Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her - Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film

Year: 2001

Things
You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her (USA;
109min.)

directed by:

Rodrigo García
starring: Glen
Close; Cameron Diaz; Calista Flockhart; Kathy Baker; Holly Hunter

Ellen says: “Unfortunately
this film apparently suffered from lack of release. Thank God for cable,
I guess, although I don’t have cable so I would never have seen this if
not for VCR’s. The film tells the story of several women coping with the
issues of love in their lives. All the women are interconnected in some
tangential way. Vision (or lack thereof) is a key motif, as you may have
guessed from the title. Some of the vignettes were more compelling than
others, but overall the film was good. I loved the bag lady.” 3 1/2
cats

Michael says:
“Rodrigo García’s moving, anthological film about women, features strong
writing, a top-notch cast (Glen Close, Holly Hunter, Kathy Baker, Cameron
Diaz, Calista Flockhart… just to name a few) and unfortunately, despite
big raves at Sundance last year… no distributor. Thank God for cable television.
Showtime picked up this film so at least some people got to see it. And
now it’s available on video and DVD.

In THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER, García has attempted an Altman-like
anthology. But while Altman often takes a sprawling story and links them
tangentially with the numerous characters, García looks at a series of small,
intimate stories that are also tangentially linked by supporting characters.
Each of the stories deals with women… and the differences between what
these women present to the world, and what they hold inside. In each story,
there are characters who see beyond the masks these women wear to their
inner cores… Callista Flockhart’s tarot card reader, “Nancy” the insightful
homeless woman who sees through Holly Hunter’s tough, capable bank manager,
Cameron Diaz’ blind woman who might be a better detective than her sister,
played by Amy Brenneman. It was refreshing to watch a movie about women
as individuals, and not just as appendages to the men who are the real stars.

Unfortunately, the stories were uneven… with some standouts (Kathy Baker’s
single-mom who becomes fascinated by Albert, a dwarf who moves into the
house across the street) and some surprisingly inert (Callista Flockhart
caring for her lover (Valeria Golina) who is dying of cancer). I think the
movie could have been tightened up, with some storylines being more deeply
explored (Kathy Baker’s or Holly Hunter’s) and others being discarded. Still,
I felt it was worthwhile, with some terrific performances.” 3 1/2 cats

Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her

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