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Review #410 of 365
Movie Review of Gray Matters (2007) [PG-13] 96 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $11.50
Where Viewed: Colorado Cinemas Cherry Creek 8, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 27 February 2007
Time: 2:10 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Sue Kramer (debut)
Written by: Sue Kramer (debut)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Heather Graham (Bobby) • Thomas Cavanagh (How to Eat Fried Worms) • Bridget Moynahan (Lord of War) • Molly Shannon (Marie Antoinette) • Alan Cumming (Sweet Land) • Sissy Spacek (An American Haunting) • Rachel Shelley ("The L Word")
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
What if your closest sister promised to help you find your dream girl, and then fell in love with her herself? Such is the story of this twisty romantic comedy starring Heather Graham as Gray, the sister and best friend of Sam (Thomas Cavanagh), and their mutual love interest Charlie (Bridget Moynahan). Gray works for an advertising firm where she's underappreciated and makes it through the day via the moral support of her good friend and confidant, Carrie (Molly Shannon), whose unforgiving husband is a constant source of mean jokes in their lives. Sydney (Sissy Spacek) plays Gray's psychologist who believes that out-of-office site therapy is the best way to go, helps her get to the bottom of her needs and feelings one afternoon at a bowling alley. After this, she takes Sam to a park, rents a dog, and scopes out Charlie as a possible match for her long-beloved brother. The three hit it off famously, and soon after, Sam announces to Gray that he and Charlie are to be married in Vegas the following weekend. Feeling this is too much too soon, Gray tries a bit to coax her brother into waiting, but he's already a successful surgeon and ready to settle down at last with a family. An impromptu, overly alcoholic bachelorette party for two with Gray and Charlie, however, yields some surprising results. For the next few weeks, Gray is at a loss for understanding her feelings for Charlie and their interactions that night. Eventually, she has to come to grips with her love for Charlie and her own self-discovery.
"Heather Graham and Bridget Moynahan are wonderful…in this twisty romantic comedy…"
Gray Matters, written and directed by Sue Kramer, though the title rings of too many colliding bad clichés, fulfills its niche of romantic comedy with a twist just fine. There's nothing too spectacular about the story or the characters. Everything about it is nice. There's nothing ground-breaking about it. Maybe, that's the nicest thing about it. It just seems very natural. We still live in a world brimming with prejudice and hatred toward people who possess biological differences they cannot or will not comprehend. Films like this and last year's Imagine Me and You help to remind us, though perhaps not often enough, of the reality of people who cannot control whom they love or why despite our proper societal pressures and falsely perceived norms. They help to push our thinking forward and on to a time when all people might be accepted for who they are and not their gender sexual orientation, a time when films like this can be seen as simply, another romantic comedy and not so much as one with a twist.
The chemistry between the trio is exciting and fun at first, yet clearly things are heading down two different paths for Sam and Gray. The stunning and deflating reaction by Sam to his sister's pronouncement of her love for his wife, however sadly, could be anticipated in this day and age. The time really has come for people to get over it and move on just as Sam eventually does. Heather Graham and Bridget Moynahan are wonderful in their roles. Ms Graham possessing the pouty yet gorgeous understated beauty and Ms Moynahan proving to be a stunning catch for either sibling. Both women are fully comfortable in their roles. Meanwhile, Mr. Cavanagh, still has some difficulty playing anyone other than his NBC® character, Ed from "Ed". In some ways, one could picture this being a sequel to "Ed" only with Ed having decided to quit law, go into medicine, but still having all those problems with finding the right woman. Molly Shannon who has made an art form out of playing Molly Shannon even, to a degree, in Marie Antoinette has done it again with this new character, Carrie. She has some great bits throughout the film talking about her husband refusing to let her quit Weight-Watchers® while going bald himself or walking through an open air market while trying to discover if Gray would find or has found her attractive. Sue Kramer has created lively characters in a nice and kind story that helps further without preaching improvement in relationships between people of all walks of life.
The chemistry between the trio is exciting and fun at first, yet clearly things are heading down two different paths for Sam and Gray. The stunning and deflating reaction by Sam to his sister's pronouncement of her love for his wife, however sadly, could be anticipated in this day and age. The time really has come for people to get over it and move on just as Sam eventually does. Heather Graham and Bridget Moynahan are wonderful in their roles. Ms Graham possessing the pouty yet gorgeous understated beauty and Ms Moynahan proving to be a stunning catch for either sibling. Both women are fully comfortable in their roles. Meanwhile, Mr. Cavanagh, still has some difficulty playing anyone other than his NBC® character, Ed from "Ed". In some ways, one could picture this being a sequel to "Ed" only with Ed having decided to quit law, go into medicine, but still having all those problems with finding the right woman. Molly Shannon who has made an art form out of playing Molly Shannon even, to a degree, in Marie Antoinette has done it again with this new character, Carrie. She has some great bits throughout the film talking about her husband refusing to let her quit Weight-Watchers® while going bald himself or walking through an open air market while trying to discover if Gray would find or has found her attractive. Sue Kramer has created lively characters in a nice and kind story that helps further without preaching improvement in relationships between people of all walks of life.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Gray Matters (2007)
Cast Members
Heather Graham
• Thomas Cavanagh • Bridget MoynahanMolly Shannon
• Alan Cumming • Sissy SpacekRachel Shelley
Writer / Director
Sue Kramer
Gray Matters (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
What if your closest sister promised to help you find your dream girl, and then fell in love with her herself? Such is the story of this twisty romantic comedy starring Heather Graham as Gray, the sister and best friend of Sam (Thomas Cavanagh), and their mutual love interest Charlie (Bridget Moynahan). Gray Matters, written and directed by Sue Kramer, though the title rings of too many colliding bad clichés, fulfills its niche just fine. There's nothing too spectacular about the story or the characters. Everything about it is nice. There's nothing ground-breaking about it. It just seems very natural. We still live in a world brimming with prejudice and hatred toward people who possess biological differences they cannot or will not comprehend. Films like this help to remind us of the reality of people who cannot control whom they love or why despite our proper societal pressures and falsely perceived norms.
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