A confused, hurt and self-destructive teddy bear is how Carter Webb (Adam Brody) sums up his life for his mentally unstable grandmother in the film "In The Land Of Women." The story surrounds the emigration of a hack movie writer back to his family's roots in Michigan to escape from the pain he feels after being dumped by a high-profile starlet. He is brought out of his emotional collapse by a suburban mother-daughter duo that finds his ability to actually listen refreshing and attractive.
The trailers paint this movie as a "Garden State" knock-off with the dialogue-savvy Brody, fresh off of his performance as the verbose comic book fan Seth Cohen in "The O.C.," replacing the dreamy, not-quite-with it Zach Braff. And the similarities are there. The return to a place that doesn't feel like home, the isolation, the sexy new love interest and complicated introspection may leave many viewers expecting the Shins to pop up on the soundtrack at any moment. We even have the romantic kiss set in the rain cued to a dramatic crescendo of realization.
But this is not a replay of Zach Braff's film endeavor. The story really is about listening and the value that just having a sympathetic ear has for making life bearable. The movie sets up a very familiar formula for a young man to figure himself out, but instead of focusing on his journey, the focus really is on the women in his life and their problems. Webb, in running from his problems, ends up not talking about his life and discovering inner truths, but rather comes off as a quiet guy good at hearing about others' troubles.
The most remarkable aspect of the film is how little action and strong advice goes on between the main characters. No one comes up with answers or solutions, but everyone feels better just talking. There are no replay voice-overs of dynamic, startling observation to explain why the daughter's attitude towards her mom evolves, and Webb seems to sum up his experience with a shrug. The appeal of the film is seeing how realistic people deal with their normal but taxing issues.
The trailers paint this movie as a "Garden State" knock-off with the dialogue-savvy Brody, fresh off of his performance as the verbose comic book fan Seth Cohen in "The O.C.," replacing the dreamy, not-quite-with it Zach Braff. And the similarities are there. The return to a place that doesn't feel like home, the isolation, the sexy new love interest and complicated introspection may leave many viewers expecting the Shins to pop up on the soundtrack at any moment. We even have the romantic kiss set in the rain cued to a dramatic crescendo of realization.
But this is not a replay of Zach Braff's film endeavor. The story really is about listening and the value that just having a sympathetic ear has for making life bearable. The movie sets up a very familiar formula for a young man to figure himself out, but instead of focusing on his journey, the focus really is on the women in his life and their problems. Webb, in running from his problems, ends up not talking about his life and discovering inner truths, but rather comes off as a quiet guy good at hearing about others' troubles.
The most remarkable aspect of the film is how little action and strong advice goes on between the main characters. No one comes up with answers or solutions, but everyone feels better just talking. There are no replay voice-overs of dynamic, startling observation to explain why the daughter's attitude towards her mom evolves, and Webb seems to sum up his experience with a shrug. The appeal of the film is seeing how realistic people deal with their normal but taxing issues.
