Writers: Daniel D. Davis
Directors: Christopher N. Rowley
Cast: Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen,Tom Skerritt, Christine Baranski, Victor Rasuk, Tom Amandes, Tom Wopat
Rating: PG
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 24, 2008

I’m not overly fond of the sentimental, chick-friendly flicks that so many men try to get out of watching with their girlfriends. While Bonneville has that chick-flick vibe, it also has big name actors. Seldom have I found a Kathy Bates movie I didn’t like. With her résumé including movies like Fried Green Tomatoes and Misery, it’s hard not to like Kathy in any of her roles. Now that she’s getting older, she’s being asked to play more mature roles.

The role she plays in Bonneville is rather spunky. The movie will appeal to mainly women, but it also tells a story that many men will find interesting. I don’t really want to classify this as a chick flick, because it’s not your standard, Cameron Diaz, lame-o chick flick. The story has depth. Rather, it is a sentimental journey of the human spirit. I enjoyed Bonneville not only because it had a story to tell, but also because the acting was flawless, the cast was stellar, and the movie made sense. Older individuals will be able to relate to this story, and as I age, I find myself asking the questions that are brought up through the story told by Daniel D. Davis.

Release Information:
Bonneville premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2006. For some reason, this film seemed to sit on the shelf for the past two years, though it did make two appearances at the Deauville Festival of American Cinema in France and the Film by the Sea Festival in September of 2007. On February 29, 2008, Bonneville had a limited U.S and Canadian theatrical release. That brings us to today.

On June 24, 2008, 20th Century Fox will be releasing Bonneville on DVD. The DVD is available for pre-order at a wide variety of stores online, including Amazon. At Amazon, you can find a pre-order copy of Bonneville for $19.99 USD.

The Bonneville Plot
Three talented actresses, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, and Joan Allen star alongside Tom Skeritt in this story about a woman who must move on after the death of her husband. The emotions displayed by Jessica Lange come off the screen to touch each viewer. It’s easy to see why this magnificent actress has won two Oscars.

Lange plays Arvilla Holden, the much younger wife of what seems like a free spirited traveler by the name of Joe. When Joe dies, Arvilla is unable to find his will, which states he wishes to be cremated. His daughter, Francine (Christine Baranski), who is not much younger than her stepmother (though Arvilla and Joe have had 20 excellent years together), has an old will leaving his house to Francine and telling of his wish to be interred in the Holden family plot in Santa Barbara next to Francine’s mother.

Despite being cremated already, Francine is rigid in her request that Arvilla deliver the ashes to Francine, in Santa Barbara. She decides to make her stepmother, who she obviously doesn’t care much for, an offer. If she delivers Joe’s ashes to her then Arvilla can keep her house. If she doesn’t, Francine will be selling it. At the insistence of her two best friends, Margene (Kathy Bates) and Carol (Joan Allen), Arvilla realizes that Joe wouldn’t want her to lose the house, so she makes the difficult decision to give Francine the ashes.

Originally preparing to fly, Arvilla convinces Margene and Carol to come with her to Santa Barbara. However, Arvilla never intended to fly. That’s just how she convinced the rather conservative, Mormon Carol to leave her husband, Arlo (Tom Wopat) long enough to go from their homes in Idaho to Santa Barbara. Instead, Arvilla takes the three on a road trip in Joe’s beloved Bonneville convertible (it looks like it’s a 63’ though I’m not positive), traveling the same path Joe drove them from Santa Barbara to their new home in Idaho some 20 years before.

Along the way, Arvilla takes them to the beautiful places Joe once took her, including the Bonneville Salt Flats. It is here where Arvilla drives so fast the lid blows off the urn and some of Joe’s ashes scatter across the flats. This is where she realizes she has an obligation to spread Joe’s ashes as he would have wanted, though she knows she may face many consequences if Francine finds out what she has done.

In the salt flats, the three meet a young man, Bo (Victor Rasuk), who is on a quest to find his father. He helps the three to repair their tire and teaches them some valuable lessons. The ladies also meet a trucker by the name of Emmett (Tom Skerritt), who is the potential love interest for the single Margene. Emmett has his own secrets from his past and he brings something to the story, which adds another layer to the ongoing action.

It is hard to say any movie with a cast like this is terrible. Truth be told, I enjoyed the sentimentality of the movie. The movie asks some pretty big questions. It’s inevitable that you’ll ask yourself whether you would do what Arvilla did and risk losing everything you own or not. It seems like it should be the right of every person who is married (or partnered) to fulfill their lover’s last wishes. Still, the story just emphasizes the importance of having a will with directives for how you wish to be buried, updating that directive, and keeping it in a safe place.

I found pleasure in the story for Bonneville more than I thought I would. This story actually made me feel something. I was empathetic with the characters, especially Arvilla who seems absolutely lost without Joe. The plot for Bonneville was well written and the characters were all very interesting. It was great to see Joan Allen play such a skittish, nervous, yet caring and giving person. Kathy Bates was the more adventurous Mormon in the story and I love any role Kathy does, where she gets to be her version of risqué (though let me say Mormons aren’t big risk takers, in general). The supporting characters played their roles well and the story moved along nicely without any type of lull or stagnant moments that can ruin a movie like this.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
I received a screener copy of Bonneville. I can’t really give a rating on the quality simply because I’m not sure how many changes the 20th Century Fox distributors will make before the final copy is released. What is available is widescreen with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The colors look vibrant, the contrast is sharp with very little softness, and there were only a few instances of grain and dirt. Overall, everything looked quite good.

The sound for Bonneville was slightly better than the video quality. Bonneville features an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. It also has subtitles in both Spanish and English. Closed Captioning is available for the hearing impaired. The sound comes through clearly and I didn’t have to play with the volume. Everything sounded even and there was even some depth to the soundtrack when necessary.

Bonus Features:
Bonneville is an excellent movie. Therefore, I was not expecting very many (if any) bonus features. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few bonuses fans of the movie (and its lovely cast) will like.

While the bonuses aren’t plentiful what is there includes a behind the scenes featurette, with a look at the production of the movie along with discussions about Bonneville with the cast and crew. There are some alternate scenes, a set of deleted scenes and finally, there is a gag reel. Typically, you see gag reels with comedy movies (and less talented casts). It is nice to have a sneak peek at the lighter moments of making a movie of this caliber.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Bonneville is a heartfelt tale of love and loss. Even if you aren’t into chick flicks, you should check this movie out. The acting is superb and the story is comprehensive enough to be interesting. I enjoyed watching Bonneville, despite hating chick flicks so that says a lot for this movie. Jessica Lange puts in an amazing performance, which is just part of the reason Bonneville is highly recommended.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Bonneville, 20th Century Fox, DVD Review, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen, Tom Skerritt, Death, Road Trip, Salt Flats, Mormon

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