User Reviews

When I saw this movie's trailer, I was not at all impressed by it. When I read the IMDb reviews, same was the case. The advertisements and marketing of this movie also seemed lackluster. Yet, I went to see the movie because in one of the reviews I read it was about "child molestation".

The movie is the story of three women – grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda), daughter Lilly (Felicity Hoffman) and granddaughter Rachael (Lindsay Lohan). Seventeen years old Rachael has grown up to be a liar, loose character, rebel, ill-mannered etc. Lilly decides to leave Rachael with Georgia in one of the small towns of Idaho – hoping that Rachael will learn some good things from her grandmother. There are funny moments between religious Georgia and rebellious Rachael. Soon Rachael discloses that she was sexually molested by her stepfather Arnold (Cary Elwes), and this becomes the intrinsic turning point in the movie. Rachael keeps on changing her statements every now and then. Is Rachael telling the truth or lying? That forms the remaining story.

The character of Rachael was very puzzling to begin with. Being careless, sexually active, liar, outspoken, rebellious made us cringe to begin with. But as the story progressed, the character with such weirdness looked so real and acceptable.

All the actresses acted well – Jane Fonda, Felicity Hoffman but this very talented Lindsay Lohan captures the show - all in all. Hats off to Director Garry Marshall for bringing such a women's issue on the forefront and touch such a delicate topic out in the front fore.

The landscape of Idaho is capture miraculously. Some reviewer disagreed with the overly religious bent of Idaho people, but I think that does not matter – one need not take such small things to heart. It is just a story and as projecting as being non-religious is a non-issue, so projected being religious should be.

Overall, a welcome experience of an "under-the-carpet" subject – of child molestation – treated with not so much heaviness and darkness.

(Stars 7.5 out of 10)

I suppose ultimately my expectations weren't high going into Georgia Rule considering the lack luster reviews by critics and the ongoing poor press of it's young star Lindsay Lohan but I forgot one key element...the director. Garry Marshall is brilliant!! He has done some of the most entertaining films in history including my personal favorite The Princess Diaries, as well as Pretty Woman, Beaches and a host of absolutely classic Television shows. Marshall has a way of capturing reality, he has a way of making us fall in love with his characters and be riveted by their lives and what happens to them. He just makes his films come alive and Georgia Rule is no exception to Marshall's rule. The film is a little more gritty and dark, perhaps a little more adult than what Marshall usually delves into but that being said it still has it's charm, it still has a dark, twisted humor to it and it still has Hector Elizondo (who Marshall likes to cameo or feature in his films.) The cast is brought together very well and everyone works well together in it and you love being a part of the daily routine of the small town. There is enough drama, emotion, comedy, and overall scenes of pure joy to make this a good movie.

I'll start with Jane Fonda. As famous as she is this is only the second movie I've ever seen her in...the first was Monster-In-Law and I became an instant fan of hers. Her comic timing, her character and her performance was downright brilliant. In this turn she is Georgia, a firm and dedicated woman who lives on her own and but is well known to the townspeople. She has a set way to do things and no one is going to tell her otherwise. Georgia is terrific...the perfect match for Fonda and does a great job. Fonda is such a talented actress and Hollywood elite and she lights up the screen and yet still comes across as this down home, lovable character. My only complaint is that she wasn't used more in the film than she was. Felicity Huffman, I became a big fan of after watching the brilliant film Transamerica where she played a man wanting to go through the transformation into a woman...her performance was amazing. In Georgia Rule she plays the daughter of Jane Fonda's Georgia, Lilly. Now Lilly hasn't always appreciated her mother's firm nature and has had a rough go of it battling alcoholism, two marriages and her wild and uncontrollable daughter. Huffman isn't the forefront of the story but she adds a lot of emotion to her role. Her battle with alcoholism and her daughter and her estranged second husband give way to some very powerful moments. She is a great actress. And now we tread lightly into the world of the recently arrested Miss Lindsay Lohan. We all heard she was nearly fired from this film for her wild ways and I mean her role in this film must strike so close to home it hurts. As Rachel, Lohan plays a confused and messed up post high school graduate who likes her recreational drugs, drinking and random sexual encounters. She doesn't want to listen to so called 'authority figures' and thinks her life is just fine but she's hiding a devastating secret. Lohan I thought overall was good...she didn't match the performances of her senior performers but to go up against Jane Fonda is pretty impressive. She has some great lines and she definitely pulls off the firecracker role very well. Also on the plus side she looks relatively healthy considering her real life health issues as of late. Dermot Mulroney is also very good and actually shows some life to his usually rather dull performances as local Doctor/Veterinarian Simon. Simon becomes almost like a father figure to Rachel and is the one to really bring her back around to coming to terms with herself and her issues. Mulroney is a good addition to the cast. Cary Elwes rounds out the cast as Rachel's stepfather and Garrett Hedlund as her love interest. Elwes is appropriately normal looking but still becomes the villain in a different way and you want to see him get his just end. Hedlund is okay as the naive and love struck Harlan. He comes across as a bit of a dolt which is okay but ultimately you don't want the main romantic interest to be downright stupid. Naive is one thing.

Despite it's serious content (the film is about sexual abuse and coming-of-age in a different sort of way...something director Garry Marshall does with style always) the film has some genuinely funny moments. I wouldn't hesitate to see this film again because there was something charming about it and ultimately it did have it's happy ending although my one big complaint is that Cary Elwes' character never truly gets what's coming to him. I wanted to see Lohan take her aggressions out on him. However the scene with Jane Fonda's Georgia hitting him with the bat is priceless. This film is a classic I think and will go far despite critics and dollar signs. See it!! You'll enjoy it!! 8.5/10

Well, it was entertaining enough, but...

This movie was marketed as a comedy, which is totally inaccurate since there are surprisingly few "funny" moments. For some people probably none at all.

It was not the light-hearted comedy I thought it was going to be. It's quite a serious movie that deals with serious issues.

Lindsay Lohan did a fine job... portraying her real-life self. She was so convincing as a spoiled stuck-up party girl because she didn't have to act.

Also, there was zero chemistry between characters and you could actually tell that they can't stand / couldn't care less for each other. None of them seem to have bothered to "own" their respective roles; instead, they just showed up and did their jobs -- that's the vibe you get from this movie.

Nevertheless, it's quite an O.K. movie -- for those interested in this genre (drama).

Georgia Rule is an uncomfortable drama that revolves around the unhealthy relationship dynamics of a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter. TW: rape, pedophilia

I was not expecting to find such a brilliantly written drama. It contains explicit mentions of sexual assault/pedophilia.

This move leaves you feeling uneasy because it is a realistic portrayal of what can unfold when abuse surfaces in a already broken family dynamic. It has very few moments where it feels movie-esque, actually.

I haven't read through reviews, but I would not be surprised if the low ratings are because there is no "happy ending". Or, because that it seems none of the adults in this film quite handle the situation "right" or appropriately. In my opinion, however, that is the magic of the movie's ability to portray the complex reality of this type of situation.

Jane Fonda does a subtle but impeccable job at portraying the Georgia (grandmother) who, having not raised her daughter well, spends her time trying to rectify those bad parental choices with her granddaughter.

Felicity Huffman does a great job being the emotionally unavailable mother who is caught on the border line of trying to grapple with not having her own needs met as child and preventing her mother's plights from becoming a generational curse. Upon learning her child has been raped by her husband, she goes through stages of grief and ultimately steps into being the kind o mother she wished she had.

Lindsay Lohan does an exceptional job as portraying the imperfect victim. She has small subtle mannerisms that bring this character to life. Specifically, she brings the kind of innocence to the character that might be hard to pick out if you don't know the complicated effects abuse can have on an adolescent's mind. Her character is trying to separate herself from the heinous act she was victim of by assuming a villainous role. I was thoroughly impress with how well Lindsay and the writers portrayed this without being over the top. Because these things are seldom explicit.

If you are looking the kind of drama where everything unfolds expectedly and you trust there will be a satisfactory resolve at the end and you are unwilling to sit with some uncomfortable emotions and try to identify with characters who make decisions that challenge your reality or ideal this movie may not be for you.

I don't think its necessary to empathize with all of this film's characters. I don't think you need to approve of the protagonists decisions. All you need to ask yourself is: does this happen? Could it happen like this?

Georgia Rule (2007): Dir: Garry Marshall / Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Cary Elwes: Rule in question regards bonding within three generations. Jane Fonda plays a grandmother in Idaho. Felicity Huffman plays her alcoholic daughter. Lindsay Lohan plays the granddaughter who cannot differentiate between truth or lie. Flawed with its comical ads that cover serious undertones. Director Garry Marshall does a fantastic job. He is famed for such films as Pretty Woman and Overboard. Fonda is terrific as the no nonsense grandmother who will no doubt set everything and everyone straight. Huffman struggles to understand her daughter and what is right or wrong. She also deals with alcoholism and an ex-husband her daughter claims molested her when she was younger. It is difficult to accept her state of being in the end because she is jerked in so many directions for a sappy ending to work. Lohan is wonderful as the foul mouth daughter who deflowers a local male and attempts to seduce an old fling of her mother. Her revelation is also difficult to accept. Dermot Mulroney plays a veterinarian who used to date Huffman. Cary Elwes plays Huffman's ex and Lohan's stepfather whose presence is unwelcome by Fonda. While the conclusion might try to tidy things up too abruptly, the film stresses the strength in family and rules made to mend. Score: 8 / 10

I watched this movie after years of seeing Lohan in some of the best movies I ever so, notably The Parent Trap and Mean Girls, and it felt like a downer. Yet, coming to see the movie itself without comparison to previous Lohan works, I can safely say that it's at least better than I thought. I mean, yes they made the part about child molestation feel weird when they made it mentioned so casually, but it's Lohan's talent that makes you go from one emotion to another. The writer may not be the best creating a good plot, but in the end you can forgive his poor writing due to the actresses' talent in executing it. In short, this is a movie with a good cast but a bad script.

Director Gary Marshall tries to treat serious family issues with a touch. For the most part he succeeds, though the problem is keeping interest during the early parts of the film. The last 40 minutes of the film do the pulling in of the audience.

This film highlights 3 women, Grandmom (Jane Fonda)who is Georgia and her rule is pretty obvious. Mom (Felicity Huffman) who is into a second marriage with a second husband who she is in denial about because she drinks to avoid facing serious issues with him.

Then we have Rachel (Lindsay Lohan) who is in serious need of help because she is trying to run away from mom because of the abuse she has gotten from step dad. This leads to Grandmoms house where she initially keeps up her rebellion but then shifts into eventually liking Grand mom and enlisting her to help confront her mom with step dads problem.

It does not become clear what is happening until later in the film because the story is developed slowly. All the women have issues and confront issues with everyone else in their lives. In the end, they all find each other.

This is a good warm touchy film. Marshall has a deft touch of dealing with a very serious adult issue & the restrained performance of Fonda & great performances by Lohan & Huffman bring it off very well.

Sadly, most audiences are probably giving this film a negative reception, though it is one of the most assured pieces of this year. Jane Fonda is back, with her stoic, nonsensical acting, lending gravitas to the piece. That should be enough warning that the piece is not going to be a silly comedy, but a piece dealing with darker and forbidding issues.

To begin with, every behavior has a source, and the rather impulsive, self-destructive defense mechanisms of the Lohan character have a horrible beginning. She alledges some misconduct on the side of a male relative, and this sets off a series of storms that eventually lead to a satisfying conclusion. The frustrating part of the movie is not that anyone is bad, but that much more can be expected from all the participants. Jane Fonda does light supporting work as the skeptical grandmother than is afraid to lose her footing by changing routines. She is perspective but ineffective when providing solace. In fact, she messed up raising her own daughter, now a victim of her own demons and facing a new tragedy, with her daughter's own crisis.

Marshall does well with the darker themes, and he has cast the film beautifully, with Lindsay Lohan proving she is a girl fully able to show the many facets of a troubled character. She is also funny (in a defensive way), sympathetic, and never a true victim. She shows the strength that skipped a generation in her family and reluctantly accepts her grandmother's approach to life.

"Georgia Rule" suffers not from its material but Hollywood's silly approach in marketing a film that should have been treated with more respect.

I don't see how people can knock this film, It is dealing with a very difficult topic, sexual abuse and this film deals with it in a fantastic way, it isn't over dramatised as it is in so many other films that touch on the topic. The film portrays a rebellious teenager, but the audience learns quickly that this movie is about more than just that.It is about each character growing and learning to forgive and to move on. I adore this film and would have to say that I think this is Lindsay at her best, she is not playing a little girl anymore, In this film she is playing an adult and doesn't rely on her slutty looks to get her by, this is a fine example of how well she really can act. A great cast and a good film. Just give the film a chance and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

This movie was NOT marketed appropriately. At all.

I went into the cinema expecting a light, cliché, feel-good movie. What I saw was much more serious than expected. While it did have some humour, mostly it was a fairly hard-hitting look at the effects of child sexual abuse and the consequences of the abuse coming out into the open.

The performances in the movie were all pretty solid. Lohan really shone in this role. Early on in the movie, I thought it really seemed as though she was essentially playing herself, especially after hearing about her various antics off-screen. She really did well in this role.

Georgia Rule is an emotive and provocative film about the consequences of alcoholism and sexual exploitation of a minor. The low rating on this movie is not a wonder given the topic. Most people shy away from such serious matters, but reality is reality.

Child rape/molestation is a problem. An issue society refuses to discuss unless there is an arrest of a sexual predator and the story is newsworthy. That needs to be corrected.

This film discusses the issue with drama, as well as humor, but also with maturity and grace. Sometimes people have to lose their way in order to realize what is most important to them. Georgia Rule is about those hapless wanderers who finally understand the meaning they have lacked, but finally discover for themselves as a cohesive bond to each other.

***** Georgia Rule

Rachel comes to stay with her Grandmother Georgia for the summer, leaving some obvious problems behind at home. Her alcoholic mother doesn't even stay the night before rushing back out to California to be with her husband. Rachel shakes up the town, a beautiful girl in the boring Mormon country. Then she reveals her deepest secret to one of her new friends, and her mother comes rushing back to find out if its true. In the midst of this crisis the three woman become closer than ever and start to understand each other more.

IMDB

*****Spoiler Time*****

The Breakdown

What would you do with an out of control teenager? Well, send her to grandma's house of course. That is where the story begins.

Rachel, played by Lindsey Lohan, is a troubled young woman. After her father's death, her mother, Lily, played by Felicity Huffman, remarries. Unfortunately Rachel's mother is an alcoholic just like her father and leaves her daughter to the appetites of her second husband, Arnold, played by Cary Elwes. Rachel is rape/molested by her stepfather and when she ends the affair, the stepfather tries to bribe and manipulate her to begin the tryst again now that she is over the age of consent.

Lily, played by Felicity Huffman, is a mother whose childhood haunts her. Guilt and resentment lead her to follow in her father's footsteps into her own addiction to alcohol.

Georgia, played by Jane Fonda, is the mother of Lily and grandmother of Rachel. In order to feel some control of her life, Georgia controls everything else, including strict adherence to eating schedules or taking the lord's name in vain.

When combined, these three characters show that their negative behaviors feed off one another. The consequences of being self-indulgent and self-centered comes to a head when the secret is discovered about Rachel's stepfather sexually abusing her from a young age.

In the search for the clarity, as Rachel and Arnold both deny the affair, but Lily and Georgia know the truth, the three women come to terms with their own destructive and aloof behaviors.

This film has been rated: 5.9/10 Stars on IMDB.

*****

The Review

Rachel: Okay, see, I tried to be nice, but let me put this a different way because you're not really getting it right now. If you call me a name, if you throw something at me- ever again!- if I see you talking to Harlan, yelling at Harlan, having anything AT ALL to do with Harlan, I will find all of your boyfriends and I will f@ck them stupid. Okay? Get it? Thanks guys.

Witty humor helps keep this story from going too far into the darkness that this topic creates. A few comedic situations arise from Rachel's bawdy behavior, especially with Harlan.

Through the course of the story, Rachel begins to let her secret slip out until her mother and grandmother figure out the truth from her lies. The characters disintegrate, shedding their own defensive walls and finding solace in the love and camaraderie with each other.

The men in their lives, Harlan and Simon, see the meltdown and do what they can to support the truth that will eventually set the grandmother, mother, and daughter free from their destructive behaviors.

Thank you, Lindsey Lohan, cast and crew, for taking on a controversial story like this one, so we can have a frank discussion about this important topic. Too often is this subject treated as a taboo and thus allowing sexual predators to hide their evil acts against minors with the cover of darkness.

The only tragedy exposed by this film is society's inability to protect their children from sexual predators.

Watched free on Prime Video.

*****

The Tally

My review will be posted on Prime as well as IMDB.

Prime... 4 out of 5 stars

IMDB... 8 out of 10 stars

Have a great and wonderful day.