Sordid Lives

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Lives</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="501" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="495"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="495" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="575"><div> Sordid Lives * (No Rating, language, sexual themes)</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Brenda Sexton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="545"><div> Sordid soap opera</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Latrelle:  Bonnie Bedelia</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Brother Boy:  Leslie Jordan</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Noleta:  Delta Burke</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> G.W.:  Jeff Bridges</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Sissy:  Beth Grant </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Ty:  Kirk Geiger</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> LaVonda:  Ann Walker</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Bitsy Mae:  Olivia Newton-John</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Written and Directed by:  Del Shores</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="304" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: A mishmash soap opera of the foul lives of a trailer park, white trash family that is assembling to attend the funeral after the accidental death of its matriarch. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> The movie opens with Ty (Kirk Geiger) whining to his 27<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> shrink about how he can't go home to his redneck Texan town because he is secretly gay and his mother would not be able to handle that fact.  Well, his grandmother has just died, and the rest of the characters are introduced to us at the deceased gal's sister's trailer home.  Sissy (Beth Grant) is more concerned about having just quit smoking than the fact that her sister has died.  Along comes her backyard neighbor Noleta (Delta Burke), whose husband was having an illicit affair with the deceased, who happened to die by tripping over his fake legs during the night.  Noleta, concerned about supporting herself if she kicks her cheating husband out, and how this may effect her friendship with the two daughters of the deceased, is frantically eating from one end of the table to another in Sissy's house.  </div> <bR> <div> The sisters (daughters of the deceased) show up fighting like cats about whether their mother should be wearing her mink stole in the coffin or not, since it's about 100 degrees out.  Every gal is overdone in that Texas trailer park manner, big hair, too much makeup, eating too much, and unfortunately over-acting their sordid dramas.</div> <bR> <div> Olivia Newton-John, as Bitsy Mae, shows up, singing at the local saloon where all the deadbeat husbands hang out.  She's worn out and tacky, likes to stick her chewed up gum on the mike to save it while she sings, and sports bad bleached hair, too many tattoos and ear pierces.  She has a lot of image, but not much of a role in the film.  </div> <bR> <div> The movie wraps itself around the conflicts of being gay in this community.  Brother Boy, the deceased's son, has been institutionalized for over twenty years for being gay and transvestite.  His favorite pastimes at the institution are impersonating Tammy Wynette, and frustrating his female shrink, who tries to sexually seduce him into being heterosexual so she can sell her book on "de-homosexualizing" men. Ultimately he is sprung from the institution to attend the funeral and gay grandson Ty finds the courage to come home and confront his mother.  Everyone ends up happy and loving and accepting of each other.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: It seems an awfully dated theme for an obviously gay son, an actor, to be this traumatized about telling his mother he's gay<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >¾</FONT>especially a kid who has an uncle who dresses up everyday like Tammy Wynette.  It doesn't make for a convincing, strong theme for a movie.</div> <bR> <div> What's Olivia Newton-John doing here?  She unfortunately has no role other than chewing her gum, singing the same song several times and looking tough.  </div> <bR> <div> This movie may best be described as a low-life "It's a Mad Mad Mad World," full of over-the-top characters being frantic and overacting.  <I>Sordid Lives</I> will probably close before you get the chance to see it, fortunately for you.  I wish I could find a redeeming value in it, but it all just seems to be an off-key, Texas two-step, without a point and, worst of all, without any laughs.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> No Rating (sexual themes; language)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> Brenda D. Sexton © 2002</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:brendasext@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:brendasext@aol.com"><U><U>Brenda@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Delta Burke:  <I><B>What Women Want</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Kirk Geiger:  Days of Our Lives</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Olivia Newton-John:  Grease</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Beth Grant:  <I><B>Donnie Darko</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Beau Bridges:  Rocket Man</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Leslie Jordan:  Goodbye Lover</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>