Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Daryl Zero (A) on July 24, 2007 at 19:01:44

Adrienne Shelly's last movie before her unfortunate and premature death. Stars Keri Russell as a pie making waitress caught in a marriage to a jealous husband who tries to control his wife with violence and the threat of violence. Cheryl Hines and Shelly play her co-workers. Russell's Jenna is endowed with incredible pie-making abilities which she pours her life's joy into. The movie starts with her plans to run away from her husband complicated by an unwanted pregnancy on a night he got her drunk. The movie tries to play it lightly focusing mostly on the diner.

Two men figure in Jenna's life. A new doctor played by Nathan Fillon (doing well in his role) and the owner of the cafe, played very crankily by Andy Griffith (yes, he is still alive).

The movie plays like a typical indie with Jenna torn between getting out of her house, an affair with the married doctor who appears to genuinely love her and her indifference to her pregnancy. A nice movie acted as well as could be expected in the fairy tale like tone ends happily ever after thanks to an expected deux ex machina.