A movie with one awkward identity crisis.
In the Land of Women (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:32
Fresh:14
Rotten:18
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: While pleasantly acted, In the Land of Women is a dramatically stilted film with underdeveloped characters.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual content, thematic elements and language
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Los Angeles, California, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Theatrical Release
Theatrical Release:Apr 20, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $11,001,271
Synopsis: IN THE LAND OF WOMEN is a surprisingly somber yet funny coming-of-age tale from director Jonathan Kasdan, and stars Adam Brody in a role not too different from his beloved Seth Cohen on the... IN THE LAND OF WOMEN is a surprisingly somber yet funny coming-of-age tale from director Jonathan Kasdan, and stars Adam Brody in a role not too different from his beloved Seth Cohen on the night-time teen soap THE O.C. Brody, playing a character his own age, breezily inhabits Carter, a loveable but somewhat directionless screenwriter (if you count soft-core porn films) who is dumped by his beautiful but shallow starlet girlfriend Sofia at the start of the film. In crisis mode, he packs up and heads to the Detroit suburb where his senile grandmother (Olympia Dukakis) lives, in an attempt to help her out and get some perspective. While desperately trying to make sense of his grandmother's incoherent ramblings, Carter slaves away at a long-coming screenplay and creates confusing friendships with the mother (Meg Ryan) and daughter (Kristen Stewart) next door. While the film sometimes seems to be grasping for something it can't quite find, it is entertaining throughout, especially for fans of Brody. Thanks to some clever dialogue, quirky characters, and Brody's oddball line delivery, IN THE LAND OF WOMEN manages to get more than a few laughs. That said, the film also deals with serious issues like sickness and death in a lighthearted way. Ryan and Stewart both add depth to what could be one-dimensional characters, and while Brody's performance doesn't feel like much of a stretch, it's nice to see the actor moving towards some slightly more adult material. Kasdan packs the film to the brim with indie pop songs, providing a hip soundtrack for a story that feels contemporary by refusing to fit the traditional romantic-comedy mold. [More]
Starring: Adam Brody, Meg Ryan, Kristen Stewart, Makenzie Vega
Starring: Adam Brody, Meg Ryan, Kristen Stewart, Makenzie Vega, Clark Gregg, Elena Anaya, Olympia Dukakis, Dustin Milligan
Director: Jon Kasdan
Director: Jon Kasdan
Screenwriter: Jon Kasdan
Producer: Steve Golin, David Kanter, Barbara Kelly
Composer: Stephen Trask
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for In the Land of Women
This potentially saccharine weepy has an authentic ring, thanks to Jon Kasdan's script and a cast capable of delivering clever lines that sound just about right for whatever situation they're in.
Brody's apparent ease in his own skin and his skills as a listener make Carter an engaging fellow and make it understandable why, as soon as he moves to town, people start confiding in him.
One of those films in formed by intimate personal experience -- the experience of seeing Garden State.
The meek, mopey comedy In the Land of Women is the film equivalent of a sensitive emo band with one foot in alternative rock and the other in the squishy pop mainstream: a softer, fuzzier Garden State.
Why make a garrulous movie about people in crisis if Olympia Dukakis winds up muzzled? Of all the troubled gabbers in Kasdan's film, the prickliest and most proficient is wasted in a few brief scenes.
With dialogue that is often precious though occasionally thoughtful, Kasdan has made a film that's not bad, just irritating.
Kasdan, who also wrote the screenplay, allows a fairly large variety of problems to accrue.
Kasdan is the son of director Lawrence Kasdan. So while he should know better, he can be forgiven his many rookie errors. Why? Because in creating Carter and getting nuanced work from Brody, he has shown promise.
Lip-locking lapses aside, Carter's relationships with Sarah and with Lucy are rooted in the sharing of ideas and dreams and disappointments and fears.
No one is conniving or desperate enough for the movie to become a decent melodrama. And the conversations are too stale to culminate in interesting romance.
The film belongs to Brody, irritating and endearing and relatable in ways that actors rarely are.
It's the kind of production that's pleasant to watch because it allows viewers to spend some time with believable characters who face 'regular' problems, but do so without becoming boring or overly familiar.
Writer-director Kasdan has made the best film he can make now, which is no small thing. He will make even better ones in the future, which might be a very big thing indeed.
With an age-old cinema theme of a young man's maturation, it also needs to land female ticket-buyers but seems a lot like something women could find at home on the WE channel.
An admirable first effort and likely to be enjoyed by women who wouldn't mind meeting that good-looking, self-effacing young man, and men who may be under the illusion that they in some way resemble him.
It can't decide on a tone, so it jars the viewer from one moment to another.
Latest News for In the Land of Women
April 28, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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April 22, 2007:
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April 19, 2007:
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Another week, another horror film. That's the mantra in Hollywood at the moment. Among the four new films going into wide release this weekend are Sony's terror tale... More...
April 19, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Check In With "Vacancy"; "Fracture" Is Solid; "Fuzz" is Hot; "Women" Is Not
This week at the movies, we've got motel hells ("Vacancy," starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale), legal battles ("Fracture," starring Anthony Hopkins and... More...
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