Women in Trouble
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Carla Gugino, Marley Shelton, Connie Britton
What's it about: Several women at crossroads in their lives criss-cross in this blend of comedy and drama.
Cross purposes: This film, by Sebastien Gutierrez, brings together a strong cast of women, each given a colorful character and at least one big scene. They range from mothers who gave up their daughters to therapists who learn their husbands are cheating from their patients. The best of the bunch is Gugino, as a porn star trying to get out of the game and find a normal life; the least believable is Adrianne Palicki as another porn star who has a problem with girl-on-girl scenes. Ultimately, this one feels like a gimmick - a mix-and-match improv challenge in which the writer pulled characters and situations out of a hat, then tried to write scenes based on what he had. It winds up trying too hard to touch the heart and just feels contrived instead.
Long story short: This whole movie is in trouble.
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