporting actors getting nominations for non-flashy roles helping the film’s tally to ten, Bening quite possibly got edged out of a nomination by Bette Midler or Laura Dern (who, surprisingly, missed an IFA nod). The performance itself has aged quite well, as IMDb-certified retrospective awards recognise Bening and the production values and not much else.

At the Oscar ceremony, Bening was in attendance and handed the production design team of Gassner and Nancy Haigh Oscars for their work, less than three months after giving birth to her first child. She spent the rest of the year and the first half of 1993 at home with her new family.

Bening, although a decent actress, owes much of her career to her expert social climbing skills that ended up in her becoming Mrs. Warren Beatty rather than just another Hollywood one night stand. Without her connections she may not necessarily have landed many of the good parts that she subsequently got noticed and nominated for.

Looking thru all those pictures...somewhere between Postcards and The grifters she lost quite a bit of weight.

Superficial comments aside, she’s one of my favorite actresses — even in What Planet Are You From I loved her. I disagree about Beatty in Bugsy though — I thought it was one of if not his best performance , where he couldn’t rely on most of his usual bag of tricks and truly had to go out there as an “actor, acting.” He also showed that he had great comic timing which he would prove later in Bulworth as well. Certainly Bening was snubbed that year.

She was terrific in Liverpool so I definitely want to see this — thanks for the update!

The Science Guy is starring in this?

After [italic]Bugsy[/italic], aside from promotional duties, Annette Bening wouldn’t work for another two calendar years. Having taken a break while the iron was hot cooled her prospects. For her return to the silver screen, she joined forces with her now husband, Warren Beatty. Keen to reunite with his wife onscreen and attempt to recreate their chemistry, he commissioned his [italic]Shampoo[/italic] screenwriter Robert Towne ([italic]Chinatown[/italic]) to coadapt 1939’s [italic]Love Affair[/italic]. It was a big budget affair. Ennio Morricone composed the score. Milena Canonero did the costumes. Ferdinando Scarfiotti ([italic]The Last Emperor[/italic]) was the production designer. Robert C. Jones ([italic]Coming Home[/italic]) edited. Conrad L. Hall lensed the movie (he would later film Bening in [italic]American Beauty[/italic]). No dollar was spared. Beatty wrangled together the best of their fields. He even convinced Katharine Hepburn to play a role, in what would be her final feature. Double the time had passed since [italic]An Affair to Remember[/italic] as had passed between that film and its predecessor, the original [italic]Love Affair[/italic]. One might argue that audiences were “due” a new version. However, just the previous year, [italic]Sleepless in Seattle[/italic], an homage to the 1957 version, had already been a big hit. The new [italic]Love Affair[/italic] would become an exercise in how difficult it is to produce magic when you have so much going in your favour, except a few key ingredients.

Similar to the previous films, two main characters—each in separate relationships back home—find themselves confined to a cruise ship. Beatty nods to his infamous bachelor image with his role and Bening plays Terry McKay, a budding singer and piano player. Unfortunately, the anaemic script drains out the romance from their real lives. The dialogue is lifeless. And there are many questionable choices. The romantic leads meet cute as one of them is leaving the toilet. Bening barely ever performs. When it comes to what should be a showcasing moment for her, it’s Hepburn who sits at the piano and is placed in the spotlight. Bening—playing a singer—awkwardly hums along. In fact, the role gives her so little to do, she kind of hums along the entire duration. The whole story feels aimless with no underlining spark or reason for existing other than to get Hepburn to say “fuck” on film for the first time. And the love Beatty and Bening felt for each other failed to translate for audiences. The critical and commercial response was cold.

It also didn’t help to have the uninspired direction of Glenn Gordon Caron. A successful TV writer/producer ([italic]Moonlighting[/italic]), he had directed Michael Keaton to strong reviews in [italic]Clean and Sober[/italic], and hasn’t done much else of note. As the showrunner for [italic]Bull[/italic], he was complicit in removing Eliza Dushku from the TV show after she complained about the lead star’s aberrant behaviour.

Before this film, Bening was on fire, and the industry wanted a piece of her. She was cast in the coveted role of Selena Kyle/Catwoman in [italic]Batman Returns[/italic] right after [italic]The Grifters[/italic]. She dropped out at the last minute due to pregnancy with her first child, which would be part of a continuing intertwinement of her career with Michelle Pfeiffer’s. Catwoman would become Pfeiffer’s signature role for mainstream audiences and that sliding door would change the trajectory of Bening’s career. [italic]Love Affair[/italic] is the immediate fall-out from that. This would also be the only film she would make before the birth of her second child.

Not so fun fact: All three actresses who have played Terry McKay has been nominated at least four times for an Oscar and have never won.

Right now in the poll, it's a close race for third with Annette Bening's role as Sydney Ellen Wade in [italic]The American President[/italic]. The confident environment lobbyist was Bening’s return to Hollywood after the birth of her second child. Despite not doing [italic]Disclosure[/italic], she still ended up working with Michael Douglas. In a role originally intended for Robert Redford, Douglas played Andrew Shepherd, the first president who was a widower with child dating while president (gasp!). For once, Douglas wasn’t playing a sleaze and his romantic interest wasn’t the enemy. One of Aaron Sorkin’s first produced screenplays, this film would be a precursor to [italic]The West Wing[/italic], which completely shifted the way politics were portrayed in fictional entertainment. He admitted to writing this while completely high on crack cocaine. Director Rob Reiner had earned a great deal of cache in Hollywood between his first seven features (what a streak!); however, this film would be the followup to his first full-fledged turkey, [italic]North[/italic]. Both writer and director had collaborated before on [italic]A Few Good Men[/italic].

The look of the movie manicured with a tone that feels similar to the most earnest scenes of [italic]Broadcast News[/italic], as Reiner brings a TV comedy-drama feel to the proceedings. There’s a strange nostalgia watching a revered, idealistic depiction of the presidential office and political process in this day and age. The White House characters exist in this almost obnoxious bubble filled with “sirs” and “Mr. Presidents.” Richard Dreyfuss plays Republican Bob Rumson running in opposition on a platform to "restore morality" to the oval office due to the single Shepherd dating Wade. The film telegraphed the divide in real life. President Clinton’s personal life has been used against him just years before with the advent of the Gennifer Flowers scandal, for which Republicans used to fan the flames of the emerging culture wars. The irony grows with the years right up to present day considering the current embarrassment-in-chief. Of course, a film like this wouldn’t fly today in our jaded world.

The movie covers unresolved issues like gun control, fossil fuel contribution to global warning, and unresolved Middle-Eastern conflicts. Nothing has changed in twenty-five years, though our hopes for the future may feel a little bleaker presently. At the very end, Shepherd does the right thing, without regard to political cost. Indeed, as Sydney Wade says, he really is the “chief executive of Fantasyland.”

Bening does in [italic]The American President[/italic] what [italic]Love Affair[/italic] was supposed to achieve: Show off her ability to hold her own as a romantic-dramedy lead. In her copper-coloured quaff, she carries off being professional, elegant, and smart, while being warm and loveable. She even speaks French! She’s simply effervescent. Critics were welcoming to both her and the film. It did well with audiences over the holiday season, but wasn’t a huge moneymaker. Bening received one of [italic]President[/italic]’s five Golden Globe nominations. She lost to Nicole Kidman ([italic]To Die For[/italic]), and her film didn’t catch on with Academy members. Both of the films of the two actresses were distributed by Sony, along with their main pony for that season, [italic]Sense & Sensibility[/italic]. Emma Thompson would score an Oscar nod for acting, and win for screenwriting.

Early on, Annette Bening was working with those who were budding auteurs (Frears had at least shown potential) or Oscar-winning (Forman, Nichols, Levinson). It was after her return really with [italic]Love Affair[/italic], that her choice in directors took a decidedly southerly turn. Actors weren’t exactly beating down the doors of Glenn Gordon Caron and Richard Loncraine. Yet, with a two-year break, this was the level of offers Bening was finding herself. Her [italic]Bugsy[/italic] director Barry Levinson cast her in [italic]Disclosure[/italic], which she had to give up due to being pregnant with her second child. The movie—based on the bestseller—was a hit, and certainly wouldn’t have hurt to have in her credits at the time (and who knows how much better the performance could have been had she sunk her teeth into it rather than the much less abled Demi Moore). It wasn’t Catwoman in [italic]Batman Returns[/italic], either. But, it would have arguably done more for her than playing Queen Elizabeth. Despite her leading lady status, she was still in a lot of ways, second banana to the male lead, which would be a continuing theme for years going forward.

Loncraine’s [italic]Richard III[/italic] sets The War of the Roses in late 1930s England. This Richard III is a Hitler-like figure who plots to gain power by stoking familial animosities and then orchestrating the deaths of those standing in his way. Ian McKellan played the eponymous lead (which started with Loncraine’s stage production) and often breaks the fourth wall. It’s always a bit strange to watch a Shakespeare play set in a time period other than its original, especially when it depicts a historical event so specific to a particular time. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t. But, at least, in the 1990s, filmmakers were given lavish or even ample budgets to produce the work of The Bard. Even if they miss their mark, they still makes more engaging cinema than what we often find today. I am not a fan of Shakespeare on film, but admire the effort here. The setting was bold, each frame is filled with rich detail, and there is some well-crafted gruesomeness. Some moments really work. Richard’s brother Clarence has a lovely moment in the rain, and his murder is well-staged. Modelled after Wallis Simpson, Bening fits in with the rest of the cast as Queen Elizabeth in 1930s clothing. Caught in the throes of political turmoil, she jockeys around the nefarious exploits of her brother-in-law. Her and Robert Downey, Jr were both deliberately cast as American siblings who stood outside this film’s royal inner circle.

This effort was one of the best reviewed Shakespearean films of that decade. Critics were in awe of how cinematic the filmmakers made the text. And, indeed, the war scenes are quite visual and full of flair. Unsurprisingly, audiences did not bother to show up. Tony Burrough was Oscar-nominated for his opulent production design work, and Shuna Harwood for her beautiful costumes.

Is someone slowly piecemeal publishing a Benning biography here?

Btw, we always talk here about what a “real woman” a certain age looks like — she looks like a so called real woman of her age, not Justine Bateman.

Ok back to the acting. I watched the YouTube preview she sounds just like Emma Thompson.

I never thought she was a particularly good actress. Okay but nowhere near M, G, Sally Field’s level. At least DL’s brief fascination with her a decade ago has been corrected.

R21 Sally Field?? I adore her but...she definitely has her limitations.

In this time of covid-19, [italic]Mars Attacks![/italic] serves as a timely, inadvertent reminder on the ineptness of hollow American exceptionalism during times of crisis. Based on the 1960s trading card series, Tim Burton decided his next project would be an homage to Ed Wood who he was currently making a film about (his best) at the time. Filmed during the first half of 1996, the final script endured many revisions and budgetary discussions. The hope was to use stop-motion animation in a scope of worldwide destruction, but cheaper computer animation was utilised instead with a concentration on a few American cities like Las Vegas and Washington D.C. as settings. An all-star cast was retained including Pierce Brosnan, Martin Short, and Jack Nicholson in a dual role.

This was back when Burton had just crested creatively. [italic]Mars Attacks![/italic] is more aptly tied to his best years than the unimaginative pablum he has been dishing out for a while now. The critics were way too harsh in their initial reactions With nods to Wood and [italic]Dr. Strangelove[/italic], he is clearly still having fun as a director. The colours pop on the production design. The visual effects served the B-movie subject matter and dark comic tone, and for computer-generated, they still retain a sense of character and personality. There are plenty of good gags. The acting standouts include Pam Grier, Jim Brown, Sylvia Sidney, Lisa Marie (if it’s just gum-chewing, gliding, and that wig and dress, it was still memorable), Glenn Close (impeccably refined at the First Lady), and Annette Bening.

She plays a new-age alcoholic (the role was originally Susan Sarandon’s) in a dissatisfying relationship with a hotelier. With Burton having been prepared to have worked with her on [italic]Batman Returns[/italic], he brought her back into his fold. At first, her ditzy voice is reminiscent of her Myra Langtry with a strained quality that emphasises her high-strung nature for a broader comical effect. She modelled her Barbara Land after Ann-Margret in [italic]Viva Las Vegas[/italic]. In her limited screen-time, she creates a series of fun little nuances in just the movement of her eyes or the slight sticking out of her tongue when her husband drops money in her hand. It’s a delightful little performance. Nicholson’s Art Land’s voice changes in odd ways, and, along with her character arc, I’m left wondering if there was a scene or two of hers missing.

Even with the reduced budget, audiences understandably didn’t sign on with Burton’s cynical, demented tone. Critics shied away as well. But, the film has aged well with time (three mentions in IMDb’s 20/20 awards), and it has become something of a cult classic, especially with Burton fans.

Bening would get pregnant with her third child somewhere around the time of this filming. She would take another year off after their birth, before taking on her next role.

[bold]The Siege[/bold] Annette Bening returned to the movies after the birth of her third child with the terrorism procedural [italic]The Siege[/italic] starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis. Through a series of bombings in New York City, the hunt for the terrorists responsible exposes tensions and mismanagement between the FBI and CIA. After a federal building is destroyed along with hundreds of lives, the president declares martial law and the US military seals off Brooklyn, detaining thousands of men based on their Middle-Eastern ancestry.

While there were superficial action films like [italic]True Lies[/italic] which perpetuated cartoonish stereotypes of Muslims, if you you look at 1990s dramatic adult-geared films about terrorism, most of the focus is on the IRA or Hans Gruber. Made on a hefty $70M budget, this was one of the few high-profile Hollywood films at the time with Middle-Eastern terrorism as its main subject. The film touches on the futility and injustice of racial-based internment camps and enhanced interrogation techniques. The subject matter’s overlying themes cover the negative ramifications of international interventionism. Despite the film’s good intentions, many critics of the time were disgruntled by the convoluted execution and mishandling of the content. And they weren’t wrong. The characters are interesting, but the story is overly ambitious for a two-hour running time and the thrills are choppy. Not quite yet a common practice, footage of the sitting president (in this case Bill Clinton) was used to create more of a sense of realism. Washington carries the film and Bening slides easily into the role of federal double-agent. This is the first film where she begins to dig into her lower vocal register, which she has employed in a lot of her subsequent work. It’s also one of the first times she foregoes a wig or a hairstyle absent of any major volume, length, or curl. She sports s short almost pixie-like cut. It’s also her first role where she plays a single woman who isn’t romantically involved with the film’s lead. She offers a solid performance, but the film ultimately lets her down.

This was Ed Zwick’s third “war” film (and third starring Washington), though he fails to recapture the success of his former [italic]Glory[/italic]. The [italic]thirtysomething[/italic] cocreator has never proven he has been up to the challenge of crafting a well-staged action film since, nor the ability to wrestle with complex political material. This was his first directorial effort he cowrote, absent of the ability to confront Islamic terrorism comprehensively. His limited understanding was best represented by pairing Washington’s character with a Lebanese-American partner to counterbalance his ignorance of the film’s religious aspects. He wrote the script with Menno Meyjes ([italic]The Colour Purple[/italic]). Lawrence Wright is also credited for the screenplay—his first major work associated with Islam, Middle-East, or terrorism. Years later, he’d win the Pulitzer Prize for [italic]The Looming Tower[/italic]. Wright claims [italic]The Siege[/italic] was the most rented film after 9/11 (possible, considering the resurgence of interest in [italic]Contagion[/italic] post-covid-19 months ago), but he also debatably attributes the film’s poor box-office performance to protests. Released five years after the first WTC bombing, this 1998 film provided semi-prophetic echoes just three years after its release. The original criticisms of the film haven’t improved over time, but points recognised for effort.

[bold]In Dreams[/bold]

Neil Jordan had hit wide industry and critical success with [italic]The Crying Game[/italic]. It allowed him to sink his teeth into the popular novel [italic]Interview with the Vampire[/italic], as well as Irish-themed Oscar-bait like [italic]Michael Collins[/italic] and more personal projects like [italic]The Butcher Boy[/italic]. With [italic]In Dreams[/italic], he coadapted a Bari Wood novel with Bruce Robinson ([italic]The Killing Fields, WIthnail and I[/italic]) to explore the irrational world by mingling reality with the unconscious. Filmed in New England the last half of 1997, the horror story focuses on Claire Cooper (Annette Bening), a children’s book illustrator and mother grieving the loss of her daughter. She has been experiencing these bewildering visions with the responsible serial killer (Robert Downey, Jr, her [italic]Richard III[/italic] costar), including his memories, his present tense, and his future plans. This was Bening’s first film as the leading star and she fully dedicates herself to the role like any other she has played. It was kicked off a long series of mother roles. She had just turned forty, so that’s pretty much how Hollywood viewed her (she has pushed back nicely against that stereotype). At the time of filming, Downey, Jr’s lifelong struggle with drug addiction had already turned into multiple drug charges. After the movie wrapped, he was ordered a six-month jail term for missing a court-ordered drug test.

The film gives voice to flooded American towns which fell prey to dam construction, but gives little context. The childhood of the serial killer Vivian (who spells his name the feminine way at one point) is buried in that flood. It’s clear that he was emotionally and physically abused, and more than likely sexually. The film fails to tie his disturbed psyche to any sympathy we may have had for him as a child. The film never establishes any coherent connection between Claire and Vivian, creating too many questions. Why did Vivian kill Claire’s child if he wanted to create a home with her and a child (the deceased daughter is treated like an afterthought)? Why is the substitute daughter so compliant? Why is the husband (Aidan Quinn) so horrible? He cheats on her and then yells at her after being in a coma for six weeks. Also, the emphasised symbolism of apples feels like one big red herring.

Additionally, the list of ridiculous developments Claire undergoes is absurd. She destroys household appliances and vandalises her home before trying to kill herself. She survives extremely high falls into a reservoir as well as into a pile of apples. She tries to strangle her psychiatrist. Her missing dog greets her at a psychiatric hospital from which she escapes by opening a window and then proceeds to run down a road causing a multiple-car pileup. She escapes a second time, and hijacks a police car after threatening the officer at gunpoint.

With the built-in camp, it’s easy to imagine Bening’s inner monologue during her more anguished scenes was “Why did I sign onto this shit film?” Still, she gives a committed performance, refusing to phone it in. There is some lovely cinematography sometimes. Claire’s fall into the apples was Hitchcockian. An elementary school production of [italic]Snow White[/italic] looks like it was made on a budget of $100k,. The score feels derivative of [italic]The Silence of the Lambs[/italic] and [italic]Twin Peaks[/italic], but the underwater sequences have an alluring melody. A special shoutout to the late Pamela Payton-Wright who is endearing as Bening’s psych ward mate.

Considering the quasi-trans nature of the killer, I’m surprised LGBT groups didn’t protest this film. The studio did bury this in the graveyard of early 1999. Critics mostly hated this and audiences mostly passed on it unlike [italic]Lambs[/italic] and [italic]Basic Instinct[/italic], so no one probably cared. I actually paid money to see this in the cinema back when I was living near Vancouver, B.C.

I really don’t know what this is any more, I’m out.

[bold]American Beauty[/bold] An examination of an emasculated man in the cruel corporate world, [italic]American Beauty[/italic], was the biggest cinematic success of 1999. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), finds emancipation from the rat-race and “what life is all about” after feasting his lustful eyes on his daughter’s teenage friend, Angela Hayes. The presence of this Lolita inspires him to make several changes in his life. The pre-release buzz for this movie was exciting. I saw this in San Diego when it first came out in limited release. I was disappointed, however. While I loved aspects of it including Annette Bening’s performance as Carolyn Burnham, I was left cold by the content. In addition to the film’s many problems, I was also young enough that I still bought into the American myth (hard-work, perseverance, and willingness to grow will get you far).

Lester is supposed to be a whipped male who has allowed his wife to overrun their marriage to the point of not being able to choose the dinner music, until he finally asserts himself. To his credit, he gets another job after engineering a comfortable severance package, and starts exercising. But, it was his fault for finding himself in a dead-end job, having turned into a schlub with no friends, and a daughter who doesn’t communicate with him. Despite his self-improvement, he still did nothing for the household. The screenplay gives him a pass it doesn’t afford Carolyn and blames her for not having sex with him. It finally concludes that the values of the two marital partners aren’t aligned, but weighs in favour of Lester. In an oversimplified fashion, the film views him as the “better” person in the marriage because he has realised that human connection is more important than material possessions.

Filmed in early 1999, the studio wanted Holly Hunter or recent Oscar winner Helen Hunt, but Mendes cast Bening in her signature role with the mainstream (and second most popular with DLers). Carolyn is the breadwinner of the family, who actually works out and takes care of herself, keeps the house clean, and cooks dinner. She tries her best as wife and mother, but she’s imperfect like anyone else. The screenplay is unfairly less forgiving towards her, playing up her shrew-nature and domineering personality. It reduces her backstory to growing up in “a duplex,” despite her drive to ensure her daughter has a more comfortable life than her. It becomes Carolyn’s fault for not wanting to have sex with Lester because she’s afraid of spilling beer on the sofa. Yes, she’s tightly wound and needs to loosen up, but the film holds her partly responsible for his dissatisfaction. Her unlikability and over-the-top nature are baked into the character. She tells her daughter, “I am so proud of you … You didn’t screw up once. Okay, we have to go.” It’s a testament to Bening’s work in the movie that she can emotionally and convincingly deliver the iconic crying/slapping moment when she fails to sell a house and do so on such a larger-than-life level. She even has a scene where she literally carries on a mock conversation with herself in front of her family. Bening plays her real estate agent with unprecedented gusto and nuance. It’s a memorable performance which she fills with nice comic moments whether she’s singing along to Bobby Darin’s “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” or offering tiki torches to prospective customers. Carolyn will “sell this house today,” and Bening sells the role.

Conrad L. Hall cinematography is gorgeous, and Thomas Newman losing the Oscar for his indelible score to [italic]The Red Violin[/italic] was a real head-scratcher.

(cont) Bening only has one film in TSPDT’s Top 2000, and it’s [italic]Beauty[/italic] at #785 (it’s also still in IMDB’s Top 100 of all-time). However, the film hasn’t aged well in a lot of circles. Part of that has to do with the movie being overhyped and over-rewarded for its satire of suburban malaise. With time, viewers began to “look closer” and saw the flaws. The characters were enslaved to a screenplay which was constructed within an inch of its life. The “whodunnit” element, which frames the film, feels pointless. The harmlessly sarcastic kids aren’t ever persuasive as potential killers. Carolyn’s abrupt decision to consider murdering Lester isn’t cogent to her arc or believable (despite how the spectrum Bening flies between). The way the Fitts family was written was dated even for 1999. The homo-kiss elicits feelings of cringe in part because the Colonel (Chris Cooper) is so contrived and lacks feasible development. The kids’ reserved, detached response to the graphically displayed dead body was alarming, especially that of Jane Burnham’s.

The ephebophilia component is awkward at best. Lester may not have sex with Angela, but he certainly makes out with her and pulls off her clothes. She admits at the last minute that she’s a virgin, and he stops. The logic is that sex with a minor is acceptable if they’re already sexually active. Tangentially, watching Spacey playing a (straight) man lusting after an underaged (girl) already was a tough sell (his insistence to remain in the closet was problematic in 1999 even if it was still standard practice for a “leading man”). I’m old enough to remember that infamous eye-rolling Esquire cover. But, post-#MeToo, all believability goes out-the-window, especially Lester’s change-of-heart at the end.

Bening won the SAG and BAFTA (this was when the latter was awarded post-Oscars, and Hilary Swank was nominated the next year), and the San Diego film critics. To put it into context, no actress has won both the SAG and BAFTA for a lead performance and not have an Oscar for it, let alone in a film which won Best Picture (which traditionally puts the lead actress over-the-line). Part of the issue that Carolyn was ultimately an unappealing supporting character in Lester’s story. After the critics almost unanimously rallied around Swank, a young actress who seemingly came out of nowhere with an ultra-baity performance, the HFPA chose her over the very pregnant Bening and decided the race. [italic]Beauty[/italic] would go on to win Picture, Directing, Screenplay, Actor, and Cinematography.

This was stage director Sam Mendes’ feature debut, and he received quite the industrial coronation. Critics backed away a little bit for over a decade. In 2012, he came back with [italic]Skyfall[/italic], one of the most successful Bond films of all time. He almost just won for directing [italic]1917[/italic], but lost to Bong Joon-ho ([italic]Parasite[/italic]). Alan Ball would go on to create successful television series [italic]Six Feed Under[/italic] and [italic]True Blood[/italic]. Cooper and Allison Janney would go on to win Oscars later in their careers.

The reevaluation coupled with Spacey’s exposed behaviours has not been kind. However, despite my original reproach, I have found myself harbouring a strange nostalgia towards its quaint charm. On one level, it really did poke a hole in the lies we have been fed about the American Dream. It began to unmask the unsteady legs people place their middle-class hopes on. The job, house, spouse, and children as the way they were all sold to us are no longer viable for the average person, not even your garden-variety white cis-male heterosexual. The film also hints at more sinister aspects that could be festering beneath that facade anyway. And, as Carolyn informs Jane defeatedly, “You cannot count on anyone except yourself.”

Is Mrs Beatty still desperate to win an Oscar? She looked furious when she lost twice to Hilary Swank.

[bold]What Planet Are You From?[/bold]

Filmed in Arizona/Nevada/Los Angeles the Summer of 1999, the science-fiction romantic-comedy [italic]What Plane Are You From?[/italic] would be the third and final collaboration of Mike Nichols and Annette Bening. Her involvement was probably also associated with the friendship between her husband and the star and cowriter Garry Shandling. He plays an alien of advanced intelligence sent to Earth to impregnate a woman. The plan is for his alien race to take over the planet. He was provided a mechanical attachable penis (complete with sound effects) and extremely blunt training regarding the seduction of human women. Shandling wrote his only feature film with Michael Leeson ([italic]The Cosby Show, Taxi, The War of the Roses[/italic]) along with Peter Tolan ([italic]The Larry Sanders Show, Murphy Brown[/italic]) and Ed Solomon ([italic]Men in Black[/italic]). You think between all of those writers they would have all brought something to the task at hand. The premise has goofy potential but the execution often runs flat. Idea-wise, it almost offers a sly little commentary on man’s overrated desire to propagate the species, but then hedges its bets. It also throws out a conspiracy theory regarding Muslims with dubious results. Bening, as a recovering alcoholic real estate agent with relationship problems, imbues her character with a thoughtfulness one might miss while reading the script. She also displays her effortless comic timing with such lines like, “At this point, I’m ready to buy a baby and shove it up your ass.” She even sings a few endearing bars of “High Hopes.” Shandling, as his expected self, doesn’t give her a lot to work off of.

Ironically enough, Bening would become pregnant with her fourth and final child at the tail-end of filming. But, the movie bombed with critics and at the box-office. A year after the film’s release, Bening would appear at the Oscars and present the clip for best picture nominee [italic]Erin Brockovich[/italic]. Julia Roberts, who considers Bening one of her favourite actresses, would win for the movie.

R30 I think I’m the only person who actually likes that movie.

[bold]Open Range[/bold]

After giving birth to her fourth child, Annette Bening entered discussions to star as the lead in the Jon Maas adaptation of Coyne Steven Sanders’ [italic]Rainbow’s End: The Judy Garland Show[/italic]. Bronwen Hughes was set to direct the Oliver Stone production for a late 2001 release. Maas had only written one telefilm at the time. Hughes had a small hit with [italic]Harriet the Spy[/italic], but flopped with Sandra Bullock/Ben Affleck rom-com [italic]Forces of Nature[/italic]. As a producer (or in any other capacity), Stone’s best days were behind him. ABC already had plans to release [italic]Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows[/italic] in early 2001 starring Judy Davis. The miniseries covered Garland’s life from a little girl until her death and was a hit capturing the Emmy, Globe, and SAG for Davis’ performance as the adult Garland. A lot of people still rate Davis above Renée Zellweger’s recent Oscar-winning turn. Needless to say, the project fell apart.

Bening ended up taking three years off total before accepting a supporting turn in Kevin Costner’s latest venture, [italic]Open Range[/italic]. His career had hit a rocky patch with such high-profile bombs as [italic]Waterworld[/italic] and [italic]The Postman[/italic]. Costner had been given chances many times over for a comeback with no luck. He self-financed and used whatever he had left of his industry capital to get this low-key Western made. A $20M budget helped build a town (used for both interior and exterior shots) from scratch on the Stoney Indian Reserve in Alberta (as well as a road to get there). He only went forward with the project once Robert Duvall accepted one of the main roles. Costner used one of his camera operators from [italic]Dances with Wolves[/italic] to create the Great Plains of the 1880s.

[italic]Open Range[/italic] concerns two open range cattlemen who meet conflict with an Irish land baron (Bening’s [italic]Being Julia[/italic] scene-partner Michael Gambon). At a running time of 140 minutes, the story plods along, but with an intentional and pleasing meditation. The cinematography is economical, but gorgeous, from the rolling grass hills to imagery tempered by glass windows. The few moments of action are thrilling and heart-stopping. And there is an unassuming sweetness to the romance between the two leads. I found myself invested in the characters, and got a little choked up at times. Bening plays Sue Barlow, a physician surrogate for her brother’s practice who falls in love with Costner’s Charley Waite. She brings with her a warm, gentle presence to the dark, lawless story.

Made in the Summer 2002 after a brief resurgence of the Western genre in the early 1990s, the film was met with a sturdy, but understated success by both critics and audiences. Costner having redeemed himself somewhat as a director from the failure of [italic]The Postman[/italic] hasn’t helmed a film since, so it’s possible that he wanted to go out on a positive note as far as directing was concerned (at least until he meets a project he can’t resist and can secure financing). His next two movies were supporting roles in vehicles for Jennifer Aniston and Joan Allen, and he mostly began a dive into character work.

This marked the final live action performance of Michael Jeter, who won an Emmy for playing Herman Stiles on [italic]Evening Shade[/italic]. He died from epileptic seizures. The openly gay and HIV-positive actor had been in an eight-year relationship with Sean Blue at the time of his death. He was 50 years old.

[bold]Being Julia[/bold]

Ronald Harwood (who won an Oscar for [italic]The Pianist[/italic]) adapted the W. Somerset Maugham novel [italic]Theatre[/italic] for [italic]Being Julia[/italic], directed by Oscar-winning director István Szabó ([italic]Mephisto[/italic]) in the U.K. and Hungary the Summer of 2003. Set in 1938 England (similar to [italic]Richard III[/italic]), British stage actress Julia Lambert carries on an affair with a younger man, Tom. The tryst rejuvenates and then undercuts her, as he turns out to be an opportunist. Part of the main problem of the script is that the appeal of her young paramour is wrapped up entirely in his youth and handsomeness. There is nothing else to T-O-M or the unlikeable performance of Shaun Evans that lends any kind of complexity to Julia’s attraction to him. He fakes being enamoured by her initially, with no smooth transition to his true colours, undermining Julia’s intelligence. When the plot borrows a page out of [italic]All About Eve[/italic], she assumes antics more akin to her Marquise de Merteuil, and enacts vengeance against Tom by using her Eve as a proxy. The result feels slightly mean-spirited and only mildly satisfying, as one woman’s revenge comes at a cost to another. The screenplay also has a fluffy subplot involving a dear friend disclosing his homosexuality.

One of the more interesting aspects is the framing device which incorporates imagined conversations between Julia and her old acting teacher (played by Michael Gambon). He counsels her during her struggle distinguishing between her personal and professional life, as she fights the diminished interest in her as a person and actress. Underneath her vanity, there lies a woman who doesn’t know how to age. The stage and real life aren’t much different for a woman in her position. In the end, Julia breaks free of the cage her profession has placed her in, and guzzles down a beer alone. She displays happiness borne out of a new freedom, but, as an audience, we’re left wondering what exactly she’s going to fill her new world with, especially on the precipice of a world war. She’s liberated, but, despite her friend and the adoration of her son, her world feels kind of empty.

Still, the role is a juicy one, with Miranda Richardson originally attached. In her red mop of curls, Bening is exuberant. Like her character, she works with what she has and gives her all. She humorously employs wide gestures and a broad British accent, nicely tempered with an underlying vulnerability and dramatic moments. At one point, she charges onto the stage in a dark ornate robe, sweeping and turning like a premonitory black swan, her Oscar competition in six year’s time. Her striking makeup lends her a nefarious guise. Bening is surrounded by a stellar cast of character actors including Maury Chaykin, Gambon, Bruce Greenwood, Rosemary Harris, Jeremy Irons, Miriam Margolyes, and Juliet Stevenson. Lucy Punch plays her scene-stealing Eve.

It’s a rare role where Bening carries the film on her own shoulders. She won the Comedy/Musical Globe, as well with the NBR and SE Film Critics and was a RU with NYFCC. The film was not a moneymaker. And while critics were mostly responsive to her and the film, they were not ecstatic. The Academy did nominate Bening (the film’s sole nod), only to have her lose to Hilary Swank an infamous and cruel second time.

[bold]Mrs. Harris[/bold]

After [italic]Being Julia[/italic], Annette Bening made her first entry into TV since the 1980s with a film about the toxic relationship between headmistress Jean Harris and her lover Herman Tarnower, a cardiologist and author of a book popularising the high-protein/low-fat diet. This would be the third project between Bening and Kingsley. Phyllis Nagy adapted the Shana Alexander book and directed (she’d later be Oscar-nominated for adapting Todd Haynes’ [italic]Carol[/italic]). The telefilm would be nominated for twelve Emmys. Ellen Burstyn was nominated for her extremely brief role after having been nominated in 1982 for [italic]The People vs. Jean Harris[/italic]. Along with the Emmy, Bening also received nods from SAG and the Globes. As of this time, I could not secure a copy of this telefilm to include a review in my Annette Bening retrospective.

Xennial (R14, R20, R22, R31),

Thank you so much for your comments. I went in a little hard on Beatty, but it sounds like you really enjoyed his performance. But, man, I realised just how outstanding Bening was as Virginia Hill. Midler and Dern had nothing on her. She was way better and unquestionably lead. However, if they cheated, I'm certain she'd have won in supporting and be an Oscar winner. Beatty was insistent in putting her in lead. And, understandably, the story, while titled Bugsy, is about the relationship between the two of them. She even gets a long, gorgeous parting shot. She really ran the emotional gamut in that role and hit a lot of notes. A beautiful performance.

What Planet Are You From? ran flat for me, but it was fun and Bening rises above the material in a way that is transfixing (I love the accompanying gif to my review; she looks fantastic, and is so expressive).

I agree with you Sally Field is great, but limited. Norma Rae is one for the books for me and I love her in Soapdish. She has a few others, but it really begins to taper off quickly in quality.

Going through all of these films of Bening's has made me realise just how much range she really has. She can fit into an assortment of genres and time periods, and has real vocal prowess (particularly with her register), But, most of all, I am struck by how varied her characterisations are (and their accompanying looks). Her range is simply under-appreciated.

I hope you are enjoying this series. And thank you again for the comments. Cheers!

Another vote for Postcards from the Edge.

I’d never seen or heard of her before, and when her scene was over, I was like “who is THAT...!?!”

[bold]Running with Scissors[/bold]

Hot off [italic]Nip/Tuck[/italic], Ryan Murphy directed his first feature film in his hometown of Los Angeles. All the way back in early 2005, he adapted Augusten Burroughs’ popular hard-to-translate novel based on his horrendous childhood, [italic]Running with Scissors[/italic]. Along with Alan Ball, Phyllis Nagy, and Lisa Cholodenko, it’s as if the gays were driving Bening’s career from 1999 - 2010!

Like the memoir, the film is populated with dysfunctional and unsympathetic characters. The desire to spend time with these people at least in the film is low. I read the novel shortly after it was released and, like many, found the story both shocking and engrossing. At least in the book, the point-of-view of Burroughs’ “fictionalised” childhood is filtered through the author. This is mostly lost in the film, especially the treatment of the ephebophilic storyline. Instead of a comedy-drama, as a movie, this may have been better suited as a horror story. Jill Clayburgh is wonderful as Burroughs’ surrogate mom, as is Evan Rachel Wood as his disaffected temporary sister. Bening has the challenge of playing a narcissist whose eclectic lifestyle and poor mothering decisions put her son’s life and emotionally stability in danger. Styled in 1970s clothes and a shag (and then a mullet!), she has some well-played acerbic moments, and the performance runs a gamut of emotions. It’s a solid turn looking for much better material. At minimum, though, Lou Eyrich’s costumes deserve a mention (she has won a slew of Emmys and guild awards for various Murphy projects), as well as the hair and makeup and the colour palette of Richard Sherman’s production design. Murphy really nailed the aesthetics here.

After a long delay, the film did not go over well with critics though and bombed at the box-office. Alec Baldwin, who played Bening’s husband, would go on to be a good-luck charm for Cate Blanchett and Julianne Moore at the Oscars, but not Bening. She was only nominated for a Comedy/Musical Globe and by the St. Louis film critics. He did assist her from the audience at the time of the film’s release while she did her opening monologue during her only stint as SNL host. Murphy was supposed to direct Bening in the second season of [italic]American Crime Story[/italic], back when it was about Hurricane Katrina. The project has been cancelled and Murphy hasn’t prioritised her talents, despite her being one of the few redeeming factors of his failed first feature.

[bold]The Women[/bold]

A remake of [italic]The Women[/italic] had been in production with [italic]Murphy Brown[/italic] creator Diane English for fifteen years before it came out. James L. Brooks was in line to direct Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan. Amidst delays, the rumour was that both actresses wanted the same role. Robert and Brooks would eventually jump. At one point, Annette Bening had the Norma Shearer part, until it went to Ryan and she was switched to Rosalind Russell’s role. The movie filmed the Summer of 2007 in New York and in and outside of Boston. When it finally arrived, it was post-[italic]Sex and the City[/italic] (the series and the first film) and [italic]The Devil Wears Prada[/italic] influencing the pop culture landscape. It plays like a bland, forgettable boomer response to a zeitgeist which had already passed.

Mary Haines (Ryan) relies on her friends when she finds out her husband is cheating on her. Sylvie Fowler (Bening) is a successful fashion magazine editor who unmaliciously betrays her friend out of desperation. There aren’t any real standouts, though Cloris Leachman does nice work as the maid. In her long, flattened dirty blonde mane, Bening shows shades of Kim Cattrall. Bette Midler is thrown in as a cameo for good measure. The gimmick from the original with no male actor continued, until the very end when Debra Messing’s character gives birth to a boy. Any conversation with a man is communicated second-hand by one of the characters who overheard it. The tone is also a bit deaf with the protagonist being an over-privileged, well-connected white woman with loads of cash asking herself what she wants. A runway show towards the end celebrates the skinny ideal the film tries to criticise but ultimately succumbs to with its own casting. The film ultimately couldn’t see the forest threw the trees and probably should have remained in 1939. English no longer had her finger on the pulse like she did in the 1990s.

Critics had the knives out for this film, which was middling at worst. The film made 1.5x its budget back domestically and an additional 1.5x overseas, but failed to resurrect Ryan’s career. The industry and audiences more or less wanted to leave her to the 1990s as well.

[bold]Mother and Child[/bold]

Rodrigo García wrote and directed this tender storyline about the intertwining lives of three women. Annette Bening plays physical therapist Karen who is longing to meet the child she gave up for adoption at age 14. The adult version, Elizabeth, is played by Naomi Watts, a smart, attractive, and successful lawyer, also hardened by life, similar to her biological mother. Kerry Washington plays a prospective parent. Cherry Jones is a nun who runs an adoption service. Sean Penn’s mother Eileen Ryan plays Karen’s mother Nora. Samuel L. Jackson plays Elizabeth’s boss and lover. Tatyana Ali, Amy Brenneman, Elpidia Carrillo, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Jimmy Smits are also in the cast. They all do lovely work, especially the outstanding Bening and Watts who have the challenging task of playing such emotionally distant women with deep-seeded yearnings to connect. It’s a quiet, but powerful performance from Bening. She uses her drollness as a guard only to expose a simmering sorrow tied to a frustration with her inability to reach out to those around her. In long flattened dirty blonde hair, it’s yet another example of how she can masterfully balance honest dramatics with little blips of unintentional, yet appropriate comic brilliance. There are some plot devices that stumble, but fortunately do not derail the moving story, which culminates in a painful twist. Elizabeth, at one point, makes a decision. Her motivations aren’t spoon-fed to the audience, but left open: she either wants to have an experience her birth mother went through to feel closer to her or she doesn’t want to feel less than her birth mother by taking the easy way out. Edward Shearmur’s score is simple and accentuates the humble tone of the story.

This is a role that marked Bening turning down the theatrics that some have pigeonholed her for. She begins to dial her acting back and hasn’t returned to any big moments since. Even her New Jersey mother in [italic]Girl Most Likely[/italic] is low-key.

Filmed in Los Angeles early 2009, the film debuted at TIFF and then shown at Sundance before being released right before Mother’s Day 2010. The critics welcomed the movie. Sadly, the $7M production didn’t make much money. None of the actors were recognised for their work to any large extent. This much worth-seeing film has gotten lost, but will hopefully find renewed life and interest. As the poll indicates, few people have seen this, but you should consider checking it out if you’re a fan of Bening.

[bold]The Kids Are All Right[/bold]

Filmed in Los Angeles after [italic]Mother and Child[/italic], like [italic]Laurel Canyon[/italic], Lisa Cholodenko effortlessly creates a Southern Californian verisimilitude in [italic]The Kids Are All Right[/italic], a film about a sperm-donor who surfaces years down the road only to create havoc in a family. The aesthetics are about as genuine as you can get for suburban L.A. Carter Burwell’s (responsible for most of the music from the films of the Coen brothers, Todd Haynes, and Bill Condon) SoCal score is an alluring, evocative composition. The cast has chemistry. All five of the leads are fully realised by the actors as written. So much of the film is nicely done, I wanted to really like this film when I saw it back when it came out at the Arclight Hollywood.

But, the driving plot-point of the conflict undermines the whole venture. That isn’t to say a story like this couldn’t work. But, that is to say, in this instance, it doesn’t work because the motivations are inauthentic. Moore, as Jules, does an excellent job tapping into her character’s aimlessness and lack of maturity. But, the script reduces her weakness to one scene where she’s triggered by a spouse who is also married to her job (nevermind that said spouse just drew her a bath and lavished her with attention). It’s just not believable. The gay male porn element does not help and further delegitimises any kind of “argument” the film is trying to sell us on Jules’ wayward sexuality. The attempts this film makes to convince us of Jules’ decision only exacerbates the poor optics. Adding insult to injury, she’s also unnecessarily racist and acts offensively to her gardener (not in any way that is remotely humorous). And the friends of the children seem like caricatures. This is the kind of movie made precisely for your standard obnoxious JoeMyGod commenter who is so blinded by their own agenda, they can’t detect bad art when it’s staring them right in the face.

Thanks goodness for Annette Bening. She plays her doctor, Nic, very butch, lesbian chic. She looks super hot as well. She assumes a more official posture, often with her hands in her pockets, casual, but on the defence. There is of course the dinner scene where she sings Joni Mitchell’s “All I Want,” followed by sitting in silence, drinking her wine after realising an ugly truth about her marriage. That impactful scene is some of Bening’s best acting in her career and gave her a nomination deservedly. It made a lovely companion piece to her turn in [italic]Mother and Child[/italic] months earlier.

After being a Sundance sensation, [italic]Kids[/italic] came out in the Summer, made a nice chunk of change, and Bening became the frontrunner for a short spell. But, then, [italic]Black Swan[/italic] swooped in shortly thereafter at TIFF, and the rest is history. Bening did win with the NYFCC and the Comedy/Musical Globe, and was cited for just about every organisation under the sun. It can be noted that while Bening did not win an Oscar, she did play a part in blocking the SAG-nominated Hilary Swank ([italic]Conviction[/italic]) from another Oscar nomination.

[bold]Ruby Sparks[/bold]

After her one-two punch in 2010, one would have hoped the industry would have cast Annette Bening in better projects. But, alas, no. Her first role back was a two-scene supporting role. Filmed lovingly in Los Angeles the Summer 2011, [italic]Ruby Sparks[/italic] was written by Elia Kazan’s granddaughter, Zoe. She wrote her role, as well as that of her partner's, Paul Dano. The two have been in a relationship since 2007. They were directed by another married pair Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton in their followup to the Sundance sensation [italic]Little Miss Sunshine[/italic].

Dano plays an author who can’t deal with his fame and is awkward around other people rendering him unlucky in love. He manifests his ideal mate out of thin air while doing a writing experiment for his counsellor. She's not real, yet others can see her. He enjoys the perfect relationship until he realises his need to make modifications due to the static nature of his interactions. [italic]Her[/italic] would have greater success with a similar storyline.

This is a navel-gazing film essentially about a man wrestling with himself over what he needs in a woman. Ruby is never anything more than an abstract. And she can’t be anything more as written, especially without an effort to create any convincing backstory behind her manifestation. The emotional expenditure on the part of the protagonist feels pointless. Clever but a slog, it plays more like a college thesis than a movie. The script is full of unresolved questions and the purpose seems to be about deconstructing the manic pixie dream girl convention.

Bening shows the positive energy and spunk of a woman who turned a new page in life and hasn’t looked back since; it's possibly her most joyful performance. Her character is there as an example to her son that someone can overcome their issues, reinvent themselves, and find happiness. This is Bening’s first film since her star ascended where she appears only briefly in a role that doesn’t figure very significantly into the plot. She would have a few others after this. The critics liked it enough, but it didn’t do much to move any needle. Antonio Banderas signed on to do this film specifically to work with Bening.

[bold]Girl Most Likely[/bold]

Filmed at the tail-end of Summer in 2011 New Jersey and NYC, [italic]Girl Most Likely[/italic] was Kristen Wiig’s first leading role after the immense success of [italic]Bridesmaids[/italic]. Her Imogene Duncan endures the aftermath of squandered potential, going from the toast of town to getting filed back amongst the common people. The film, endearingly bookshelved with Blondie songs, follows a few more tropes from Wiig’s hit film, but it still has its own unique charm. [italic]A Wizard of Oz[/italic] motif is eventually dispatched after we see what is behind the curtain and Imogene realises that everything she had pinned her dreams to were ephemeral. Wiig, along with the rest of the cast, hold the proceedings together in this sweet indie. Christopher Fitzgerald is delightful as Imogen’s brother and Darren Criss is surprisingly tolerable. Instead of playing a mother who ends up getting blamed by everyone, Bening assumes a light New Jersey accent and plays a mom who errs before achieving some vindication for once. Michelle Morgan wrote the screenplay, directed by the team of Shari Spring Berman and Robert Pulcini ([italic]American Splendour[/italic]). The film garnered mixed response from critics and failed to take off with audiences.

[bold]Ginger & Rosa[/bold]

Filmed in Kent, England, Winter 2012, [italic]Ginger & Rosa[/italic] concerns a friendship between two teenage girls (Elle Fanning, Alice Englert) coming of age in 1962 London during the Cuban Missile Crisis while growing up in unhappy home environments. Told from the perspective of Fanning’s Ginger, she softly displays adolescent heartache in what feels like an impossible situation for a young girl. She admirably carries the film. Bening plays a homely-looking activist and one half of an American couple with Oliver Platt. She serves as a motherly figure to Ginger. Sally Potter wrote and directed. Critics were kind, but the film kind of came and went. Fanning’s performance is one ripe for rediscovery

[bold]The Face of Love[/bold]

Filmed in Los Angeles 2012 on a budget of $4M, Arie Posin directed Matthew McDuffie’s screenplay about a home-stager Nikki (Annette Bening) who starts a relationship with her deceased husband’s döppleganger Tom (Ed Harris). The concept is intriguing, but the plot falls mercy to ridiculous kinks and too many questions it can’t iron out. The result is frustrating. Nikki is a bit daft beyond credulity. She wants to hide her discovery from those she loves and carry on a secret relationship, but the script doesn’t do the best job of explaining a lot of her decisions. It just asks the audience to suspend their disbelief too many times. It also offers a strange dynamic between Tom and his ex-wife (Amy Brenneman, also in [italic]Mother and Child[/italic]). The result has a TV-movie quality, but Posin tries to elevate it cinematically with several nods to [italic]Vertigo[/italic]. He also incorporates some lovely scenic shots of LACMA into the story.

This was Bening’s third film where her character drives the plot. Like with [italic]Being Julia[/italic], she finds herself lost in a secret romance with another man. Like with [italic]In Dreams[/italic], she plays a woman haunted by the death of a loved one. Her face accented with a heavy dark eye-liner, she’s meditative and luminous. She has palpable chemistry with Harris, who is a welcomed presence. This was one of Robin Williams’ final films. He does all of his scenes with Bening. After its TIFF debut, I saw this at AFI 2013. Posin hosted a Q&A with Bening before the screening, which I had the pleasure of attending. She was her normal lovely and gregarious self. The film released in Spring 2015 with little fanfare.

Ok movie.

Sounds interesting.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman.

Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

She's just killing time til she does the biopic "President Warren".

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

61 years old. I don't buy it. I've always thought Annette is 10 years older than she cops to.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

Grace lives an idyllic life in a British seaside town, but her world soon comes crashing down when her husband of 29 years tells her he's leaving her for another woman. Through stages of shock, disbelief and anger -- and with support from her son -- Grace ultimately regains her footing while learning it's never too late to be happy.

[quote]She's just killing time til she does the biopic "President Warren".

lol. Maybe so, R47.

[quote]61 years old. I don't buy it. I've always thought Annette is 10 years older than she cops to.

Okay, R71. But, she doesn't get the kind of work done on her face that her contemporaries do, so she looks more "normal" than a lot of stars around her age. Check her out in Postcards from the Edge. While she has a few extra kg's in that movie, she looks like a woman in her late 20s/early 30s (not older). She was 31 when she did that movie, so ...

Thanks for the comments!

Her décolletage has been crepey for over 10 years. Women don't present in that condition at 50.

[quote]Her décolletage has been crepey for over 10 years. Women don't present in that condition at 50.

R82, Certainly women (and men) with sun damage do. And, as a Southern Californian growing up in the 1970s (or earlier), she would be most definitely susceptible to sun damage. People weren't quite covering up back then like they are today. And, as someone who gets minimal work done, it's going to show on her more.

She graduated from Patrick Henry High School in 1976. (She also was 42 when she gave birth to her fourth child--not that women don't deliver at that age or later; but it's not something to roll the dice on)

*Sorry, my mistake, she graduated as a junior in 1975.

Yeah yeah yeah it all adds up but my eyes are pretty good. Bening and Chelsea Handler must have lived hard teens and 20s!

I'm not arguing that Bening looks the same as most stars her age (or youthful for her age). However, for one comparison, she doesn't look any older than Jamie Lee Curtis, someone else who is comfortable in her looks and doesn't get much work done on her face (also grew up in 1970s SoCal). They're outliers in their industry in this respect. I don't particularly find much interest in picking apart people's looks or personal lives, though (especially derisively). Each to their own.

I found it creepy, pathetic and a bit revolting when Bening was heavily pregnant and attended the Oscars even though she was just a few weeks away from giving birth. She seemed so desperate to win and bask in the spotlight when she'd have been better off resting at home instead.

I thought it was a hoot when she ended up losing to Hilary Swank, especially after people like Kevin Spacey mentioned her in their speech as though she was certain to win that night. I bet there were more than a few plates and glasses smashed in the Beatty household that night.

Ya cant PAY me to watch ms bening in a dam thing.

love nighy however.

I hope our Bening Stan above didn't write all those entries specifically for DL. It so, creepy!

[bold]The Search[/bold]

Filmed in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia on a handsome budget of $25M budget, [italic]The Search[/italic]—a topical update to Fred Zinneman’s 1949 version—takes place during the Second Chechen War. It details the stories of a Russian soldier, three orphaned siblings on separate journeys, and an NGO worker (the director’s wife Bérénice Bejo who starred in [italic]The Artist[/italic]) trying to make sense of the devastation. It offers sobering truths about how terrorists and savages are created, how humans prey on the weak to survive in extreme circumstances, the bureaucratic realities of humanitarian aid. etc. The timeline overlaps itself in a non-linear fashion to make a more profound statement. The storytelling often feels very heavy-handed. The mise en scene is extremely realistic, particularly the production design. The depiction of war is unnecessarily graphic and borders on torture porn. Lost in this story are the Chechens battling the Russians. Bening plays a Red Cross official who tries to help the siblings. With her sobering demeanour, she doesn’t get a lot to do, but she certainly displays a striking resemblance to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren here more so than she ever has.

Critics overreacted to the director’s breakout film [italic]The Artist[/italic], giving TWC the fodder it needed to push it way passed the point to win Best Picture. [italic]The Search[/italic] would fall prey to the classic case of critics course-correcting by attacking the followup effort with sharpened knives. [italic]The Artist[/italic] was never really that good. [italic]The Search[/italic] was never really that bad. It premiered at Cannes (Bening was not in attendance) to scathing reviews and never recovered, flopping around the world. The writer/director Michel Hazanavicius retreated back to French obscurity. His partner Bejo continues to appear in his films.

[quote]It so, creepy!

You're missing a verb, and an ellipsis.

Some may say staring at other people's décolletage to gauge their age is creepy. Some may say continuing to comment on a thread you're only interested in trolling is creepy. But who am I to judge?

At the end of the day, you have to live in your mind. I don't.

Can we discuss the movie without dissertations on Bening? Worth a watch?

[bold]Danny Collins[/bold]

This was Dan Fogelman's (screenwriter for [italic]Crazy, Stupid, Love.[/italic]) feature film directing debut. The script is inspired by a letter John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote a folk singer, Steve Tilston, in response to concerns he voiced publicly about fame and wealth potentially spoiling his songwriting. Tilston never received or knew about the letter until 34 years later. Al Pacino played the eponymous fictionalised version of Tilston, whose manager (Christopher Plummer) discovers, purchases, and presents the letter to him on his birthday. With his better days behind him, Collins believes his life would have been different had he received the letter as intended and decides to make changes in his life, including writing music again, righting wrongs with his son (who is having difficulties raising his daughter living with ADHD), and developing a relationship with concierge Mary Sinclair (Annette Bening, replacing Julianne Moore who dropped out to work with David Cronenberg in [italic]Maps to the Stars[/italic] the Summer of 2013).

Pacino has good chemistry with Plummer, as well as with Bening. It’s a joy to watch Pacino and Bening work off of each other and root for their characters to get together as they softly negotiate middle-aged romance. Bening is affecting and a compelling presence, per usual. Her character is guarded and pragmatic, but, you watch her become more loose, feisty, and delightful. She commands the screen as the film progresses, so it’s a pity it’s not a better film. While she is “plain”-looking here, what struck me more with this film is the varying ways in which she inhabits her characters. There’s almost always a distinct new energy she brings to each role which adds to her varying and expanding collection of performances. It’s in her look, but also the way she holds herself. It’s quite evident that she does the work and comes up with exhaustive backstories for every person she plays, regardless of the project. She really doesn’t get enough credit. As a side-note, Bening actually has a brief scene with Plummer (he won an Oscar for Mike Mills’ [italic]Beginners[/italic]), which she filmed before signing onto Mills’ [italic]20th Century Women[/italic].

Released the Spring of 2015, the critics were kind to the movie and it made its $10M budget back. Pacino was nominated for a Comedy/Musical Globe. Fogelman would go on to produce the popular TV show [italic]This Is Us[/italic].

[quote]Worth a watch?

Yes, for Bening's performance. She's fantastic. The film can be tedious. Nighy is also good.

Two actors who are not a big draw for me. Together, at last, in a slightly constipated matrimonial British seaside drama.

NIghy is not bad, but something about the perennially pregnant pause of waiting for him to react (or not react) or to say something is wearing. Benning, though, is completely fucking forgettable, a brain wash that leaves a blank slate in place of the two hours just spent watching her. She's just sort of a mould or a void where the acting or presence should be.

A film by film summary of her entire catalogue is major overkill.

I saw the updated Richard III film for the first time just several nights ago and enjoyed it very much. Annette's performance was however quite forgettable. It felt like she was there for nothing more than to add a familiar name for the American audience.

Always liked Annette since I first learned who she was.

[bold]Rules Don’t Apply[/bold]

As with Bugsy Siegel, Howard Hughes was a role Warren Beatty was dying to play for four decades. However, Beatty had lost a lot of cache over the years due to choosiness and age. Beatty only made twenty-three films throughout his career and fifteen of those were before 1980. The last film he acted in (2001’s [italic]Town & Country[/italic]) was a $90M bomb and had his name at the very top. As well, Hughes had already been successfully portrayed in a big Hollywood film just ten years previously ([italic]The Aviator[/italic]). Beatty modified the script with Bo Goldman ([italic]One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Dick Tracy[/italic]), and managed to finally cobble together $25M to film it in Los Angeles during the first half of 2014. A lot of old Hollywood were brought in including Albert Wolsky ([italic]Bugsy[/italic]) for costume design, Jeannine Oppewall ([italic]L.A. Confidential[/italic]) for production design, and Caleb Deschanel ([italic]The Right Stuff[/italic]) for cinematography. It took four editors to piece this movie together.

The plot is about a fictitious starlet who is a contract actress for Hughes’ RKO Studios. She’s caught in a romance between him and a young chauffeur. The film is supposed to be about characters choosing to forge their own path while submerged in the social mores of the late 1950s and 1960s. There’s also a subplot with the paranoid Hughes caught in the midst of unstable business dealings. With nothing really new to say about the era which witnessed his ascension, there really isn’t any indication that Beatty has evolved as an artist. He seems to be stuck in a bubble from yesterday. It makes me wonder what kind of impact it would have had on his craft had he taken the title role in Quentin Tarantino’s [italic]Kill Bill films[/italic]. Bening plays the mother of the starlet and mostly vanishes for the last 90 or so minutes of the film.

[italic]Rules[/italic] eventually premiered at AFI in 2016. Critics were lukewarm to the film and it bombed at the box-office. One of its main financiers sued for compensation, and three of the eighteen producers countersued for poor promotion. I’m not sure how or if it was ever resolved. Going forward, more often than not, Bening would begin to take roles which required her to leave Los Angeles.

[quote]A film by film summary of her entire catalogue is major overkill ... Always liked Annette since I first learned who she was.

Thanks for sharing that clip. She was great in it and it reminded me of what a major hottie Ken Wahl was; also, I didn't realise he retired in the mid-90s). The thread engagement has picked up lately, especially about Hope Gap. I'm sorry you don't like my posts and it's an imposition. I don't mean any harm, only intend interaction about Hope Gap and Bening's other films (hence the polls at the beginning).

do you have a scarf collection?

Is this like the gap between Bening's hopes and actually winning an Oscar?

Imagine Amy Adams, Glenn Close and Annette Bening all vying for Best Actress Oscar.

My heart would break.

Because of the project, R99, I think Bening has an outside shot at another BAFTA nod. It wouldn't surprise me if that happened. However ...

She needs quite a few ladies to fall for her to get into Drama Globe. Davis and McDormand are locks. And, right now Winslet, Kirby, Adams, Day, Hudson, Pfeiffer and Loren are all stronger possibilities there. While a lot of them are wildcards, I can't see five of that latter group failing.

Even then, SAG is where she really needs to hit. I don't see it. Elisabeth Moss for The Invisible Man is probably even ahead of her there.

She has promoted the hell out of the film. Sadly, she's not on anyone's radar.

She does have Roadside Attractions who helped Renée Zellweger win her Oscar last year. But, Judy was a much, much higher profile film. Hope Gap has been seen by maybe 118 people.

Turn of Mind (which was supposed to start filming right before covid hit) is still stalled. :(