A Piece of Eden

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FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 75 WIDTH="486"><div>  <script src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=reelmoviecriticc&p=16&o=1&l=bn1&browse=163313&mode=dvd" type="text/JavaScript"></script> <noscript> <MAP NAME="boxmap"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="10, 322, 100, 329" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/reelmoviecriticc" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/468x336.gif" width="468" height="336" border="0" usemap="#boxmap" alt="Shop at Amazon.com"> </noscript>  </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>A Piece of Eden  *** (No MPAA Rating)</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Reviewed By George O. Singleton</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="588" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Family values rise to the surface</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Bob Tredici: Marc Grapey               Happy Buchanan: Rebecca Harrell</div> <div> Franco Tredici: Robert Breuler           Aunt Aurelia: Tyne Daly</div> <div> Victor Hardwick: Tristan Rogers           Director: John Hancock</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: The owner of a New York public relations firm goes home to Indiana after his father is seriously injured in an accident at his apple orchard. Various family members believe the old man may die soon and they individually start to position themselves as the "rightful heir" of the business. There are remnants of a dysfunctional family that many of us will recognize. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Happy Buchanan (Rebecca Harrell) works as a receptionist at a publicity agency owned by Bob Tredici (Marc Grapey) in New York City. She is a very nice person, with limited office skills, who has trouble taking even the simplest of phone messages. Bob's father has a near fatal accident on his fruit farm in Indiana, and Bob takes off for the family homestead and leaves Happy in charge of the office. While he has never shown any interest in growing or selling apples, Bob is jealous of his brother and sister-in-law who say they want the farm. They are making themselves quite comfortable in the farmhouse and are quick with opinions on how things should be run. Some will say the film is predictable and while in some ways that is true, we would not want it any other way. Yes, it will have a happy ending, just like <I><B>Keeping the Faith</B></I> (Ed Norton). It will not, however, be a manipulated Hollywood writers' consensus that could never happen. </div> <bR> <div> Franco Tredici (Robert Breuler) is a crusty father who likes to fuss a lot. In the midst of this he lays out some gems, such as "The man who tills the soil should own the soil." As the family members pitch in to work the farm with their hands, we slowly see them mature and the true character of each emerges. Unlike the irredeemable dysfunction of a family as portrayed in <I><B>The Virgin Suicides</B></I>, these folks are more akin to those we met in <A HREF="id745.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="You Can Count On Me"><U><I><B>You Can Count on Me</B></I></U></A><A HREF="id745.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="You Can Count On Me"><U>.</U></A> They will find a way to develop into better human beings; who can then address major family issues. Some things are resolved in the end, yet you still wonder about what each person will do in the future. You do know however, that everyone will be better off because of these experiences. </div> <bR> <div> Happy comes to Indiana so she can pretend to be Bob's fiancé, as his father, Franco, wants the person who runs the farm after he's gone to be someone with a family. Bob and Happy are drifting more than anyone. While lost in many ways, they are both good people who are smart and charming. With a little luck, added to hard work, they could run the farm and be happy doing it. However, for that to happen, they must first become friends. One scene, when they harvest honey, assures us that they're on the right road.</div> <bR> <div> Being in La Porte, Indiana has a feel similar to that of the landscape explored in <I>Straight Story,</I> where a 70 year old man rode his lawn tractor 300 miles to visit his ailing and estranged brother. Both films capture so-called mid-western family values. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: The mystery of this story is not so much what will happen, but of the events that will make people change for the better. What we want, and what we should do, can be so obvious and simple, that it can be hard to recognize.  For example, the best apples are the ones <B>at</B> the farm, because they are at such a perfect point of ripeness and flavor that they would not ship or store well to get to the city. There's a very obvious solution that needs just the expertise that Bob has to offer.</div> <bR> <div> Even after all the Jay Leno jokes about Viagra, you will find yourself laughing when Apollo, Franco's brother, relates his views on the subject. Tyne Daly, as Aunt Aurelia, is somewhat typecast in her normal preachy way, but her role is still effective. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> More an art house film, I'd like to see the <I>megaplex</I> devote one or two of its 20 screens to this type of intelligent family drama, which is a pure joy to watch. </div> <bR> <div>  Look for the scenes in late October, during a warm summer-like afternoon when the leaves and mums are in full color. It fills the screen and it becomes quite clear why the four seasons are so wonderful. That captures the soul of this film. Seasons in our lives are important as well.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> Not Rated</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> George O. Singleton © 2000</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>george@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>