Georgia Rule

FLICK If my mother had literally put soap in my mouth and annoyingly trumped my decisions by saying Georgia rule (or actually Anna rule) when growing up, I’d probably be as messed up as Felicity Huffman’s Lilly in Georgia Rule. This film about three generations of women centers mostly on rebellious Rachel (Lindsay Lohan) who grew up in San Francisco and is sent by her mother, Lilly, to spend a summer with grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda) in the small rural town of Hull, Idaho. Georgia rigidly runs her house with a tight fist, serving meals only at specific times and disallowing swearing. When she uses the F word it shows her character has almost as many contradictions as the unfocused script. Garry Marshall can’t resist directing a comedy without raising heavy topics like alcoholism and possible child sexual abuse by a stepfather. When Rachel drops her bomb, it’s jarring and comes out of nowhere, disrupting the light pacing of the film that had preceded. The actresses are given moments to show they’re good enough to handle the directorial and writing inconsistencies. Lohan’s off-screen bad-girl reputation gets a run for its money as Rachel covers all aspects of being smart, bratty, and a femme fatal. In her first film since the Oscar-nominated Transamerica, Huffman skillfully walks the tightrope of confusion, intently sincere when trying to decipher the lies from the truth and then lashing out in a drunken frenzy. Fonda, who reminded us of her super talent in her moderate 2005 comeback film Monster-in-Law, continues to have a strong screen presence, but at times looks uncomfortable as the motherly, and grandmotherly, tyrant with a soft spot. Marshall rules don’t apply here, but keep an eye out for these three ladies, as it’s impossible to think that they’ll end up in another mess like this again. My score: 4 out of 10.