"Cousin Bette" starts in 1846 in Paris where Bette(Jessica Lange) declines an offer following the death of her sister(Geraldine Chaplin) to serve in the widow's(Hugh Laurie) household. Instead, she makes ends meet barely in a variety of tasks including making costumes for the theatre. Despite that, she still visits
with them frequently, especially young Hortense(Kelly Macdonald) who is set to be married off. At the advanced age of 40, Bette is also unmarried, hoping one day that her prince will come. He does sort of when a broke Polish sculptor, Wenceslas(Aden Young), attempts to kill himself and she nurses him back to health. "Cousin Bette" is proof that a very good cast is no guarantee for a movie's quality, especially with miscasting as egregious as it is here. To start, it is hard to buy Jessica Lange as plain and unassuming. And Hugh Laurie is simply much too young for his part. These are the least of the flaws on display which include insufficient character development, broad caricatures and lackadaisical direction. The fragmented narrative which never truly comes together feels like there is quite a bit missing. All of which is a shame because there are some very witty moments and an intriguing setting on the cusp of the 1848 revolutions which rocked the French monarchy once and for all.
April 4, 2008
