Director hits the Heights

Heights tracks the lives of four New Yorkers and a Londoner as each deals with a difficult choice during a 24-hour period in Manhattan.

Jonathon (James Mars-den) and Isabel (Penn grad Elizabeth Banks) are a too-cute couple weeks away from the altar, who may not be as harmonious as they appear. Isabel’s mother Diana (Glenn Close) is a successful actress and Julliard teacher who seems too preoccupied with bedding Alec (Jesse Bradford), a talented student who has a pressing engagement of his own. Completing this circle is Peter (John Light), an agreeable Englishman with a secret or two. There’s no mistaking that first-time director Chris Terrio, with the late Ismail Merchant producing for Merchant-Ivory films, is a talent to watch. Working from a script by first-time screenwriter Amy Fox, who is adapting her own short play of the same name, Terrio has an unmistakable command of his craft as the characters and their stories move seamlessly, never appearing as disconnected parts of a whole.

The actors are all fine with Close generously not chewing even an ounce of scenery, all while giving the talented young actors their space. And talented they are. Banks, Marsden and Bradford succeed in achieving the difficult balance of portraying angst-ridden 20-somethings while not losing the audience’s sympathy. Yet, not unlike Isabel, I kept getting this nagging feeling something wasn’t quite right. As the film nears resolution and Elizabeth starts to wake up and smell the coffee (without giving too much away), I too figured out the problem. We’ve seen it all before.

Although Heights is set in the present, there is a feeling of déjà vu. There were times I felt I was watching an independent film from the early 1990s. One arc seems lifted right out of Daytrippers minus that film’s wacky ensemble feel and anarchic humor.

If you’re inclined to grade your films on a curve, then Heights might be your cup of tea. It is certainly above average and will hold your interest until the end. However, if you need a fresh approach along with a certain level of quality, Heights leaves something to be desired.

Heights
R
In area theatres Friday
Two and a half out of four

Recommended Rental

Million Dollar Baby
PG-13
Available Tuesday

Although I’ve been singing Clint Eastwood’s praises as a director for years, even I didn’t see this one coming. Million Dollar Baby is easily one of his best, a film that achieves greatness by stubbornly refusing to be more than what it is. Like a seasoned boxer, Eastwood lulls the audience into complacency then showers it with a flurry of roundhouses in the later rounds. Hilary Swank earned – and I do mean earned – her second Oscar as Maggie Fitzgerald, the self-described trailer-trash who relentlessly hounds grizzled trainer Frankie Dunn (Best Director Oscar winner Eastwood) until he agrees to admit her to his stable. Perennial nominee Morgan Freeman won his first Oscar for this film for his supporting role as Scrap. The last 20 minutes of this Best Picture winner are some of the most heartbreaking you will ever see on film.

*Batman Begins (PG-13)
Thu.-Thu.: 1:30, 4:15, 7:15, 9:55