Empire Falls & other HBO series

This HBO movie could be the textbook definition of “less than the sum of its parts.” At 3 hours in 2 parts, it should be an hour shorter or at least twice as long, with the characters pruned back or given room to grow. Richard Russo is one of my favorite contemporary novelists, even if this Pulitzer Prize-winning book is not his best, but it was a mistake for him to adapt his own screenplay, leaving it in limbo somewhere between literary conceit and plot-driven melodrama. Since Paul Newman gets a producing credit, I assume this grew out of their work together on Nobody’s Fool. And what a cast has been assembled -- besides Newman and his better half, Joanne Woodward (though her character is one of the weak points of this production), there are Ed Harris, Robin Wright Penn, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, Aidan Quinn, Theresa Russell, Kate Burton, etc. etc. There are attractive Maine and Martha’s Vineyard settings, and an experienced director in Fred Schepisi, who has done good work all the way from Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith through Last Orders. Each of the well-known actors makes an impression, so there is some sense of recognition as the whole community is sketched in, but they never move much beyond that initial impression. A novel can burrow in and circle around, offer a subtler sort of reveal, than this adaptation which needs to flog the story along, and tries to use narration to tie up its themes too neatly. I liked the set-up very well, but as the plot kicked in I liked it less and less, until by the end my reaction was less than lukewarm. Even though I can’t give this film a firm recommendation, it does have numerous elements to recommend itself, so I note that it will be released on dvd later this month. (2005, HBO/T, n.) *6*

As for other HBO series -- I do not mourn the passing of Six Feet Under, its time had definitely come. R.I.P. I watched it through with growing irritation at its characters and its formulas. The new series, Rome, betrays the same provenance in the cable network that brought you G-String Divas and Taxicab Confessions, not to mention Real Sex, with the need to throw naked bodies in bed together every ten minutes or so. But Rome seems to take its history quite seriously, and the participation of director Michael Apted is a guarantee of quality, so I’m in for the duration. Of course what I really want to catch up with is Season 3 of The Wire, so that I can look forward to its next season even more than the return of The Sopranos.