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Has A Major TG Character
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
By the Associated Press
Contributed by Elizabeth Parker
Clint Eastwood's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" moves as
slowly as a warm Georgia day.
And that's both a curse and a blessing for this adaptation of John
Berendt's hugely popular best seller about a notorious 1981 murder in
Savannah, Ga.
It's a curse because it takes the filmmaker more than 2 1/2 hours to
unspool a story that, at best, has a very slim plot. It's a blessing because
Eastwood wonderfully captures the tiniest eccentricities of genteel -- and
bizarre -- Savannah.
But even with such delightful characters as the man who walks an
invisible dog, the ancient society lady who carries a gun wedged in her
bosom, the man who travels with his own cloud of flies buzzing around him,
and the Lady Chablis, a transvestite who steals the movie, the pacing is a
tad too slow. There aren't enough curiosities to propel you along, and the
film becomes too languid to hold your attention.
Still, there are outstanding performances, lovely photography and an
exceptional soundtrack featuring the music of Johnny Mercer, Savannah's
native son.
The film opens in a cemetery, focusing on a weathered sculpture, and
closes with the same shot. Much happens in the cemeteries of Savannah,
especially around midnight when good magic and bad magic brew their parallel
spells.
We see the grave of Johnny Mercer and then we're led to Mercer House, the
restored mansion that was built in 1860 by Johnny's great-grandfather. It is
now the landmark home of Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey), one of the town's most
popular and colorful characters. Jim, a restoration specialist and antiques
dealer, lives with a virtual museum of antiques, artwork and other
collectibles.
Each Christmas, he throws a lavish party to which everyone covets an
invitation. (Actually, Jim gives two parties: One is for men only.)
Town and Country magazine sends freelancer John Kelso (John Cusack) to
Savannah to do a 500-word story on Jim's famous party and Mercer House.
Jim is a delightful and gracious host, providing John with a tuxedo for
the night and offering him full access to his home and to his guests.
John mixes and mingles and discovers that just about everyone in
Savannah, regardless of social position, carries a gun. He listens,
wide-eyed, to their stories and collects enough color to write a 5,000-word
piece .
But his assignment takes a detour when Jim shoots and kills his lover,
Billy Hanson (Jude Law). Jim is arrested for murder. He pleads self-defense.
The trial and its outcome occupy the remainder of the movie.
John decides to do a bigger story, a book perhaps, on Savannah and the
Billy Hanson murder. He cuts a deal with Jim's lawyer, football nut Sonny
Seiler (Jack Thompson): John will hunt down clues for Jim's defense and Jim
will cooperate with John for the book.
John's quest takes him to the Lady Chablis, who knew Billy and all about
his drug habits and violent tendencies. The exchanges between Chablis and
John are a hoot, and John learns enough about Savannah and Jim Williams'
lifestyle to fill a book.
The Lady Chablis, who is a real Savannah resident and character in the
book who portrays herself in the movie, provides a scene-stealer when she
crashes a debutante cotillion John is attending.
John also goes with Jim to see Minerva (Irma P. Hall), a voodoo
priestess who conducts her business in the cemetery. Minerva's special
rites will ensure the outcome of the trial.
A romantic -- and boring -- subplot is tossed in between John and Mandy
Nichols, who lives not far from Mercer House. The romance further slows the
movie and accomplishes little else, despite the engaging Alison Eastwood,
Clint Eastwood's daughter, playing Mandy.
Cusack plays it straight throughout and is a joy. Spacey is marvelous as
Jim. He oozes charm like melted butter on a hot, flaky biscuit, and he does
more with simple business than most of today's actors: When he punctuates his
sentences with a lazy "uh-huh," you can almost smell the mint juleps.
There's excellent support all around, especially Hall and Thompson.
But as stunning as Jack N. Green's photography is, the camera work is
marred by sloppy editing between a few scenes.
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" was filmed in Savannah, and the
movie truly gives the city a starring role. Eastwood directed from a
screenplay by John Lee Hancock.
The Warner Bros. release was produced by Eastwood and Arnold Stiefel, with
Tom Rooker as co-producer. It is rated R for some violence and adult
situations.
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