Like Dandelion Dust (2009/Fox DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C Feature: C
The
subject of adoption and parenting can be a tricky one and many have tried to
tackle the subject, though not as often overall because it is not easy. Karen Kingsbury’s book Like Dandelion Dust is now a feature length drama that has an
ambitious cast and wants to deal with serious sides of the subject, but despite
a great cast that includes Mira Sorvino, Cole Hauser and Barry Pepper, plus a
screenplay adaptation by Stephen J. Rivele (Nixon, Ali) and Michael
Lachance, the result is flat and with few highlights as the 104 minutes run on
and on without enough character development and maybe a mini-series would have
been a better idea.
Two
couples criss-cross each others lives as one is adopting a young boy that
another gave up when his father (Pepper) had to go to prison. He has also not always been kind to his wife
(Sorvino) and domestic abuse is an issue, though he is not always a horrible
person. However, the adoptive couple
(Houser and Kate Levering) has second thoughts about their stability and
decides to intervene to protect the child, for which more trouble could ensue.
Part of
the problem is that the story is so flat and then it has this very problematic
Bad couple without money/good couple with money dichotomy that the makers
either are a victim of, are unaware of or have not considered. However, it is a major dynamic in the
ideological structure of the script and in a story so important about a serious
subject that is a fatal flaw in the narrative to leave hanging and unaddressed.
It may be
ambitious, but Like Dandelion Dust
is ultimately failed, not totally grasping all it has taken on.
The anamorphically
enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is soft throughout, somewhat colorless and has detail
limits and other depth issues that make it more difficult to watch than you
might expect. Director of Photography
Reynaldo Villalobos (Telling Lies In
America, A Bronx Tale, 9 To 5, Risky Business) seems to be trying for some stylized look that is
supposed to communicate grit, but it does not work. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix has a limited
soundfield with this mostly being a dialogue-based piece, but the recording is
not bad and surrounds kick in for music and some sound effects. Extras include a feature length audio
commentary by Gunn and the producers, Deleted Scenes with optional Director
Commentary, Extended Scenes, two Adoption Stories on-camera interviews and Like Dandelion Dust Comes To Life
featurette.
- Nicholas Sheffo
