Currently, Lisa(Anna Paquin) has other things on her mind that go beyond being accused of cheating on a math test like the attention of Darren(Josh Gallagher Jr.) who sorta, maybe asks her out. In the meantime, she needs a cowboy hat for a future ranch trip with her father but cannot find any on the Upper West Side
until she sees one being worn by a bus driver(Mark Ruffalo). Tragically, she distracts him enough that he runs a red light, running over a pedestrian(Allison Janney) who dies in Lisa's arms. Lisa's mother, Joan(J. Smith-Camerson), would stay home to look after her but Lisa tells her that she is okay, leaving Joan to meet a handsome stranger(Jean Reno) after her performance on stage is over.
On the one hand, "Margaret" is long and not without its share of flaws such as being indifferently edited at times(somebody sure likes his panaromic shots). And of the 8 or 9 possible endings, I'm not sure I agreed with the final decision. On the other hand, it is a smart and compelling look at a formerly spoiled young woman who comes of age by thinking beyond herself for the first time in her life by getting involved in a cause, even as she does some harm in the bargain. At the same time, the movie operates counterintuitively in being emphatic, not strident(to rephrase a semantic debate from the movie), in showing there to be more than one viewpoint in every story, although to be honest I have used stronger words than "corrupt" to describe Presidents. And by invoking "King Lear," with its sisters tearing apart their father's kingdom, the movie could be said to be denigrating teenaged girls in general(who the "Twilight" franchise notwithstanding, I usually have no argument with), for the carelessness of their actions.(My what language!). But it is not really their fault, as Lisa's behavior and those of her generation might be explained by the lack of any decent adult supervision or leadership but then this is 2006(the fare is $2.00 and you-know-who is still President), not 1995, so there is not as much to worry about.
December 28, 2011
Top Critic
