The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008)

Sorry, this movie sucks

One of my all time favorites.

Boring

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

It's a delightful and lovely drama, with great screenplay, and outstanding performances by both leading actress and actor. I enjoyed every minute of the entire movie, and maybe it's been a long time a movie fully cheers me up that much. It centers around Fisher Wallow, a rich heiress who has returned from abroad, only to find out that her father did some bad thing that damaged a lot of people in Memphis, so now she's hated all over the area. Along with her own personality that is considered quite annoying (she's very sarcastic and honest),this makes it impossible for Fisher to find an escort to go with her to social events. Fisher has always had a feeling for Jimmy, a poor boy whose father works for her family, and mother cannot recognize her own son and is committed to an asylum. Jimmy is, however, not so interested in Fisher. He is actually the grandson of a governor, so everyone actually knows his name and respects his grandfather. Fisher, for her crush on Jimmy, hires him to escort her for the season. Jimmy eventually agrees to get the money to help his parents.After two eventful parties where Fisher took Jimmy with her, the two developed some drama and chemistry together. The biggest drama is around the loss of one of the teardrop diamond earrings, which cost 5,000 dollars each.The plot is surprisingly and pleasantly simple, but with powerful acting the movie becomes very enjoyable. I've never liked Bryce Dallas Howard - not the actress herself, but the characters she played in movies I saw before. In The Help, or 50/50, her characters are really annoying, which fooled me into thinking that's the only kind of roles she does. But that only proves she's a phenomenal actress. Her performance in this movie should have received better recognition as it deserves. Chris Evans delivers a remarkable performance, too. I've always known he's a lot more capable than the superhero kind-of- roles he's famous for, but I was even more amazed by his portrayal in this movie - very refreshing and real. The accent is, however, pretty much of a letdown. But that doesn't make the movie any less good.

Voters and message boarders dissing this movie no doubt want A)a happy ending, or B)inbred southern Gothic genre pulp along the lines of TEXA$ CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Unfortunately for them, Tennessee Williams--who wrote the screenplay for THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND--did not write stories with "happy endings." That is, unless the viewer is one of those sanctimonious self-deluded see-no-evil "silent majority" types who believes Blanche is better off relying on "the kindness of strangers" about to lobotomize her in the nuthouse at the close of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. As for southern Gothic pulp fiction, Williams himself was doomed to choke to death on a bottle cap, so why need he make up anything MORE implausible to give sensationalists some jollies? THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND has plenty of pathos to go around, without resorting to voodoo curses or hermaphrodite fortune tellers. Bryce Dallas Howard as Fisher does not need to eat any crappy pies from THE HELP in order to engage the sympathy of any right-minded viewers in her quest for as much normalcy as she can muster. By the movie's close Chris Evans as Jimmy manages to swallow his pride to join her in at least partially escaping the sins of their fathers.

Somewhere between identifiable conventionalism and unconventional realism is the emotional tone that encompasses The Loss of a Tear Drop Diamond. It is sort of contrived but not too incredible and surprisingly heart warming. Although at times it can be equally heart chilling. Either way, you enjoy the feeling, without loving the movie, but it makes it a descent watch.We are introduced to Fisher: the spoiled, self-obsessed daughter of a rich plantation owner, who is locally disliked. Fisher herself is not fond of the community but she attends parties whenever she can. She is is in search of a new escort, so she turns to Jimmy, the son of Tennessee's former governor. A poor boy who looks after his drunk father and sick mother, while Fishers only concern is to make sure she looks good with a man by her side.We come two expect two things at this point: One, Fisher as a character will grow up, and get a heart, and two, she and Jimmy will fall in love. By the end, it does happen, but not in the spectacular fashion one might expect. Indeed one good quality The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond is that it is not predictable. This is not the product of a conventional writer or a studio voice, it is the product of Tennesse William's one of America's great play writes, whose script for this must have been shelved for decades collecting dust before it was embraced. Now it feels fresh as ever.The movie is not so much driven by plot as much as it is by a movie stealing, fiery performance from Bryce Dallas Howard. She pulls the strings of the audience as well as any good director can. We hate her when we are supposed to hate her, and we love her when we are supposed to lover her. She also does a sensational job of acting with her face, which brings me to another effective quality of the movie. It is beautiful, rich and luscious, with every shot dressed up nicely. Even the diamonds on Fisher's dress sparkle so brilliantly, you might find yourself flirting with the question of whether any digital effects were used. I've certainly never seen a sunrise as golden as it does here.If there is a problem with the movie, it needs a little more time to invest in characters outside of Fisher. As a romance, the movie is questionable, not so much because of cheap filmaking, but because of a deliberate decision to keep things a bit distant. In fact, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond when all is said and done, is more of a drama than a romance, like William's masterpiece A Street Car Named Desire. This one has a far happier outcome than Street Car, and I will be among the few to say it but, I found it more agreeable. The Loss of A Tear Drop Diamond is crafted nicely, with a little room for improvement, but it is easily recommendable. It is strangely delightful.

For those of us who don't get to the theater much and depend on the cinema for our acting thrills, this film is just downright fun. The fact that it got made in this century is a pleasant and amusing surprise. Like "An Education", this film features a few strong unknown cast that are outstanding. It also features phenomenal stars Ellen Burstyn and Ann-Margret in wonderful, surprising cameos. Chris Evans shines-has their been a sexier role for a young actor? Bryce Dallas Howard is a wonder, and really pulls off a very demanding leading place in this film. Now blink you eyes and the plot takes you to a movie experience from before 1950. But that is exactly what is so fun. Southern style romance, twisted identical twins, dead bodies up the stairs-it is also somewhat predicable but very lovingly portrayed. I really like this film, exactly because I love the experience of pulling up to a movie theater on a cold winter night a getting the same good time my parents did in their day-a warm, sweet and somewhat bitter romance with a clear sense of time and place.Don't go to this film expecting fireworks. Go for movie magic served Southern style by actors who are real and very good. This is what entertainment is about, and unfortunately it is a lost art these days.