Movie Guys: Oprah’s ‘Beloved’ isn’t universally beloved

Friday, Oct. 16, 1998 | 11:03 a.m.

* Grades: Jeff, D; Dave, B.

* Starring: Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Kimberly Elise and Irma P. Hall.

* Director: Jonathan Demme.

* Screenplay: Akousa Busia and Richard LaGravenese; based on a novel by Toni Morrison.

* Rated: R for sexual situations, nudity, violence and profanity.

* Running time: 172 minutes.

* Playing at: Regal Cinemas Boulder Station, Regal Cinemas Village Square, Rancho Santa Fe 16, Century Orleans 12, Cinedome 12 Henderson, UA Green Valley.

Synopsis:

Set in Ohio after the Civil War, "Beloved" follows the story of a woman who escaped slavery but is quite literally haunted by her heritage. "Beloved" is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison.

Dave:

You know, it's not only the fall season, it's Oscar season. This is the time when studios normally send out their potentially Oscar-worthy films so they will be fresh in the minds of Oscar voters -- not to mention in moviegoers minds -- by the year's end. So when a movie is released that possesses a strong leading female character, is a classic period piece, features an Oscar-veteran cast and crew and an has epic running time of nearly three hours, it's safe to say that "Beloved" will garner a few Oscar nods. And deservedly so!

Jeff:

Oscar nods? More like Golden Turkeys! How about winning an American Comedy Award, because there are more laughs than scares or drama in "Beloved," unintentional as they may be. The only thing fresh in the hands of the Academy voters should be the over-ripe tomatoes that they hurl at the screen. I've spoken to other critics who have read the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Beloved" who have told me, as is always the case, that the book is better than the film. It would certainly have to be. It took every bit of movie critic strength I had to sit through "Beloved," which had more holes in the performances (and in the story) than a moth-eaten angora sweater.

Dave:

You heard it here first, folks: Jeff's ludicrous remarks as to "Beloved's" Oscar fate. This coming from the critic who placed "Air Bud" in his Top 10 Films of 1997. Popular daytime talk show host Oprah Winfrey stars in her first major role since earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple." She plays Sethe, a runaway slave whose dark past haunts her family and her desperate attempts to prevent her children from returning to that horrid way of life. Winfrey truly makes herself vulnerable as the tortured soul, giving an all-out earnest performance in an impressive return to the silver screen. Is there anything this woman can't do?

Jeff:

Oprah should have stayed on TV. Haunting is the key word. It seems Sethe is haunted by this entity, the ghost-like spirit of her daughter, who is into moving furniture in the kitchen, spinning the family dog in the air until his eye falls out and distorting the hallways by making them bend and weave in an array of psychedelic colors. She's a typical poltergeist. Somebody call The Ghostbusters. I guess you could call "Beloved" a regular Civil War "Amityville Horror" in which the ghost seems to vanish 20 minutes into the film. Why does Sethe stay? Beats me. Her two sons left home because they couldn't take ghost sister's tantrums. The whole town won't even come near the house.

Oprah's portrayal of a woman escaping the plantation of her slave master, and her plight to deal with her tormented past is nothing more than an overly dramatic display by a tortured soul who doesn't make any emotional connection to the audience. The word "embarrassing" comes to mind in describing the ludicrous performance by Thandie Newton as "Beloved," the mysterious, slobbering stranger who arrives on Sethe's doorstep late one evening. Danny Glover is always capable, playing former slave Paul D, but the only interesting performance was by Kimberly Elise, who plays Sethe's daughter, Denver. Her awakening and desire for a normal life was the only story that interested me, not ghosts who terrorize poor black families in the Post-Reconstruction Era.

Dave:

Oh please, Jeff. No emotional connection to the audience what-so-ever? What you call "overly dramatic" is the very dynamic essence of Oprah's portrayal. All I can say to you is, I'm sorry you missed it. The other standout is in the film's direction by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs"). His distinct style, which infused "Lambs" and empowered 1993's "Philadelphia," is extremely potent in the dreary setting of this bleak tale. The use of different film stock for flashback sequences is rather ingenious. There are numerous graphic scenes in which we witness the actual terror in Sethe's life -- rape, murder, the loss of her children -- as well as her whip-scarred back. All of it punctuates the reality behind the history.

Jeff:

Hey, as for Demme, his all-too-easy, graphic scenes of slave owners mistreating or raping Sethe was too staged and expected. It was inserted to prompt a knee-jerk reaction and has become stereotypical. Sethe was a slave, so let's show her being mistreated, raped and whipped within a half-inch of her life in one flashback after another. It became tedious. Why can't Demme and Winfrey convey the emotional scars that Sethe has endured, instead of taking the easy way out to shock the audience with brutal violence? What was Demme thinking?

Plus, I almost burst out laughing during the scene in which Denver and Beloved watched the ever-so-touching turtle mating scene by the brook. "Beloved" is a boring, unemotional period drama in which the story hinges on the tormented soul of a woman who doesn't have the sense to leave her house when it's haunted. Nothing in this movie worked. I should've had my wisdom teeth removed instead.

MOVIE BUZZ

Foster ponders "King":

Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster may star opposite Chow Yun Fat ("The Replacement Killers") in "Anna and the King." If Foster takes the role, she would receive $15 million for portraying 19th century British school teacher Anna Leonowens.

Acting trio are "Sympatico":

Sharon Stone, Jeff Bridges and Nick Nolte are in final negotiations to star in the independent drama "Simpatico." The film is about a horse-racing scam that threatens the relationship between two friends. The pair is reunited 20 years later.

"End" director ends job:

Amid rumors about on-set tantrums and cost overruns, director Marcus Nispel has left "End of Days." The $100 million supernatural thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was to begin shooting next month. The producers want to keep the film on schedule and are hoping to announce a new director within the week. "Days," which has Satan visiting New York in search of a bride with only Arnie able to stop him, is set for a fall 1999 release.

NAME THAT FLICK: "Especially important is the warning to avoid conversations with the demon. We may ask what is relevant, but anything beyond that is dangerous. He's a liar, the demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us, but he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us." Louis Coppla was the first to call and identify the quote spoken by Max Von Sydow in "The Exorcist." Way to go, Louis!

Now, for this week's chilling quote -- it's a tough one. Who said this and in what film: "Kill the brain and you kill the ghoul"? Does it sound familiar? If you think you know, call The Movie Guys Hotline at 225-9026 or e-mail us at movieguys5@aol.com. Be sure to spell your name and leave your daytime phone number, and if you're the first correct caller/e-mailer, we will print your name right here in our column for the entire Las Vegas Valley to read.

See you next week, if you dare!

THE MOVIE GUYS, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Fridays in the Sun (additional material provided by Thomas Feeney). You can also read their capsule reviews of movies in Las Vegas Weekly magazine and watch their reviews every Friday on Channel 3's 11 p.m. newscast. Plus, check them out online at: www.lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/movies.

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