Hush (1998)

Who payed the critics

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Hush (1998) is a thriller about a new mother in law who's hiding a dark secret. It stars Jessica Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Johnathon Schaech. I love thrillers and mysteries, especially when it features actors and actresses I like. I am a big Lange and Paltrow fan, they are both great actresses. They turn in fine performances here, to be honest Jessica Lange is the best part. If the cast had been different I'm not sure I would've liked this film at all. It does have flaws, the writing is average at best and it's not the most exciting thriller to watch. I'm only giving Hush a 7/10 because of how much I enjoyed the performances. I was disappointed by the script, I thought it had a lot more potential. The potential wasn't completed wasted, but a good bit of it was and it could've been a lot better.

Gwyneth Paltrow's character gets pregnant and marries into a messed-up family. When the weirdness starts to look dangerous, the audience has lots of suspects. Mom might be neurotic and even a little bit deranged, but it's not clear she's psychotic enough to be responsible; the truly nasty stuff is always done off screen. Her son behaves oddly at times, and there's so much talk about horse breeding that one can imagine a plausible conspiracy involving any combination of the peripheral characters as well. The only thing certain is that Paltrow and her baby had better watch out.It's not a bad thriller, contrary to many of the reviews I've read. Jessica Lange nicely takes us through Mom's rapid mood swings, keeping the audience uncomfortable and unsettled. The other significant characters are ambiguous enough that, while putting forward pleasant faces, they all seem to be hiding a dark side. And the visual images are superb; definitely NOT B-movie quality stuff.The main problem is the fragmented nature of the plot. Some points are developed at length, but other developments needing explanation fly by -- and if you watch the trailer, which contained lots of scenes that never appeared in the movie, the reason for the haste must be that tons of material landed on the cutting-room floor. Seems as though the director let this horse get away from him. But if you can focus on the uncertainty surrounding who is really manipulating Paltrow and why they are doing it, you can enjoy this one.

Jackson Baring takes his girlfriend Helen to his family's horse farm Kilronin. Jackson's mother Martha has been running the place but would like her son to take over. Jackson and Helen are living together in New York City and are reluctant to leave that life. But Helen somehow gets pregnant, even though she was using birth control, and the two get married and eventually do take over the farm.Jackson blames himself for his father's death when he was 7. Martha knows the truth but won't tell him, and she seems to have an unnatural relationship with her son. It's almost as if she sees his father and wants to be with him in that way. And she sees the baby as a means of continuing the legacy, but not a child to be loved, at least not in the way most people would. Her treatment of Helen is strange, as if Helen is only useful until the baby is born, and then she will be in the way.The ending is exciting and sort of creepy at the same time.Jessica Lange does a fine job here as Jackson's overly controlling and demented mother. However, Nina Foch gives the standout performance as Jackson's grandmother, who is kept in a fancy nursing home because only she knows the truth about how her son died.I think all the leading actors did a good job here. I usually can't stand Debi Mazar, who was a co-worker to Helen and possibly her boss, but I would like to have seen more of her here. But if Helen had to move out of New York, I guess keeping her job was out of the question.I suppose my favorite scene was the one where Helen gets out of bed naked and meets her mother-in-law for the first time. That one was edited for TV in such a way it seemed kind of jerky and I didn't get to see much, but a lot depends on how one sees this movie.It's not typical of what I like in a movie, but still entertaining.

Jonathan Darby is credited with the writing/directing of this misconceived movie. As an auteur, Mr. Darby, doesn't bring anything new to the medium. "Hush" proves to be a total waste as it appears Mr. Darby had nothing in the way to control the over the top campy performance of Jessica Lange.Ms. Lange is at her worst as Martha, the evil mother behind all the scheming in the film. Her love for her son, and hatred for her daughter-in-law, gives the actress an opportunity to do some of the worst emoting in any film in recent memory. Gwyneth Paltrow must be questioned for her choice of material. Didn't she smell the aroma in reading the script? Oh well, let's hope she was able to ask for millions of dollars for appearing in this turkey. Jonathan Schaech doesn't fare better. Nina Foch is the only one who comes out the best in her small role of Alice, Martha's wise mother-in-law who has seen right through what's going on.This is a film to watch with friends after having a few drinks, then one might enjoy the "masterpiece" some avid fans thought "Hush" was.