| Reviewer Roundup |
| 1. |
 | Susan Granger |
| review follows |
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| 2. |
| Steve Rhodes |
| read the review |
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Review by Susan Granger
3 stars out of 4
Driven by their rampant insecurities, teenage girls can be absolutely horrible
to one another, a fact vividly illustrated by this compelling coming-of-age
drama that traces the twisted, terrifying 30-year relationship between two
British girls who make a pact to be friends forever. Anna Friel plays Marina,
the beautiful, selfish, controlling leader of the dysfunctional duo, and
Michelle Williams (Jen Lindley on TV's "Dawson's Creek") is Holly, her brainy
yet vulnerable Jewish neighbor and willing accomplice as they explore hard drugs
and casual sex. From puberty, Marina has frustrated Holly's crush on her roguish
older brother, Nat (Oliver Milburn), subconsciously fearing that he might come
between them. ("It's like incest.") When they're in college in Brighton, Holly
expresses a romantic interest in a visiting American teacher (Kyle Maclachlan)
and Marina moves in with a manipulative seduction. Yet even when heartbroken
Holly becomes aware of Marina's sly, nasty game, she allows the festering,
self-destructive friendship to continue. Director Sandra Goldbacher ("The
Governess"), who co-wrote the screenplay with Laurence Corlat, perceptively
delves into the passive-aggressive psychology of smothering co-dependence,
illuminating elements of competition, jealousy, and resentment. The girls'
respective parents are superbly delineated: Holly's (Allan Corduner, Deborah
Findlay) are overly protective while Marina's youth-obsessed mother (Trudie
Styler) can't hold on to her philandering pilot husband (Nicky Henson) - while
the music and fashion fads reflect the passage of time. On the other hand, the
outcome is totally predictable and the pace is jarringly uneven. On the Granger
Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Me Without You" is sensitive, smart, savvy 7 about the
struggle for self-esteem.
Copyright © 2002 Susan Granger
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out of 4
