A rare, less-than-brutal review...

Rating: 7/10 (4 September 2004)

Those of you who have read my other reviews will know 2 things: Most of my reviews are written without remorse (they're either very good or savagely bad), and I don't waste either your time or mine on plot summaries. Someone else already wrote that, so on to my review
As I said in the subject line, this is a rare less-than-brutal review. There are flaws to this movie, but they don't drag it down into a quagmire of mediocrity.
First, the good Renée Zellweger is brilliantly cast as the crotchety (and all the more lovable because of it) Ruby Thewes. She is a strong woman (which is immensely tantalizing to begin with), competent, and independent. She brings verve to the role, especially in the scene with the "floggin' rooster."
Nicole Kidman is also perfectly cast as the ornamental-without-any-real-redeeming-value Ada Monroe. She is completely believable in the part. You might wonder if she could pull off going from the charming southern belle with nary a marketable skill to an independent, functional, and prosperous farm owner, but there it is.
The cinematography gets a nod as well. Good location work and visuals.
Now for the bad This movie is at least half an hour too long. It wanders, repeatedly, away from the point and seems to forget where it's trying to go. Better editing could have made this movie top-notch, but not enough of it found its way to the cutting room floor. The excessive length and meandering plot are a serious detraction from the overall quality of the film, preventing a higher score, but the core of the movie is reasonably solid, so I can't knock it TOO badly.
6.5 (maybe a 7) out of 10.