Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Review
by Jun Yan (jyan AT hsc DOT usc DOT edu)November 24th, 1997
MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL
The following review may contain spoilers. Those who do not wish to be spoiled should stop here, but anyone who is not a Kevin Spacey fan might as well pass this film, and I'll explain why.
It is unfair to call the entire movie boring and terrible. Unfortunately, it's likely the impression of the viewers as they walk out of the theater, because the 2nd half of the film leaves very little favorable traces in their memory. I was quite fascinated and impressed by the first hour or so of this movie, in which a New York reporter comes down to Savanah to write a 500-word essay about the famous Christmas party given by local celebrity Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey), an antique and art dealer who specializes in reviving old houses of Savanah. Through the eyes of the reporter John Kelso (John Cusack), the audience are led into the bizzare and interesting world of colorful characters, beautiful architecture, voodoo practioner, and social small talks that you wouldn't expect to hear anywhere else.
I have not read the book, so I can only judge from what on the screen. Although fregmented and seemingly unconnected, these elements are very enjoyable as we watch Mr. Kelso stroll through the streets of Savanah and Mr. Williams' Mansion filled with paintings, antiques, Faberge eggs, and hundreds of other dazzling props all over the place. My attention was held tightly throughout the first part of the film with these scattered pieces, until the murder takes place. Mr. Williams shot his homosexual lover Billy Henson (Jude Law) in his study on Christmas night. He claims self-defense, but the prosecutor put him on trial for first degree murder. The big trial thing is supposed to be the center of the film, and the second half of the film spend almost every minute on it, which basically ruined the film.
The second half of the film abandons the mixture of surprises, fascination and fun of the first half, and focuses on 3 characters only -- Kelso, Williams' lawyer Sonny Seiler (Jack Thompson) and a drag queen Lady Chablis (played by him/herself). At first funny and eccentric, Lady Chablis quickly degenerates into a bunch of old drag jokes that lack neither local flavor nor originality. Seiler provides some really overblown courtroom drama that is not nearly to the level of any episode of "Law and Order". Kelso is the least interesting character, which is natural, since he's from the Big Apple, yet he is given a lot of time on screen to go through the boring and predictable P.I. act trying to clear Williams' name.
I have a big problem with the screenplay (written by John Lee Hencock), which handles this material so weakly and poorly. The characters are drawn only superficially while dumb and tiring "who-done-it" senario goes on and on and on. I found my mind drifting away and growing more and more impatient everytime the camera returns to the courtroom. The filmmakers mistakenly believe that the audience care about the mystery of whether Williams is guilty and whether the jury will convict or aquit him, both totally beside the point. I cannot care less about either, and am hungry for more about the motivation, relationship and emotions of the characters, especially that of Williams. No real attempt was made to describe his affair with Hanson, or with anyone else in town. It is particularly disappointing since Kevin Spacey gave such a mysterious and intriguing performance as the art dealer.
Kevin Spacey once again gains a commanding presence in every scene he is in and makes me miss him in every scene he is not in. He plays Jim Williams with elegance, confidence, class, subtlety, and hidden complexity. Unspeakable charm oozes out of him and spills all over the screen. Looking exquisitely appealing with a thick mustache and grey hair, he sustains a style that is similar to that of Jack Vicennce in "LA Confidential" yet visibly different and distinct. He contains so much mystery in his character that I wish to know more -- is his relationship with Hanson like that of William Somerset Maugham? why did he request Kelso to cover his party? how did he make his fortune? Most important, how is his conscience after killing his lover? Alas, he was given minimal time and lines in the later hour and half of the film, which is a huge mistake. From a female point of view, I feel that the character's homosexuality is not very convincing and a little contrived in Spacey's performance, but I could be wrong.
I have nothing against John Cusack, but he is not given too much to work with here. His character goes through a series of facial expression of astonishment in the first half of the movie, and then a series of expression of embarrassment with prolonged plot involving Lady Chablis' affection for him. He is simply not very interesting, and the filmmakers make him even duller in an effort to emphasis the fact that John Kelso is a straight man. They even go as far as shooting a routine and sketchy romance between Kelso and local blonde Mandy Nichols (Alison Eastwood) that contributes nothing to the film. Somehow I got the impression that the filmmakers do not feel that a gay character like Jim William can carry the film and the audience need a straight, plain character like Kelso to root for, so Kelso becomes the center of the story. But they truly underestimated Spacey's charisma and capability.
As Williams' line near the end of the film, "Truth is in the eyes of the beholder." I did not care for a moment to find out if he is indeed guilty, or if the jury will let him go. The character himself is far more fascinating than any event happening outside of his mind and his slick smiles (which tickles me every time he flashes them!). The terrible editing replaces the shots of beautiful Savanah scenery with dreadful courtroom. The voodoo lady Minerva (Irma P. Hall) never does provide any words of depth or revelation no matter how fancy the acts are. Allison Eastwood's character is incredibly blurry and dull that we practically know nothing about her and her past by the end of the film. The happen ending feels ridiculously forced and dumb. Jack N. Green's cinematography is gorgeous, but like Kevin Spacey's performance, it is not given nearly enough time. Superficial, uninvolving, the movie feels like a piece of good work that never happened. I give the film a C+. However, Spacey makes the two and a half hour entirely worthy.
jun
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