The Curse of Nicole Has Lifted!

I haven't really ever liked any movie I have seen with Nicole Kidman in it. I don't know if it's because of her or the movie itself. Granted, I haven't seen too many of her films (8)...but what I have seen, I don't much care for. (The worst being Dogville. I never walk out of movies, but in the case of that one, I ran! And I should have left much earlier than I did.)

Except tonight.

Jas and I saw The Interpreter tonight. A very good movie. Not too suspenseful, but my eyes were glued to the screen and all brain functions were engaged. It ran a little long, but like I said, it kept my attention throughout. I must also say that Sean Penn gave a great, understated reading of his character that worked well.

The entire film was shot in New York and it looked great. I read that they were actually able to film some scenes in the United Nations, and I think that added an air of great realism and believability.

Nicole's african accent sounded passable to me. I'm not familiar with any african languages, so to my ears she sounded like what I imagine someone with an african accent would sound like. I was caught up in her dramatic scene at the end, anxiously wondering which action she would choose. I also caught myself wondering what I would do if in the same situation. I think that empathy with a character is a mark of a good movie.

On a side note, one of the actors (Hugo Speer) from The Full Monty (my all time favorite) plays the role of Nicole's character's brother. Bummer though, I didn't recognize him! I didn't know it was him until I watcehd the credits scroll at the end. Now I wish I known that ahead of time!