Product: 8 Women (2002)
Rating: 2.0
Sliding Scales
This is the first movie I have seen whose rating slipped further the longer it played."Eight Women" is the story of, well, eight women, who are trapped by a snowstorm -- all 5 inches of it. The man of the house has been murdered in the night. Young and old, black and white, of different classes, the women must try to determine who the killer is. "Eight Women" is also a movie about secrets, of which everyone seems to have several. The plot has more twists and turns than an Alpine road on the Tour de France. Yet the first 2/3 of the film is tolerable, funny and even a bit interesting. The characters are self-interested and fun. There's dotty old grandma, a prissy, hysterical virgin aunt, the dead man's vampish sister and coltish young maid, two daughters, a somber yet elegant wife (Catherine Deneuve) and a black cook. Plenty of class and age tension to make three movies.Did I mention the music? Every twenty minutes or so, one of the characters breaks into song. These are always those stereotypical French songs -- full of longing and sadness and references to sleep and springtime -- that are tedious to American ears. And bizarre. While one character sings, the rest do slow little dances. Strange.By the 2/3 mark, I was going to give this quirky film 4 stars. But soon, the plot line spun out of control, getting more and more manic until it finally derailed completely with a tragic ending. Definitely not recommended unless you are desperate need of a bizarre experience.