Anywhere But Here Review
by Joy Wyse (jwyse AT onlineworks DOT com)November 22nd, 1999
Review: ANYWHERE BUT HERE
Review by: Joy Wyse the SILVER Screen Critic
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman
Director: Wayne Wang
Anywhere But Here certainly qualifies as a chick flick. I doubt that guys can relate to the main characters. Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman portray Adele and Ann August, mother and daughter living through a very difficult age, the three years from Ann’s 14th. Birthday, until she heads for college at 17.
If you’re a mother you can identify with all the frustrations that Adele faces. She sincerely wants what’s best for Ann, although Ann doesn’t want it…at the time. As a typical teen Ann wants her privacy and her independence, and most of all, she doesn’t want to be “embarrassed” by her mother. It’s difficult for a parent not to embarrass a child. Either you dress too drab or too flashy. You’re too protective, or you don’t care enough. That’s the basic storyline of Anywhere But Here; mother and daughter learning to accept each other. Strangely, their most profound advisor is a traffic cop.
Most of the other characters are little more than vignettes but each and every one is delivered with believability.
I particularly liked the reference made to grunion hunting. Yes, there really is such a thing. We aren’t talking about Snipe hunting or submarine races. Some of my fondest childhood memories are the nights that my family went grunion hunting. This is a sport limited to the beaches of Southern California. During the summer, when there’s a full moon, the grunions spawn on the beaches. They come in on one wave, spin into the sand on their tails laying their eggs, and go out with the next wave. The trick is to catch them with your hands in between the two waves without being knocked down by the waves yourself. Warning! They are very slippery. If you ever have the chance, try it. As for the movie, you can try it, too. It’s not bad, but it’s not that special. Because of the acting, I give it a B. It wouldn’t bother me to see it again, but if I don't…no big deal.
See you at the movies.
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