Film Review - "Far From Heaven" – You Don’t Say!
Created | Updated Mar 12, 2003
There is rarely anything as disappointing as seeing a vastly overrated film. Well there probably is, but the memory's still too fresh for me to detract that statement. Far From Heaven fails miserably on several fronts. Todd Haynes's movie just seemed pointless to me, and I wasn't the only one.
Firstly, I simply didn't care what happened to any of the characters by the end of the film. I did however feel a modicum of sympathy for Dennis Quaid's character at certain junctures. The way his emotional make up was seen as an illness at the time and the ignorance he encounters does make you feel sorry for him, for a short while. However, by the last scene he was involved in I really couldn't have cared less.
Ok then so I didn't care about the characters. Not always the end of the world. Maybe the film would pose some serious questions about the world. It did. Why did anybody bother to make this film? It doesn't really say anything. The movie seeks to highlight racial segregation and prejudice in fifties America. This has already been handled in much more poignant and powerful ways than this.
I went to see this film largely based on the flattering reviews given by the BBC, The Times, The Guardian and the Daily Mail. Both The Guardian and The Daily Mail called this film a masterpiece. My thinking was that for those two to agree on something then it has to be quite close to the truth. Never again will I overestimate the worth of film critics.
The poster says this film is compelling. It is. It compels you to leave the cinema. I made the mistake of ignoring this feeling and endured the poorly shot final scene which made me feel like I was watching a movie partially sedated. Not recommended.
