You know a film is all about the artsy when most of the characters use accents that aren’t their own and the dialog is denser than TGI Friday’s Death by Chocolate dessert. 2002’s Laurel Canyon, written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, is just such a film.
Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale (an Englishwoman sporting an American accent) are engaged and move to his mother’s supposed to be empty house in Laurel Canyon; he’s starting a medical residency and she’s finishing her doctoral thesis. Mom is played by Frances McDormand, a legendary rock and roll producer now finishing up an album with raunchy English rocker Alessandro Nivola (despite the name, born in the USA); despite the 20-ish year age difference producer and singer are lovers. The final key player is Natascha McElhone, English-born playing an Israeli one year ahead of Bale in the residency program and his carpool driver.
Mom and rock band show up, unexpected of course, to use the house’s outbuilding recording studio. Bale has always resented and felted abandoned by her, as she pursued a life of hedonistic pleasure and music rather than being his parent (Dad is neither mentioned nor seen) and her presence is a stiffling imposition–she has another home in Malibu and is supposed to be staying there. Both Bale (by McElhone) and Beckinsale (by McDormand and Nivola) are tempted to stray.
Mainly the characters talk. And talk and talk. There’s a moderate amount of mostly-covered flesh flashed. Some minor interesting emotional revelations. Cholodenko seems satisfied with a stolid, languid pace and does find some interesting visuals, including the very last shot of Bale in the house’s pool.
mildly interesting
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