Laurel Canyon (2002)

Laurel Canyon: Directed by Lisa Cholodenko. With Frances McDormand, Christian Bale, Kate Beckinsale, Natascha McElhone. When an uptight young man and his fiancée move into his libertine mother’s house, the resulting clash of life attitudes shakes everyone up.

“I saw this film at the Miami International Film Festival and was thoroughly absorbed and entertained. I donu0026#39;t know if it will be as successful as the directoru0026#39;s much-lauded u0026quot;High Artu0026quot; from several years ago; u0026quot;Laurel Canyonu0026quot; is not as serious, though it does explore some of the same themes. All of the performances are pitch-perfect. I suspect audiences will especially enjoy and identify with Kate Beckinsaleu0026#39;s character: a studious and sheltered young doctoral student who takes to the hedonistic Los Angeles lifestyle in a big way. Frances McDormand and Christian Bale are also wonderful.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003en Music is almost another character in this film; it pervades the atmosphere. The music, by such artists as Mercury Rev and Clinic, complements and underscores the dynamics between the characters. Itu0026#39;s been awhile since Iu0026#39;ve seen a movie with such an intoxicating sense of place as well: whether accurate or not, Los Angeles is portrayed as a sybaritic wonderland. The film revels in the sensuality and freedom of this rarefied realm, and itu0026#39;s intriguing to see the effect on the young couple.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003en When Frances McDormandu0026#39;s music producer character asks Alex her opinion on the record sheu0026#39;s producing, Alex declines, saying she doesnu0026#39;t know much about popular music. McDormand responds, u0026quot;Follow your instincts. It either pulls you in or it doesnu0026#39;t.u0026quot; This movie pulled me in.”