A Lovely "Elegy" on "The Day the Earth Stood Still"

Elegy, starring Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz, tells the story of a mismatched couple who find dysfunctional and anti-Hollywood love for a short period of time as their lives cross. Despite its lack of warmth about love (this is no romantic comedy) it is somewhat refreshing how realistic their story is. He is an aging professor who falls into lust with his young student; she is a beautiful and intelligent young woman who is apparently seduced by David's knowledge of and passion for culture, literature and art. Eventually, however, they seem to discover a real love for each other but unfortunately it cannot survive David's fear of commitment and they go their separate ways. Without giving away the entire story, I have to say that although it is a bit slow-moving, it is a wonderful portrayal and reminder of the importance of everyone we have known and loved in life--and that just when you think you have moved on, you may be surprised how quickly they can return to your life...then you discover that your love for them was never really gone and that they had more of an effect on you than you would have liked to believe.

Ah, Keanu Reeves and your bad acting. It worked perfectly for your role in The Matrix and it works pretty well for Klatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still as well. I picked this one up for a fun diversion to go along with Elegy's much more serious topic matter and I was not disappointed. The special effects are okay--lots of bright light to make up for a lack of originality--and the plot is derived from the original story; aliens come to earth to save the planet from humans. The original had a preachy speech about protecting the planet--the new version's aliens propose to kill us off. My overall opinion of the film is that it is mediocre--Reeves sleep-walks through this role even more than usual, reading lines with a monotony typically to his performances but even more so due to his playing an alien. Like I said, it works for this film but...let's just hope he keeps getting roles where he can do his usual. Jennifer Connelly is the stand-out in this film, giving a believable and compassionate performance--although her relationship with her stepson (Jaden Smith) is pretty cliche and predictable (he moves from calling her Helen and she to referring to him as her son to him finally calling her Mom; it's something we've seen time and time again). Final verdict? See it if you get it for free.