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DVD Review
Evelyn
By Lee Tistaert Published June 29, 2003
US Release: December 13, 2002
Directed by: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Pierce Brosnan , Stephen Rea , Julianna Margulies , Aidan Quinn
PG
Running Time: 94 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $1,482,000
Directed by: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Pierce Brosnan , Stephen Rea , Julianna Margulies , Aidan Quinn
PG
Running Time: 94 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $1,482,000
C+
117 of 143
Doesn?t have much to offer other than a predictable formula story
Evelyn is a feel-good film about a father?s struggle of winning his children back in custody (who are sent to an orphanage after their mother runs off), and just so happened to have been released Christmas of 2002.
With that in mind, the ending is no surprise, and in some ways that?s a downside.
Though it?s the illusion of an ideal family movie for the Oscar release date, Evelyn doesn?t have much to offer other than a predictable formula story; but the weird thing is that this film isn?t so much a kids? movie despite it giving off that impression. One would look at the storyline and claim it as an easy diversion to take kids to, but the plot may in fact bore young ones, making the film geared toward older adults.
And the problem with older adults, or the parents of the children, is that sometimes these clich? fables can only go so far in the ways of fulfillment; parents take their children for an inspirational story to be told to their kids, sometimes not necessarily for the parents? own good. Sometimes it?s nevertheless a happy experience for everyone, but without the children, the presence of the parents in the theater may not happen.
And with Evelyn, I can see why this picture didn?t really go anywhere in its limited release platform, as it is traditional for its genre, and even a bit complicated (with marketing) in the ways of attracting an audience. For a stronger box office result, writer Paul Pender should?ve rather upped the sophistication level of the script, or at the least made it so the experience isn?t so connect-the-dots in run of the mill fashion. In other words, this screenplay is just too simple and straightforward to make any profound impact.
Pierce Brosnan stars as Desmond Doyle, father of three, whose wife runs off the day after Christmas, leaving them struggling in survival; there?s no one to care of the kids in the house, and Desmond is currently unemployed. As a result, the children are sent to an orphanage of which they stand out in; Desmond, convinced in the theory that children need their father, does everything he can to win them back.
Yeah, yeah, it?s another of those. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don?t; Evelyn operates smoother than other clich? groundwork flicks, but I still wasn?t content with the end result. And much of my evidence for this opinion simply revolves around the fact that the story is so one-dimensional; I know children being taken away can be a universal emotion for parents, but Pender never sincerely dives into this emotion with the type of focus that would be appropriate.
The film scratches the surface of the defenseless and helpless theme, but never goes under the surface looking for a definition. As the audience, we know the definition, as we?ve seen this fable told many times before in many different versions; so in consequence, we keep waiting for the ending to come, only to help prove our belief that there really isn?t much to this picture. Perhaps Evelyn would?ve been more satisfying if the finale dealt with a trick of expectation, but being a Christmas release date, you can?t really expect Pender to be that stupid.
The film isn?t bad, but it?s just (likely) nothing you haven?t experienced before. Some moviegoers will ask for something light like this one day and venture in for the ride, and that?s fine; once and a while we all demand something expected and predictable, as long as entertainment is involved in some form.
For me, that instance isn?t with this film, as I rented it fully assuming what would happen, but hoping for some good cinematography, storytelling devices, and solid soundtrack to make up for the recognizable nature of it all. From that demand, I wasn?t given a lot in return, but when it comes to formula pieces aimed to do nothing but put a smile on your face during the holidays, I?ve seen worse, even if I?m not a fan of this edition.
DVD Features:
- Audio Commentary with Director Bruce Beresford
- Audio Commentary with Pierce Brosnan and Producer Beau St. Clair
- "The Story Behind the Story" Featurette
- Behind the Scenes Featurette
- Photo Gallery
- Soundtrack Spot
- Original Theatrical Trailer
Audio Features:
- (English) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- (French) Stereo Surround
- (Spanish) Stereo Surround
With that in mind, the ending is no surprise, and in some ways that?s a downside.
Though it?s the illusion of an ideal family movie for the Oscar release date, Evelyn doesn?t have much to offer other than a predictable formula story; but the weird thing is that this film isn?t so much a kids? movie despite it giving off that impression. One would look at the storyline and claim it as an easy diversion to take kids to, but the plot may in fact bore young ones, making the film geared toward older adults.
And the problem with older adults, or the parents of the children, is that sometimes these clich? fables can only go so far in the ways of fulfillment; parents take their children for an inspirational story to be told to their kids, sometimes not necessarily for the parents? own good. Sometimes it?s nevertheless a happy experience for everyone, but without the children, the presence of the parents in the theater may not happen.
And with Evelyn, I can see why this picture didn?t really go anywhere in its limited release platform, as it is traditional for its genre, and even a bit complicated (with marketing) in the ways of attracting an audience. For a stronger box office result, writer Paul Pender should?ve rather upped the sophistication level of the script, or at the least made it so the experience isn?t so connect-the-dots in run of the mill fashion. In other words, this screenplay is just too simple and straightforward to make any profound impact.
Pierce Brosnan stars as Desmond Doyle, father of three, whose wife runs off the day after Christmas, leaving them struggling in survival; there?s no one to care of the kids in the house, and Desmond is currently unemployed. As a result, the children are sent to an orphanage of which they stand out in; Desmond, convinced in the theory that children need their father, does everything he can to win them back.
Yeah, yeah, it?s another of those. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don?t; Evelyn operates smoother than other clich? groundwork flicks, but I still wasn?t content with the end result. And much of my evidence for this opinion simply revolves around the fact that the story is so one-dimensional; I know children being taken away can be a universal emotion for parents, but Pender never sincerely dives into this emotion with the type of focus that would be appropriate.
The film scratches the surface of the defenseless and helpless theme, but never goes under the surface looking for a definition. As the audience, we know the definition, as we?ve seen this fable told many times before in many different versions; so in consequence, we keep waiting for the ending to come, only to help prove our belief that there really isn?t much to this picture. Perhaps Evelyn would?ve been more satisfying if the finale dealt with a trick of expectation, but being a Christmas release date, you can?t really expect Pender to be that stupid.
The film isn?t bad, but it?s just (likely) nothing you haven?t experienced before. Some moviegoers will ask for something light like this one day and venture in for the ride, and that?s fine; once and a while we all demand something expected and predictable, as long as entertainment is involved in some form.
For me, that instance isn?t with this film, as I rented it fully assuming what would happen, but hoping for some good cinematography, storytelling devices, and solid soundtrack to make up for the recognizable nature of it all. From that demand, I wasn?t given a lot in return, but when it comes to formula pieces aimed to do nothing but put a smile on your face during the holidays, I?ve seen worse, even if I?m not a fan of this edition.
DVD Features:
- Audio Commentary with Director Bruce Beresford
- Audio Commentary with Pierce Brosnan and Producer Beau St. Clair
- "The Story Behind the Story" Featurette
- Behind the Scenes Featurette
- Photo Gallery
- Soundtrack Spot
- Original Theatrical Trailer
Audio Features:
- (English) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- (French) Stereo Surround
- (Spanish) Stereo Surround
Lee's Grade: C+
Ranked #117 of 143 between Ice Age (#116) and Below (#118) for 2002 movies.
Ranked #117 of 143 between Ice Age (#116) and Below (#118) for 2002 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
