dan-conrad Review of The Grass Harp

The Grass Harp (1995)

Provides a public service by employing some great actors and actresses

[1/10 · 2 October 2006]

The plot outline is 100 per cent accurate, but by the time you get to the end of the movie, you may not care. Although the cast was stellar and the book was great, it did not translate to the movie. As much as I tried, I could not work up any feelings for the characters. I should have known something bad was afoot when I heard the infamous "Narrative Voice-over." Narrative voice-overs, sometimes known as idiot lectures, are usually a sign that the director does not trust the film by itself to advance its own storyline, and with such a stellar cast, this should have told me to hit the stop button way before the end of the film. I was truly amazed that a cast that includes Lemmon, Matthau, Spacek, McDowell, and several great sword carriers falls on its face. Read my other reviews; I love dogs, but this mutt, despite its pedigree, had to be put down.