The Ice Storm

Plot synopsis:
Set over Thanksgiving weekend, 1973, the film centers around two families: the Hoods (Ben and Elena and their children, 16-year-old Paul and 14-year-old Wendy) and their neighbors, the Carvers (Jim and Janey, and their children, Mikey and Sandy).
Ben, dissatisfied in his marriage and with the futility of his career, is having an affair with Janey. Elena is bored with her life and is looking to expand her thinking but is unsure of how to do so. Wendy enjoys sexual games with her school peers, as well as both Carver boys. Paul has fallen for a classmate, Libbets, at the boarding school he attends, though his roommate Francis is also interested in her.
On the Friday night after Thanksgiving, Ben and Elena have an argument when she learns of his affair with Janey, but they go ahead with their plans to attend a neighborhood party, which turns out to be a "key party", where married couples swap sexual partners by having wives select other husbands' keys from a bowl; Jim and Janey are also there. As the party progresses, Ben becomes drunk. When Janey chooses the keys of a handsome young man, Ben attempts to protest but trips and knocks his head on the coffee table, leading Jim to realize that his wife and Ben are having an affair. Ben, in his embarrassment, retreats to the bathroom where he remains for the rest of the evening. The remaining key party participants are paired off and leave together with only Jim and Elena remaining. She retrieves Jim's keys from the bowl and returns them to him. After debating the issue, Jim and Elena leave together, engaging in a quick, clumsy sexual encounter in the front seat of Jim's car. Jim, regretting the line he and Elena have just crossed, offers to drive her home.
Wendy decides to make her way to the Carvers' to see Mikey, but he has decided to go out into the ice storm, so she and Sandy climb into bed together and remove their clothes. They drink from a bottle of vodka and Wendy tries to seduce him; however, they both fall asleep.
Paul is invited to Libbets' apartment in Manhattan, though upon arriving, is disappointed to learn that Francis was also invited. The three drink beer and listen to music; Francis and Libbets also take prescription pills found in Libbets' mother's medicine cabinet, causing them to eventually pass out. Paul decides to leave, just narrowly making the train about to leave for New Canaan.
Meanwhile, Mikey, out walking in the storm, is enchanted by the beauty of the trees and fields covered in ice. He slides down an icy hill then sits on a guardrail to rest. A moment later a power line, broken by a fallen tree, connects with the guardrail and he is electrocuted.
Jim and Elena become stuck, due to a downed tree, and return to the Carvers' house as dawn is breaking. Elena walks in on her daughter in bed with Sandy and orders her to get dressed.
Janey had also returned home earlier and curled up on her bed in the fetal position without bothering to take off her party clothes. Although it is not revealed what transpired between Janey and her 'key partner', she is visibly exhausted and sad.
Ben has sobered up by this time and begins driving home. He discovers Mikey's body on the side of the road and carries it back to the Carvers' house. The two families are drawn together by Mikey's death and Wendy hugs the shocked and numbed Sandy in an attempt to comfort him. Jim is devastated while Janey remains asleep and ignorant to the recent events. Ben, Elena and Wendy then drive to the train station to pick up Paul, who is returning from Libbets' apartment, his train delayed by the ice and the power failure caused by the downed wire. Once all four are together in the car, Ben breaks down, sobbing uncontrollably at the wheel as Elena starts comforting him.

Tags: bleak, dramatic, entertaining, atmospheric

Review:
Set in upscale, suburban New Canaan, Connecticut in 1973, The Ice Storm (based on a novel by Rick Moody) is a scathing social criticism of the values and ideals of upper-class American society during that time period.
And it's an issue that lies allegorically at the heart of director Ang Lee's pensive, insightful drama, `The Ice Storm,' in which we discover that-- more often than not-- the adult we become is nothing more than an extension of the adolescent; we may shed the skin of youth, but the awkward confusion and uncertainty remains, albeit manifested in different ways, to which for awhile we may respond in opposition even to our own conscience, creating a double standard in our lives which only serves to exacerbate the confusion and unhappiness, leaving us alone to face the cold and frozen landscapes of our own soul.
Working from an insightful and intelligent screenplay by James Schamus (who also wrote Lee's `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and `Eat Drink Man Woman,' among others), Lee has crafted and delivered a lyrical and poetic-- though somewhat dark-- film that tells the story of two neighboring families living in Connecticut in the early 70s:  Ben and Elena Hood (Kevin Kline and Joan Allen) and their children, Paul (Tobey Maguire) and Wendy (Christina Ricci); and Jim and Janey Carver (Jamey Sheridan and Sigourney Weaver) and their children, Mikey (Elijah Wood) and Sandy (Adam Hann-Byrd).
The story unfolds through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Paul, whose meditations on the literal and figurative ice storm that descends upon the two families over a long Thanksgiving weekend forms the narrative of the film.
Christina Ricci is the best and Elijah Wood is also excellent (much more enjoyable than in LOTR), making me wish they were young again so they could have more roles in movies like this.The atmosphere caused by the weather gives a kind of somber mood stressed by the dimmed colors and the mystical music score..
The first family consists of Ben (Kevin Kline) and Elena (Joan Allen), and their two kids -- 16-year-old Paul (Tobey Maguire) just home from boarding school, and 14-year-old Wendy (Christina Ricci) a wannabe anti-war/anti-Nixon elitist who is coming to terms with her own sexuality.
The film takes place during Thanksgiving day and the day after in the lives of these people -- including Ben and Elena's marriage being put to the test at a swinger's party with Janey and Jim, Paul's love conquest in New York City with a girl from boarding school named Libbets (Katie Holmes), and Wendy's sexual misadventures with Mikey and Sandy both.'The Ice Storm' is an incredibly powerful and relevant ensemble piece about the complexity of family and relationships both sexual and non-sexual.
However, the real scene-stealer in my eyes is the marvelous Joan Allen who plays her role with such intensity and elegance that I'm shocked she didn't receive a Best Actress Oscar Nomination.In conclusion, 'The Ice Storm' is a powerful little movie that's interesting yet not exciting.
It's also the Chinese-directed cousin of American Beauty- in some ways just as compelling (if maybe a little more heavy on the metaphors)- and by the end of it, however down and drained the film made me feel, I knew I'd seen my favorite Ang Lee film thus far.
The ice theme does work for a good lot of the film, and even when it gets hammered down to the line, I was still moved by how these families intertwined, the bleakness but also the little bits of light coming through.In fact, the film shares a good deal with American Beauty- two families, both fairly screwed up, with infidelity, drugs, procrastination, young lust, and a certain pining for the old days going steadily down the tubes.
One family are the Hooods (Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Christina Ricci and Tobey MaGuire); the other are the Carvers (Sigourney Weaver, Elijah Wood, Henry Czerny, and Adam Hann-Byrd).
Basically, there isn't as much story as there is attention to the fates and parallels of the characters.Among the lot though, Kline has some of his best work to date, with his controlling demeanor masking something very insecure; Hann-Byrd and Wood are totally complimentary, so to speak, in that they work well at being brothers of the same weird seed; Allen, not much more to say that hasn't been said by others; and even smaller roles filled by Katie Holmes and David Krumholtz are worth the time.
THE ICE STORM  (1997) ****Starring: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, and Katie Holmes Director: Ang Lee   113 minutes  Rated R (for strong sexual content, and for drug use & language)By Blake French: 	Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm" is such a provocative and unsettling experience that it made Gene Siskel's top movie of 1997.
That it's not a good idea to play outside during an ice storm?There isn't a single character here for the audience to sympathize with; Joan Allen's character comes off best, although she's basically a victim; and Tobey Maguire's character, as her son, comes in second, because he doesn't do what any other male character in the movie (presumably) would have done--take advantage of the young woman who passes out in his arms.
Paxil Can't Help You. I cannot tell you how many times I have used this movie, "The Ice Storm" as an example of how so many good things in a film can go horribly wrong.
Ben (Kline) is having an affair with Janey (Sigourney Weaver) unknown to his wife Elena (Allen) and daughter Wendy (Ricci) who is also fooling around with the local teens With an all star cast, and a strong dramatic plot, The Ice Storm is a true realistic drama, filled with solid and flinching entertainment.Big names Kline (A Fish called Wanda), Weaver (Alien) and Allen (Nixon) lead the way with stunning performances as the parents of teenagers who are played by modern day Hollywood A list stars McGuire (Spiderman) Ricci (Addams Family) and Wood (Lord of the Rings) to make the mouth watering prospect that was Ang Lee's The Ice Storm.Allen gives the best performance as the worrying mother and creates the necessary drama in her character's life to conform to the genre and this silent and edgy portrayal as Elena is exquisite and a joy to watch.Ricci delivers the best young performance of the film, being very quirky in her own way, and vastly different and just interesting to watch as viewers are brought into her unknowing and experimental world as Wendy.There have been many disappointments when big names have teamed up together, but that was certainly not the case for this 1997 drama as each performance is sensational and all actors bring their own side and own character to the dramatic plot.
Ang Lee's direction helps achieve this realism, with a very close shot approach to cover character emotions and occasional 5 second scenes being silent and believable in everyday life, and significant to capture that everyday life feel.Critics have said this is a very good adaptation of Rick Moody's novel, and no doubt that the book will be impressive if this film is anything to go by but with excellent performances and the sheer realism of the plot, The Ice Storm is excellent in producing quality entertainment..
This is in contrast to other Ang Lee films: Sense and Sensibility (lots of dialogue), Eat Drink Man Woman (exquisitly expressive acting), and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (sympathetic stereotypes that don't need a lot of dialogue to explain).Also, Kevin Kline is badly out of place, in stark contrast to the otherwise splendid cast.
First of all we have the story lines of the two affairing families and second of all there's the story of their children's' relationships with each other.Although Tobey Maguire does the voice-over on this film he is not really in it much but his scenes add some light-relief to a movie that is otherwise dark in tone.The only (tiny, little) gripe I have is that you never find out why Sandy Carver is a little strange.
The people in The Ice Storm feel more real and more human than the ones in American Beauty and Happiness; and the film walks that fine line between character-based slice-of-life storytelling and metaphorical satire, which works only because the viewer cares for the characters and their fates, while also absorbing the bigger issues under the surface.That would not work without a strong ensemble cast; the actors in The Ice Storm are not among my favorites, yet they all outdo themselves and produce sympathetic, powerful, convincing performances - Kevin Kline, Joan Allen and Sigourney Weaver are all at their very best, and the younger actors (Elijah Wood, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Adam Hann-Byrd and - amazingly - even Katie Holmes) all deliver too.
"The Ice Storm" is soul source material that resonates in the long term, Cassavetes-style.The performances are A+, the art direction exemplary, the story a well -structured, multiply parallel progression presented with a high degree of tension generated by offscreen awareness of plot/character developments.This film IS pressure, temptation, collapse carefully dragging the viewer where you know you don't wanna go, but secretly can't help needing to find out the truth from the Truthteller, and you know you're gonna get the real magillah.
I Got quite a library of movie close to a thousand and I made the mistake to buy this trash and what a mistake.The sad thing about it is that most actors in it I love.Kevin Kline,Joan Allen and Sigourney Weaver what the hell they doing in a flop like this.There is no life in this movie all characters are suppose to be looking for something and I don't think after 113 min.
While the latter is sappy, its predecessor is unyielding, the way real life works.I have seen most of Ang Lee's movies, and I would say the Ice Storm is distinctly Ang: conveying thoughts and emotions more with scenes and visuals than with words.
This style is probably a direct extension of Lee's personality, as I've heard him described more than once as "a man of few words." The downside of this approach is that his movies do not appeal to people with a short attention span.If you haven't seen The Ice Storm, I will only say this: the last scene at the train station alone makes it one of my favorites..
The parents are more interested in their infidelities and in stopping their children from screwing around while all the while the weather gets colder and wetter and more deadly.This is the kind of smart, funny and adult film we don't see very often these days and, of course, it's brilliantly acted and not just by the older players, (a smug Kevin Kline, a wound-up Joan Allen, a sluttish Sigourney Weaver), but by the youngsters as well, (Christina Ricci showing real promise as well as Tobey Maguire and Elijah Wood).
Years before he hit big with "Brokeback Mountain," Taiwanese-American director Ang Lee released what I consider to be an even better film, 1997's "The Ice Storm." Kevin Kline and Joan Allen play Ben and Elena Hood, a seemingly happily-married suburban couple in 1973 Connecticut.
We not only bear witness to their struggles, but we develop a connection to their very souls.Unfortunately, "The Ice Storm" was simply lost in the shuffle of all the great motion pictures of 1997 – the box office champ and critical success "Titanic," Curtis Hanson's "L.A. Confidential," Paul Thomas Anderson's first classic "Boogie Nights," Matt Damon's and Ben Affleck's breakout film "Good Will Hunting," and Dustin Hoffman in "Wag The Dog." Plus Robert Duvall and Peter Fonda turned in the best performances of their long, successful careers with "The Apostle" and "Ulee's Gold," respectively.
Imagining Peter Parker as a virgin is not hard, but I never suspected I would see Tobey Maguire taking bong hits.But, that is just the beginning of the Ang Lee film that will surprise you.Let's see: Paul's (Tobey Maguire) parents are Ben (Kevin Kline) and Elena (Joan Allen), and Ben is sleeping with Janey (Sigourney Weaver), who is married to Jim (Jamey Sheridan).
I watched this movie on TV almost a year ago after reading some very positive reviews, and the fact that Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of my favorite films also played an important role in my decision, which I didn't regret.The Ice Storm tells about a middle class American family in the '70s reuniting for Thanksgiving.
They all have their issues: the parents' (Kevin Kline and Joan Allen) marriage is slowly unraveling, as the bored father embarks on a relationship with his neighbor (Sigourney Weaver); the son (Tobey Maguire) just wants to get out of there and spend his time with a girl (Katie Holmes) he's been in love with for some time; and the daughter (Christina Ricci) starts doing bizarre sexual experiments with a friend of hers.Lee's genius lies in the fact that he shows the characters'actions without judging them: his film is funny, tragic and disturbing at the same time, much like another middle class masterpiece, American Beauty.
We laugh at those people but we also care for them, and that's possible thanks to the superb actors: Kline, Allen and Weaver are all terrific as the confused, unsatisfied adults, but it's Ricci and Maguire who really shine with their extreme but honest performances (best bit: Maguire's monologue about the Fantastic Four, five years before he became a Marvel superhero too).I compared this excellent movie to American Beauty.
There's actually one difference between the two films: I've seen Beauty a lot of times, while The Ice Storm left me with a weird kind of feeling which makes me uncertain whether I'll watch it again any time soon.
Although better than "American Beauty", "The Ice Storm", which takes place in 1973, makes obvious, rather redundant points against our culture (or, what was our culture), yet director Ang Lee is so overly-precise in his handling, he neglects to modulate the characters' behavior--and if this was intentional, he doesn't recognize the irony; he smooths over everything so all we have left to respond to are the performances.
The start of the film is also ironic as both the director and the actor playing the character that reads the comic book would have their future in comic books; Ang Lee for 'The Hulk', and Tobey Maguire for the fabulous 'Spider-Man' films.The story takes place in a small neighbourhood in 1970's America and features two upper class families at it's centre; the Hood family, which consists of two parents (Kevin Kline and Joan Allen) and two children; a fourteen year old girl (Christina Ricci) and a sixteen year old boy (Tobey Maguire) and the Carver family, which consists of two parents (Sigourney Weaver and Jamey Sheridan) and two boys (Elijah Wood and Adam Hann-Byrd).
I watched the movie first and read the book after, and for me both are masterpieces.He (Rick Moody) wrote a fictional story, but we can see and feel that he is talking about the environment where he grew up and the the book depicts the hypocrisies and contradictions of society at the time, who was very traditional and conventional on the outside (men are breadwinners, women are attractive housewives, everybody celebrate thanksgiving, everybody aims to be part of the corporate world), but on the inside, the adults are insecure and irrational just like their children, despite their respectable looks and sophisticated language.The beauty of the film, is that the director Ang Lee invested a lot on the aesthetic factor ,casting perfect actors and making the audience nostalgic for a time when most of us were not even born.
When watching "The Ice Storm" you get the feel that life is somewhat of a dread and a dark nature, as you see the characters in the movie struggle with things and everyday real life.
The film is well acted too with an all star cast as the on screen chemistry is top notch.Set in 1973 Connecticut "The Ice Storm" looks at the life of one family that being the Hood family and how they deal with nature and human nature combined with emotion and dysfunction.
This popped into my brain a few times during "The Ice Storm": with a movie like this, one wrong move and it could've gone "American Beauty" pretentious.
sexual relations, jobs/studies.The cast is strong: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and that-time minors Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood, who all give catchy and splendid performances.
While, it may drag at time with some of the less interesting characters (i.e. Tobey MaGuire, Elijah Wood), but still solid work from Ang Lee. James Schmaus fashions a script that really gets you thinking and discussing life.
The free-love of the 60s spill over into the 30 and 40-somethings of a sleepy Connecticut community and runs smack into the dysfunctional family of Ben and Elena Hood (Kevin Kline and Joan Allen).Ben is having an affair with his neighbors wife, Janey Carver (Sigourney Weaver, ALIENS), and the boredom they both feel during their "love making" is palpable.
Kevin Kline (one of my favorite actors), Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, Elijah Wood, Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes, Christina Ricci, and Jamey Sheridan all pull in stunning performances.Having gushed over how well done the movie was, I do have to comment on its pacing.
This movie shows the lifestyle and distance between all members of a family, in 1970.it takes a lot to make a film about adultery, wife swapping, underage sex but the director 'Ang Lee' has managed very well in here.
The casual comedic elements are very good and enjoyable and the dramatic elements made me feel for or with the characters.The movie is based on the life of two upper middle class families in New Canaan, Connecticut during the year 1970.