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A family melodrama disguised as a murder mystery, Alice Sebold’s 2002 bestseller “The Lovely Bones” is a numbing read packed with cloying domestic details (its prose is like the ramblings of a desperate housewife emulating Stephen King and Judy Blume). One would think of all people, “Lord of the Rings”-helmer Peter Jackson would be able to dig up ways to transcend the book’s shortcomings, since the bones of it, so to speak, provide a firm foundation on which to craft a visionary film.
Alas, Jackson’s adaptation, which he co-wrote with longtime partners Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, is worse, taking a highly literal approach to nearly every facet of Sebold’s mildly literate source.
Partially filmed in the Philadelphia region and set in the 1970s, “Bones” tells the tale of Susie Salmon (ocean-eyed starlet Saorsie Ronan), a teenager who, after being raped and murdered, watches over her family — and her killer — from heaven.
Many have accused Jackson of playing it safe for not showing Susie’s brutal death, but that’s the least of the movie’s problems. For something that wants to be taken seriously, it’s quite a joke, amplifying Sebold’s sickeningly sentimental language and featuring cartoonish acting from co-stars Mark Wahlberg and Susan Sarandon. As Susie’s murderer, Golden Globe- nominee Stanley Tucci is the only player to give a finely honed performance.
Most disappointing is the look of the picture, which should have been grand given Jackson’s resumé. The frequently crane-operated, occasionally fish-eyed camerawork by Andrew Lesnie is outstanding; however, the computer-generated scenes in Susie’s childlike heaven are garish, and the era-specific production design looks false and prepared rather than lived-in and authentic.
Failing to establish any real connective tissue or emotional growth among the surviving characters, Jackson and company even fumble the already-manipulative surprise meaning of the title.
In a nutshell, “The Lovely Bones,” which was touted as an Oscar contender, is a clunky, unimaginative low point in the career of a man who made his name as one of cinema’s most imaginative filmmakers.
The Lovely Bones
PG-13
One-and-a-half reels out of four
In area theaters tomorrow
Outrage
R
Available Tuesday
From Kirby Dick, director of the controversial “This Film is Not Yet Rated,” comes “Outrage,” a probing, revealing documentary about closeted gay politicians who lobby for anti-gay legislation.
The film, which premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, analyzes the role the media plays in maintaining the secrecy of said politicians’ lifestyles and singles out such individuals as Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, both of whom are accused of engaging in homosexual behavior while opposing gay rights. A daring and fascinating work that’s been unjustly overlooked in the 2009 awards race.
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