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Amber Tamblyn
in "The Russell Girl"
courtesy of Hallmark Hall of Fame
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"The Russell Girl" (Hallmark Hall of Fame)
Amber Tamblyn ("Joan of Arcadia") stars in the new Hallmark Hall of Fame offering "The Russell Girl." This film tells the story of a young woman who is nearly destroyed by guilt over an incident in her past. The acting is excellent and the storyline involving. Only a too quick resolution to the problems spelled out in the plot mars the effect.
Sarah Russell (Tamblyn) lives in Chicago where she works as a buyer for Macy's. At the start of this film she learns she has leukemia. This propels her to return to her hometown which is only a fairly short distance away. Her mother and father (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Tim DeKay) are thrilled she has come home for a visit. They also think she has come home to announce she has been accepted for medical school at Northwester University.
Sarah does not divulge her medical problems but rather sets about trying to remedy some old problems she has with the neighbors across the street. Howard and Lorraine Morrissey (Henry Czerny and Jennifer Ehle) were once very close to Sarah but a horrible tragedy has driven them apart. This tragedy has made Sarah wonder if her cancer is payback for this past wrong.
While home, Sarah also sees her old boyfriend Evan (Paul Wesley). He still has feelings for Sarah but she is not willing to let him get close to her. Her guilt makes her keep him and everyone else at arm's length.
Tamblyn shines as the tormented Sarah. She is so vulnerable in this movie that your heart aches for her. She creates a complete and complex character and makes her a living, breathing person. Equally good is Ehle as the woman across the street. Looking and acting like a young Meryl Streep (but can she do accents?), Ehle brings a sense of utter heartbreak to her role.
The movie is slow to build to its climax but once the time for revelations is needed, the problems are quickly dispatched - too quickly dispatched. The buildup and investment of time in the storyline and characters is too total to deserve a rushed and pat "happily ever after" ending.
But even with the rushed ending the film is worth your time and attention. "The Russell Girl" is one of Hallmark Hall of Fame's best offerings in some time. It will touch your emotions and also make you think.
"The Russell Girl," a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, airs Sunday, January 27 at 9PM on your local CBS channel. |
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©2008 Jackie K. Cooper |
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