In Connecticut in the 1950s a housewife must face the worst possible marriage crisis as well as other building pressures when she realises that you cannot help the way you feel.
This is one of those films that I have wanted to see for years, it was possibly a trailer on before Chicago started on the VHS that I had. Yes a VHS, you know those things we had before Blu-Ray and even DVDs. But anyway I always thought it looked like a very interesting story. Let’s face it Julianne Moore doesn’t do many wrong roles either!
But where to start about the plot? Well instead of just taking on one taboo issue that would face people in the 1950s, it decided to actually take on two and combine them into one family. Frank has secrets and lives a rather shady double life, he is more interested in men than his wife we very quickly find out. Even though it was obvious the moment Cathy was going to find out was coming, it did not make it any nicer to watch. It seriously made me feel so sorry for her and not wanting her to open the door.
Surely one of the most upsetting and shocking things to find out about your husband at any time? But then Cathy is obviously extremely embarrassed doesn’t tell anyone about Frank. Keeps it to herself and the only person she then really ends up talking to is her gardener Raymond. An interracial relationship is not something the people of Connecticut can handle. Although they never actually get very far with it all anyway.
So an absolute double whammy of awful situations for Cathy. One part which really annoyed me had to be Frank’s reaction to the rumours about Cathy. Surely his situation would have been a lot worse, but I guess he forgot about that. Leading me to think that Dennis Quaid never actually plays any likeable husbands in films . . . Ok so that maybe a bold statement but with this and then ‘Something to Talk About’ coming into my head his track record with those two it’s not great.
Julianne Moore puts in a fine performance (as usual) but her character does have some annoying traits at the same time. Like at times you feel sorry for her for being so naive, but other times you want to scream at her and shake her because of something she has said.
Overall though after years of wanting to watch this film I was left rather disappointed. I think I expected way too much from it and the story is just a little too much all at once, it was like one thing was not enough for the shock that they had to have two things just to make sure you understood that it was not a normal thing to do at this time.
It is a good drama with good performances I just think it is a little bit messy at times. Which is not the best thing in the world, but it will make you think and see how far society has come in the last 60/70 years.
