187081091
“Serena” is a real head-scratcher of a failure, especially when one considers that buzz for the film has been building ever since the first on-set photos were leaked. Let this be a lesson for all of us: Just because two box-office superstars reunite in front of the camera for a groovy art house director, it doesn’t mean the result is going to be a rich, prestigious triumph.
Having starred together in “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle” (both directed by David O. Russell), Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence team up again as George and Serena Pemberton, two lovebirds who wed at the end of the 1920s. Living in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, the Pembertons face a multitude of threats, including George potentially losing his timber business, the repercussions of his unlawful corner-cutting, Serena’s inability to bear children, and the bastard son George fathered with a kindly townswoman.
From the title, one should deduce that Serena is more than she seems, and from the fools-rush-in start (George and Serena practically marry on a whim), it’s clear this woman is eerily capable of a great many things. She’s utterly unfazed by the demeaning machismo of George’s horde of workers, and as her feelings of infertile inadequacy grow, the extent of her capabilities starts to rear its hideous head.
Writing this, and thinking back on the film, it seems impossible that an enterprise with such strong actors and a more-than-serviceable director could wind up falling so hard on its face. “Serena” is a consummate snooze, devoid of urgency, chemistry or palpable stakes, and it makes its actors look as lost in the woods as the animals George hunts for sport. Lawrence has never been worse, as Serena proves the first character whose soul she can’t even slightly access (her every scene is an awkward exercise in overacting). Cooper, meanwhile, coasts through the film on autopilot, and both actors’ slip-ups reflect poorly on Susanne Bier, who has narrative pacing issues on top of neglecting to guide her stars. The story of “Serena” is somewhat interesting, but as is, it’s hardly cinematic.
Serena
R
One-and-a-half reels out of four
Now playing at the Ritz East
Recommended Rental
Into the Woods
PG
Available Tuesday
Stephen Sondheim purists might gripe about what Rob Marshall did with his beloved fairy-tale musical, but all told, “Into the Woods” is a small triumph for Disney, which has been playing it far too safe with its modern fantasy. This rousing, largely enjoyable spectacle keeps the “grim” in Grimm’s fairy tales, while its standouts include Emily Blunt as the wife of a baker, and Meryl Streep as a fab, blue-haired witch.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
187081091
187080951
