[.ca] Before And After

From Amazon.com:
Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep play a couple going through a parents' nightmare: Their son (Edward Furlong) is accused of murdering a local girl. What's worse, he's gone into hiding, seeming to lend credence to the charges. Neeson, as a passionate, intuitive artist, tries to take matters into his own hands; when he finds what appear to be blood-stained clothes in the kid's car, he cleans the whole thing up and winds up destroying evidence, making matters increasingly worse. Before and After is a solid if stolid drama, with a strong, controlled performance by Streep as the worried wife and mother, while Neeson comes off as overwrought playing the controlling father. Given the subject matter and the presence of director Barbet Schroeder, this movie should be a lot more interesting than it is. --Marshall Fine

Wake me when it's over:
Sulky teen Jacob Ryan (Edward Furlong) is accused of killing his girlfriend, and his parents (Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson) at first try to cover up what really happened; later, the truth comes out. Or is it the truth? How such talented actors could make such an abysmal film is nothing short of amazing. The movie is just bad. Every word that the characters say sounds like, well, movie dialogue. None of it rings true. Everyone - from the parents, to the boy, to his little sister, to the lawyer - is way too Noble and Heroic to be believable. The pregnant pauses, pained expressions, and lofty platitudes about loving one's family and doing the right thing are over-done and just plain boring. There's no question Streep and Neeson are fine actors, but here they over-act shamelessly and are hampered by ridiculous dialogue and a script that never quite knows where it's going. Alfred Molina is good as the lawyer, but he is still saddled with trite dialogue and courtroom drama that would have embarrassed Perry Mason. Furlong, whose specialty was playing sullen, pouty kids, sleepwalks through the movie. If he doesn't care, why should we? The corny voice-over narration saying life changes forever after an event like being accused of murder isn't true; their life seems pretty much the same afterward. I give it two stars for the picturesque New England scenery.

Toothless story:
The great shame of this movie is that it veered so terribly from the premise of the novel. Brown's novel was so gripping and emotionally difficult precisely because Jacob did murder his girlfriend in cold blood. We struggle with the family as they come to grips with this hard truth: a seemingly "normal" family can indeed produce a dysfunctional, disturbed child and educated, thoughtful parents are often powerless to understand why. All of the dramatic power came from the adults struggling to figure out what to do with a son they don't recognize, and a younger sister knowing very well who her brother is but unable to share that information because the adults are interested in hearing it. The movie pulled the teeth from this story when it gave us the eleventh-hour confession of Jacob's crime as *an accident*. Good grief. The movie, which wasn't very good to start with, then collapsed into unbelievable, sentimental pap. My sympathies are with the author, who must have been appalled.

Not a movie - real life:
Before the movie or the book, this really happened - details were merely changed. My brother did what he did and my parents and I are still dealing with it. The ending is radically different from real life and makes me nostalgic. If you don't understand the movie - you won't unless you have to, be glad you don't. Not everything can be explained even in real life. I still struggle with the why of losing a beautiful sister-in-law, attending parole hearings in a federal penitentiary, seeing my parents disintegrate into premature old age... The book is 5 stars.

HOLLOW CHILD:
This could have been a riveting, thought-provoking film IF ONLY we understood why Edward Furlong's character was so troubled. There are no real indications of dysnfunctionality, only with the mention of the boy's fight with father Liam Neeson on the day the murder occurred. Also, the resolution is anticlimactic, with Julia Weldon's voiceover narration not adequately telling us exactly how the verdict affected the family. Meryl Streep does a fine job as always, although Carolyn sometimes seem vacuous in her understanding of what her son has done; Liam Neeson overdoes his portrayal, yet has his moments, too; Edward Furlong does nothing to evoke sympathy in his wooden, James Dean like performance; Julia Weldon is very good in the role of the narrator/sister; Alfred Molina also does a great job in his role as the no nonsense lawyer. Truth, is it important? Should one lie to protect a loved one? The movie never lets us know who to root for...it works mainly because of the beautiful setting and Meryl's presence is always worth watching.

Expect the unexpected:
"Before And After" is a wonderful displiction of a family torn apart by a son's mistake. This mistake could mean them losing their son forever. Worse, he's accused of murder. As the son's temper inflames, the storyline continues to build keeping the audience's eyes attentive to ever event. The drama builds further when yet another crime is committed by another family member. The turmoil continues to keep the audience waiting impatiently for the next scene. Such series of events express the screenplay writer's capacity. He never lets down the audience. The director and the producers work at the same high level giving "Before And After" its depth and greatness. Meryl Streep proves as always that she is one of the greatest actresses around. Her every action and word is always believable as if she's experiencing this in real life. Her role as the mother is flawless. Liam Neeson performs his role as the father with every drop of emotion dripping down his face. Edward Furlong's role as the accused son reaches the high level that few other child stars have accomplished. Alfred Molina's role as the determined attorney proves that he will reach further fame soon as he deserves. All the other actors, small or big, perform their roles wonderfully. "Before And After" is a wonderful movie for everyone to enjoy. Some may have to watch it a second time to fully understand the series of events, but one will be glad afterwards. This is a movie no one will forget.