The Lovely Bones (2009)

Jack and I did not like this very much, despite riveting performances by all the actors, especially Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon, a 1973 teenage murder victim who narrates the story after death, and Stanley Tucci as her killer. Neither of us had read the best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, but in the movie we wanted to see way less of "the in between," from whence Susie speaks and watches her earthly survivors. Director Peter Jackson, who has a cameo as a guy picking up some developed film, inelegantly combines the top-notch special effects chops he honed in the three Lord of the Ringses (2001-3) and King Kong (2005) with the murderous tone of Heavenly Creatures (1994). Roger Ebert agreed with us in his detailed and spoiler-laden review.

Now for the good parts: 15 year old Ronan (who pronounces her Irish name SUR-sha, chosen Time Magazine's 2009 third best female performance, Oscar-nominated for Atonement) perfectly delineates the fine line between childhood and adulthood tread by a high school freshman (and she is developing into quite the beauty). Tucci, deserving winner of the 2009 Gotham Tribute award for acting, directing, writing (he did all three in the marvelous Big Night; he got an Emmy for co-starring again with (and mocking) Tony Shaloub in a hilarious Monk episode; I loved him in the TV series Murder One; The Devil Wears Prada (2006); Julie & Julia; and much more) was horribly creepy as the neighbor about whom one would say, "He was quiet, kept to himself..." The supporting cast did good work as well: Rachel Weisz (I wrote about her in The Brothers Bloom) and Mark Wahlberg (I liked Boogie Nights (1997), Three Kings (1999), and The Departed (2006)) were strong as the parents who are ripped from a contented family life and plunged into their individual stages of grief; Susan Sarandon (some of my faves: Atlantic City (1980), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Bull Durham (1988), White Palace (1990), Thelma & Louise 1991), Dead Man Walking (1995) which won her an Oscar, Igby Goes Down (2002)), as the hair-sprayed Grandma, provided needed comic relief, and I liked the siblings, too, played by little Christian Thomas Ashdale and Rose McIver, who was in The Piano (1993) before she was 6 years old. The production design and snow effects in the real world were good, and the music by Brian Eno was quite wonderful. Rolling Stone's Peter Travers liked the movie (there's a mild spoiler in his review).

A writer for the Hollywood Reporter suggests that the movie might resonate more for folks who haven't read the book. Not this folk, but I'm still looking forward to reading it.