Tara Road (2005)

The Age of Commercialism

Absolutely the worst movie.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The problem with this movie is that it starts in the middle of the novel. Maeve Binchy writes great novels, chock full of characters, but that doesn't mean they will adapt well to the big screen. Tara Road covers a bigger span of time (approximately 16 years) than Gone With the Wind did, so it would make sense that a "full" Tara Road would be at least three hours, if not more.Because the movie starts in the middle of the novel, we don't have enough time to sympathize with Ria Lynch, who has just found out her husband has a pregnant mistress. In the book, we are with Ria from the beginning, and we ache for her as we find out what's been going on with Danny and his various lovers almost right from the start of the marriage. He flat-out married her because she was pregnant with Annie; we find that out in an early part of the book where he tells a woman that Ria means nothing to him.The woman she exchanges houses with, Marilyn, is trying to recover from her son's death. In the book, we find out he really did cause his own death, and not his friend. His friend ends up getting blamed for it.So the two women exchange houses to get away from their grief. Ria, normally outgoing and social, finds that she is a great cook, and that her romantic life is not over, and happiness without Danny is possible. Marilyn finds herself talking about her son, Dale. She finally cries, releasing her grief and getting involved with people, whereas when she was back in the States, she was very remote after her son's death.I won't reveal the ending details. I do think that the actresses in the lead roles weren't quite right in terms of what they looked like in the book. Marilyn had short hair, and was athletic. Ria has dark, curly hair, and probably average height. Olivia Williams is a much spunkier Ria, and with long, smooth hair. Marilyn, who was portrayed by Andie MacDowell, didn't have the right hair.Ria's husband was not nearly as handsome and boyish, as he was described in the book. In the movie, the actor playing him seemed way too wrinkled and nowhere near "boyish." He also seemed to have zero charm.Much has been said about the actress who played Annie. I thought she was okay. She's a teenager when we meet her in the movie, and she was also upset in the book when she found out her dad was leaving them.Rosemary was also played by an actress who didn't look anything like the Rosemary in the novel: tall, slim and blonde. It was very disappointing to see people in roles where the characters are described so fully, you can practically see them, resemble NOTHING of the characters they are playing.I've read and re-read Tara Road; it's probably a Gone With the Wind for my generation. But the movie was disappointing. It's no wonder this was selling for $1 at the Dollar Tree.

I think the movie did a good job of "summarizing" the book. I don't think it's possible to develop characters as well on-screen, as in a few hundred pages of paper and ink. A mini-series would have done the book more justice. I can see where it would be possible to see this movie, and be disappointed.If you've read the book, you'll like the movie. If you don't like to read, get the audio CDs.This story is a summary of a book with vivid descriptions of places and people. The "mind movie" that resulted from reading the book, pretty much matched what I saw on the screen. The home in New England... well, didn't look like New England.

It may have started slow, however the BUILD UP was worth waiting.The PLOT is not two strangers sharing prospective homes in different countries, NO NO, it is how they each cope first with their own grief and sorrows and then how they assist one another. When Marilyn overheard how not only did he cheat on Ria, he also cheated with her best friend.Again over hearing the statement 'Jack Boot' describing Marilyn whom originally horrified by such remark, later utilized same to show who was in charge. When Marilyn met boss' wife and they hatched a plan to salvage RIA's home and smartly done around the dining room table with all characters present, was a STROKE OF GENIUS..Again no jumping in & out of bed with all actors, just plausible story telling. I do not understand the Colm character. Possibly because every time I see Rea I think of the "Crying Game"..To pair him up with Andie MacDowell is ludicrous as she is 'CLASS PERSONIFIED'. I was happy that no involvement became a better story then jumping into bed..

One of Maeve Binchey's most popular novels, complete with a useful American angle, this was an obvious choice for the big screen. However, the story of two women (one Irish, one American) who house-swap makes for a difficult transition in practice. Quite a long novel, it also compresses awkwardly, losing much of its charm and intelligence along the way. The film is not helped by lack-lustre central performances. MacDowell seems out of practice, and Williams (almost invariably seen hitherto in starchy British roles) does not make a convincing Irish housewife. Her emoting seems brittle (even shrill) and she seems uncomfortable with emotion generally. Overall the film looks good and is well filmed, but does not hold the attention except perhaps for die-hard Binchey fans, many of whom will be disappointed at the inevitable over-simplification.