This film opens up in 1950's Hardford, Connecticut with nothing but beautiful scenery all around... from the fall leaves in full color to the perfect and gorgeous house where the Whitakers live.  Here we find the successful businessman, husband and father Frank, the high society and super nice wife Cathy and the two perfect kids along with the perfect maid.  Everything seems perfect right?  Not so fast.  We soon find out that Frank has had and still has strong homosexual tendencies and spends late hours cruising for partners.  By pure chance, Cathy finds out about this and like the perfect understanding wife gets Frank into seeing a shrink who surely can cure him of this taboo lifestyle.  We sense that Cathy has been neglected for quite some time and she soon begins a plutonic but unimaginable relationship with her black gardener who seems to be the only one she can really open up to and who will listen to her.  The rest of the film deals with how these two events slowly reek havoc on this all-american perfect family how this family will most certainly be destroyed unless things are drastically changed.

      I know I'm repeating myself, but this film is gorgeous to look at.  The lush surroundings of these two people clash so violently with the secret and taboo lives which they are leading.  And these visuals have a mesmerizing effect on the audience.  The film not only takes place in the 1950s, but it looks like it was made right from that era.  Director Todd Haynes is obviously paying homage to the 1950's films like "All That Heavens Allows" and the result is one great, moving story.  A good story requires interesting characters and Frank and Cathy are both so interesting and complex that you can't wait to see what happens to them in the end.  Haynes also focuses on the extensive cynicism and prejudice that was so prevalent during this era.

      The acting all around in this film is great, and not only by the three main actors.  But I have to single out Julianne Moore for such a terrific and extremely moving performance playing a housewife and mother whose life as she knows it has been shattered.  Just her looks and reactions that she gives to hearing things lets us know what this character has to be feeling.  I've always liked Moore in her past films and so her fine performance in this film was not surprising.  Dennis Quaid proves that he can play a dramatic role much different than his usual nice guy with the killer grin.  With this role to go along with his last film "The Rookie", Quaid should get some kind of comeback actor of the year award.  Dennis Haysbert is perfect as the gardener who befriends Cathy, being totally naive about how a relationship between two people of different races could destroy his life and alienate him with all the people he knows.

      This film could have easily been overly melodramatic or like a TV movie of the week.  But it was made smartly, being a moving and interesting story instead of a too-sweet and dull one.  The cinematography is simply great in the film. This one is going to look superb when it eventually comes out on DVD.  I got lost for two hours watching this story unfold and watching these characters.  This is what filmmaking is all about.  Go see this one and float back to the 1950s.

     -- Mike ( 4 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

       Billy Ray ( 2 out of 4 pops )

      Something funny happened to me during "Far from Heaven", the new Todd Haynes effort.  I had a wide mix of emotions that I cannot really explain.  First off, I think both Dennis Quaid and Dennis Haysbert (Quaid especially) should be considered for Academy Awards for their amazing performances.  Julianne Moore was moderately affective.  I, however, did not enjoy the movie as a whole.  Sure, it was beautiful to look at, but it seemed like Haynes was focusing more on scenery and beautiful shots than he was an interesting and original storyline.  The relationship between Moore and Quaid was interesting--sure--but the introduction of Haysbert into that relationship was not as powerful and poignant as it could have been.  Some critics have said this film is one of the most persuasive films to deal with race ever.  I would say that statement is totally naive and unfounded.  The films "Rosewood" and "Glory" are much better examples, even though they are not in the same genre.  I just found "Far from Heaven" to be far less of the wonderful film I had envisioned.  Oscar nominations are deserved for Quaid and Haysbert (and Quaid just might win), but that is about the only positive recommendation I can give this film.  Sorry.