In The Bedroom

Human Events, Nov 26, 2001 by Baehr, Ted

IN THE BEDROOM Quality: * * * Acceptability: -2

RATING: R

STARRING: Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Marisa Tomei, Nick Stahl, William Mapother, William Wise, Celia Weston, and Karen Allen

DIRECTOR: Todd Field

DISTRIBUTOR: Miramax Films

GENRE: Drama/Thriller

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Older teenagers and adults

SUMMARY: In the Bedroom opens with a young man, Frank Fowler, having an affair with a 30-year-old woman, Natalie, who's getting a divorce from one of the heirs of the family that owns the local cannery. Frank's mother, Ruth, is upset about the age difference, the divorce situation and the fact that her only son has just been chosen to attend an elite architectural school. Heartbreaking tragedy strikes Ruth and Frank's father, Matt. Then, Ruth and Matt suddenly exchange bitter recriminations, and the whole story goes downhill to become a disappointing revenge thriller.

The first two-thirds of In the Bedroom constitute one of the best-acted, most rewarding family dramas of the year. The final third, however, rejects forgiveness, redemption and justice in favor of revenge and a confused warning about controlling mothers. By doing this, the movie wastes two superb performances by Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson as Ruth and Matt, and completely forgets Marisa Tomei's interesting character, Natalie. In the Bedroom also includes some contrived violence, foul language and immoral sexual implications.

CONTENT Secular humanist worldview that seems to propose that forgiveness, redemption, and even the Christian church, are ultimately ineffective when confronted by tragedy; about 17 obscenities, 9 strong profanities and 2 mild profanities; gunshot heard, brief gruesome image of man's eye and side of face bloodied where bullet entered; and man shot dead from behind; implied fornication between man and woman whose divorce is not yet finalized and about three sexual references, one of which indicates that woman lets man sleep over in her house while her two children are there; partial natural male nudity; alcohol use; smoking; and revenge not totally rebuked.