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Popcorn Reviews
With Cybèle: The Ice Storm
By Cybèle Elaine Werts
CybeleW@aol.com
First published
in the Shelburne News, Shelburne Vermont
Popcorn Kernel Rating: 2 1/2
Kernels. A jaded drama of sex and
suburban sophistry, worthwhile mostly because the kid’s
characters are as strong and subtle as the adult’s are
uninspiring.
The thirty second TV ads for The Ice Storm
sported all the titillating scenes, which didn’t leave much
for the rest of the movie, a cross between Ordinary People and
Boogie Nights. Two 1970’s suburban families mix sex, alcohol,
and repressed hostilities into a brew of interesting, but not
particularly gripping drama. Machinations of the bored couples
are livened up considerably by the antics of their children,
whose fumbling sexual exploration, petty theft, and ennui make a
quirky counterpoint to the parent’s activities of the same
sort. The best character is one of the young sons played by
Ellijah Wood, whose tragic forays into the winter ice of his
yard as well as his soul, make this film worth watching.
Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline bring some breadth to these
cookie cutter characters, but not sufficiently enough to make
them come alive for me. The ending was vague and unexpected, and
I haven’t put my finger on what exactly the "ice
storm" is supposed to represent. Maybe slippery
relationships? Stiff frozen emotional exchanges? Whatever it is,
I don’t think The Ice Storm lived up to it’s pretensions, or
maybe it did...
Suggested Gustatorial Accompaniment: Mauna
Loa macadamia nuts - mouth watering with that salty cornstarch
texture - but leave you still hungry in the end.
Copyright 2000
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