Reviews

Unlike most of the other reviewers, I'd never even heard of Emily of New Moon before I stumbled on the TV series. I was amazed and astounded--didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Dead mother; heinous school teacher; father loses job after confronting heinous teacher; father falls off roof and dies trying to catch kitten so it can be taken to new home. Holy crap. And all that happened in the first two episodes. Then on we go to more pain and horror. I've never seen a kid's show with so many thoroughly mean characters, both of the adult and child variety--people totally lacking in compassion. So we have ghosts (I failed to mention them from the first two episodes but they were there), attempted cat murder, a child who is treated in a way that could only be considered abusive (forbidden to read and write except for school work), and then we get into jilted lovers and illegitimate kids and 19th century drug addiction. And yet, it's somehow compelling. Maybe just because you can't believe that so many bad things will continue to occur and you keep hoping for some kind of redemption. I'm only in the middle of the 2nd season, so perhaps redemption is just around the corner, or another 17 episodes away.

I didn't like this film much--hated the music except for Ruffalo and Benning singing Joni Mitchell; had a problem with some of the editing--but when I thought about it afterward, I appreciated its overall honesty. The mothers were both pretty unattractive characters--and there was nothing at the end to make me love them. The poor sperm donor gets sucked into their life by their kids--and then sent packing as if he had done something wrong (despite the fact that any "wrongdoing" seemed to me to be initiated by Jules). But, again, I appreciate the honesty of this. The women are not particularly nice people and don't have any room in their hearts for this guy who makes problems for them, even tho the kids seem to like knowing him. The thing that redeemed it for me (even tho I still didn't think it was much of a film) is that, at the last minute, the daughter decides to take the hat the sperm donor/father gave her to college with her instead of throwing it away, despite the whole family being angry at him for Jules' infidelity. The sex scenes were all cringe-worthy. what more can I say?

The acting in this film is fine, but the film itself is very sad while somehow lacking much real substance. Suzanne, the troubled teen, wanders from boy to boy, showing us her lovely body and sweet smile, but she never seems to achieve any understanding. Her father, the most articulate character, talks a lot, but explains nothing. He is mostly just critical--especially of his son. Why does he walk out on his family?--oh, perhaps another woman, as Suzanne guesses, but we have seen no indication of what motivated him to leave. Many continuity problems contribute to making this film hard to follow. Suzanne leaves home in one outfit, has sex, then returns home in a totally different outfit. Is this supposed to represent different events or is it just sloppiness? The one character who seems to have any compassion is Jean-Pierre, the boy Suzanne marries and betrays. Poor lad. The film ends with Suzanne off to another man with Papa's blessing. No growth, no redemption. One can be reasonably sure Suzanne's latest adventure will end just as badly as all the previous