The unbearable lightness of Gravity

We enjoyed the 3D version of Gravity at the local cineplex last night. The 3D effects are spectacular, George Clooney and Sandra Bullock charismatic, but the story is a little lightweight (and not at all unbearable) as it works through the challenges faced by the two astronauts who survive the disaster with which the story begins. It seems to me to provide a modestly feminist update on The Perils of Pauline. It is an update, however, that increasingly subverts the willing suspension of disbelief. If you see it, don’t miss the 3D version.

The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Morgenstern provides an informative if over-the-top appreciation here. Buzz Aldrin is one of the few residents of planet earth in a position to render this verdict on the basis of personal knowledge: “I was so extravagantly impressed by the portrayal of the reality of zero gravity.” Thanks to the Hollywood Reporter, we have it.

In the category of news you can use, I want to add this footnote. The widely praised supposedly romantic comedy Enough Said, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the late James Gandolfini, sent one word echoing through my mind after the first thirty minutes or so I spent trying to like it. The word was “excruciating,” specifically with reference to the screenplay by writer/director Nicole Holofcenter.

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