paulwbakersf
I would refer readers of this review to the review written by Steve Skafte in this review forum. He has pretty much nailed the movie in his review and I agree with most of what he has to say.However, I would add the following. Heather Graham's struggle with the role of young Alexandra entails more than just the written dialog. She also struggles with a Swedish dialect (as to other characters). It's too bad because she really looks like she could be a young Jessica Lange. I would add that Reed Diamond's performance as Emil seems stilted to me. Maybe that is just the dialog, as Steve Skafte suggests, but I really think it's an acting problem. These two aren't the only actors that fall short.To the praise of Jessica Lange, I would add significant praise for Anne Heche as Marie. She really brings this role to life and you will see no issues with her dialog. Her performance alone makes the love between Marie and Emil believable.Now, for the spoiler. If you haven't seen the movie, don't read this part!!! The story of Emil and Marie is beautifully done and when they finally consummate their love, great tension is generated as her husband goes through a series of actions that lead to his taking up his rifle. This part is very, very well done. And when he kills the lovers, it is a perfect tragic moment.I wish I could give this movie seven stars instead of six, but the great photography, locations, directing, music, and the performances of Lange and Heche cannot make amends for the poorly written dialog and the other unprofessional performance issues that keep this from being a great film.
Steve Skafte
There are several very good points to "O Pioneers!" that are partially drowned under miscasting and stilted dialogue. Heather Graham (who plays the younger version of Jessica Lange's character) is the worst of the lot. Even the more talented actors sometimes struggle to get the words out. There are far too many cases throughout where unnecessarily complicated lines are forced to be delivered in a way that is anything but natural. It's too bad that this is the only major flaw, because the constant re-occurrence of the issue is the only thing that keeps "O Pioneers!" from being a great film.Jessica Lange is certainly the best thing here. The emotion and power with which she imbues her character is palpable. David Strathairn, who is one of my favorite actors, is given much less to work with. He tries his best, but the character is written too coldly to truly come to life. The absolute stand-out performance, however, is that of Tom Aldredge. His depiction of Ivar is amusing, alive, deep and absolutely human. Most of the other actors live up to standard, save for the aforementioned dialogue issues.Glenn Jordan directs quite nicely, but it's less his sensibility than the eye of cinematographer Dick Bush that makes "O Pioneers!" so visually appealing. Bush captures a washed-out world of warm-pale greens, blues, and sepia tones that fill you with a sense of longing and overwhelming calm. This film has something in common both visually and thematically with Jordan's film of the previous year, "Sarah, Plain and Tall". That movie is ultimately more consistent and satisfying that this one. I couldn't say there's any reason for me to watch "O Pioneers!" a second time, but it was a meaningful experience in spite of the flaws. It has much to say about contentment and the search for home. You should gain something from it.
susanjmaki
I was looking at some other reviews of this and felt pressed to say, it rally was pretty good. Criticisms that it was predictable are a bit unfounded when you remember that this was based on Willa Cather's novel.She wrote it first. I enjoyed the production. It talked about how people make decisions that have consequences beyond their expectations. The affair between Marie and Emil is more about Marie's decision to marry who and when she did. These things could happen today. Still, the slice of life in for American settlers is what has always drawn me to Willa Cather's works. I think Hallmark's depiction is quite solid. Jessica Lange was a good choice for the lead. Her story could have been that of so many others. Nowadays we forget that this country was settled by people faced with different choices and harder lives than we face today.
cooknena
Awesome story of how a woman takes over the ranch aft her father dies. Looking at it from a genealogical viewpoint of a genealogist's....I am so glad they made this excellent film. Stories such as this came from our ancestors for sure as such ocurrences actually did happen very often. Women were left to run many outfits when the men died or went wandering....they had the gusto, fortitude and fight to do it, thats why we are here today, because of these courageous ancestors. Nebraska is a gorgeous state and the scenery is truly depictive of it as I lived there. The culmination of the two childhood friends marrying, even though she was 4yrs his senior...happened all too often back in those days. Its a very emotional, heart beating film and well done. Jessica Lange is such a wonderful actress and did an excellent job in this film as did David Strathairn.
AD
