Confession.
My review of this film is based not just on my
critical opinion of this film. It's simply not.
My review of this film is based on a lifelong
love of John Mellencamp...his music, his person,
his beliefs and his being a native Hoosier. Now
that I've admitted that...down to the task at
hand.
This is still a pretty damn good film. Written
by Larry McMurtry, "Falling From Grace" is
directed by and stars Hoosier rocker and noted
Farm Aid activist John Mellencamp. Mellencamp is
pretty much a god in Indiana...he is from here
and still lives here. His concerts consistently
sell out our domed stadium, even when he chooses
to do 2 or 3 night stands. There are VERY few
artists who can do that here.
"Falling From Grace" has many autobiographical
tones for Mellencamp's own life...it is about a
philandering rock star who returns home trying
to make peace but ends up continuing the same
behavior. It's a simple story...in many ways,
it's an ideal Hoosier story...it has a "down
home" feel to it and was destined to have no box
office success. There's no action here...no
special effects...just straightforward
storytelling backed by good, but not outstanding
performances by all involved.
In his acting debut, Mellencamp plays "Bud" and
does so with a simple honesty about his
performance. In real life, Mellencamp is on his
third wife and has five children...he's been
known historically as challenging to work with
even when singing about unity and racial
tolerance. All those dynamics come out in his
performance here as he clearly has a personal
connection to this character. So, is it a
stretch acting wise? Probably not, but it's
still a good performance.
The supporting performances include Claude Akins
as Bud's father, who exhibits the same traits as
his son, Mariel Hemingway as Bud's ever devoted
and loving wife...Dub Taylor, Kay Lenz,
Mellencamp bandmember Larry Crane and others
round out the cast.
The music here is solid, but not the best of
Mellencamp...the film received critical praise,
including from Roger Ebert and Peter Travers of
Rolling Stone.
The film loses points for a somewhat weak
ending, and a general lack of excitement within
the film. I've heard some compare this film to
"Pure Country," and that's a fairly reasonable
comparison. It's a good film that brings to mind
the question "Can we ever really go home?"
Mellencamp fans....fans of "country" themed
films...and fans of good old, simple
storytelling will find a lot to enjoy
here..."Falling From Grace" is not a perfect
film, but it's an enjoyable film with solid
music, good acting, a great script by Larry
McMurtry and some really beautiful
cinematography.
©
Written by Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
N/A
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
