Evening

This tearjerker stars Vanessa Redgrave as Ann, a dying woman looking back at a moment where she blew a chance to be with the love of her life (Patrick Wilson). She is played in her younger days by Claire Danes, an actress who doesn’t have all that much in common with Redgrave, but that’s forgivable, because both deliver decent performances. Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson are good as Ann’s daughters in the present day, but the film is marred by a couple of caricature performances. Glenn Close is irritating as usual, showing off in her small role and ruining the scenes she occupies. Hugh Dancy plays a drunk in love with the young Ann, and his work calls for a paper bag with a bottle in it. Way overdone. Still, there’s enough good work and a definite sweetness in this movie, and the last 20 minutes or so are excellent, because Meryl Streep shows up and gives everybody a lesson on how the acting thing is done. It’s a weeper, so bring your hankies.