Johnny's Movie Page: Review of Sweet November

Review of Sweet November
by Johnny Erickson

I originally went to Sweet November with the hopes of seeing a truly awful movie. A movie I could slam - or more importantly an acting performance by Charlize Theron that I could criticize. So, it was with disappointed surprise that I found I actually liked it more than hated it. While Sweet November is by no means a great movie, it is solidly mediocre. The characters are all self absorbed, but generally likeable. The plot was predictable and the premise outlandish. However, it brought a tear to my eye and so, on some level, it must have drawn me in.

In the past, Charlize Theron's characters have annoyed me. In Reindeer Games and The Devil's Advocate, she was whiny, clingy, and irritating. Although she was good in the otherwise boring Bagger Vance, I still saw her in an unflattering light. It was with surprise that I realized her character, Sara, wasn't grating. In fact, I have begrudgingly changed my opinion of Charlize and her acting abilities and this may be the only reason I liked Sweet November.

Keanu Reeves, on the other hand, is still stiff. While he plays a good chin and grin superhero (I loved The Matrix), he does not fit well into other rolls. His character, Nelson, had several funny lines in the movie, but Keanu defused them with his staunch delivery. I think he would play better as a straight man, al la Arnold Schwarzenegger. In fact, one of the funnier moments in the movie centered on his awkwardness around the cross-dressing neighbor. Here the comedy relies on Keanu's reactions, not on his delivery of lines.

While I liked Charlize's acting and wasn't too bothered by Keanu's, the characters they play needed to be more tightly defined. As it is, they oscillate between self-absorption and selflessness. Sara has alienated her family so that she can essentially commit suicide. This isn't true to the courageous, I'll-try-anything Sara shown in the rest of the movie. Her actions seem cheap and cowardly. Also, she robs Nelson (not to mention the audience) of their last moments together by telling him that she wants to be remembered in a perfect light. This does not fit with Sara's character; it is selfish and conceded. These are qualities that through most of the movie Sara has tried to weed out of Nelson. Her actions are hypocritical.

Nelson too suffers from a poorly defined character, though not to the same degree as Sara. Sara transforms Nelson from a self-centered jerk to a slightly less self-centered jerk. At the end of the movie, Nelson no longer cares just for himself, but for Sara and her friends as well. He still doesn't give a damn about his old friends or strangers. In a scene lifted straight out of The Game, his potential employer emotionally shatters a waitress. Nelson says he does not like the way the employer does business and leaves the restaurant. On the surface, it seems like Nelson did the right thing; he stood up for his new principals. But wait a minute, what about the waitress? She was still left sobbing and devastated. Nelson didn't even apologize for the rude behavior. Not only this, but as soon as he leaves the restaurant he dumps a long-time partner, who had risked his job to be there. Obviously pleased with himself, he runs home to tell Sara what a good boy he has been. Nelson has not really learned to respect others, but has instead learned to manipulate Sara.

Another of this movie's problems is the ending. At first, I liked the idea of a romance movie where one of the leads died in the end. I thought "how original." Then I remembered Titanic, City of Angels, Patch Adams, and just about every other dramatic romance. I am sure I've seen cancer as the killer somewhere before. Though I cannot remember which movie, I am pretty sure that the heroine fought the disease and died with the hero at her side. Sweet November cheats the audience out of the death scene - or even better a recovery scene. (Why are there never any recovery scenes?) As I watched the ending, I thought "Wow, she is going to go take on this disease all by herself; what a courageous thing to do." Reflecting on that thought (or rather after hearing someone else's reflection), I realize it is one of the most cowardly moments ever shown on screen. This character does not want to fight; she just wants literally to party 'til she dies. I think the true tragedy here is not that Sara is dying but that she gave up. Especially considering that, to paraphrase Nelson, "she loves life more than anyone I've ever known." There is a difference between squeezing every drop of fun out of life and loving life. This movie would have been more believable if the doctors had told Sara she only had six months to live. Then at least she would have had some small reason for giving up.

There are several plot holes in Sweet November. First, Sara and Nelson get together way too fast. This makes both Nelson and Sara seem like tramps. Also, Nelson becomes a father-figure for Abner. While I liked this, it left me wondering what would happen with Abner. If Nelson remained Abner's Big Brother, then he would undoubtedly bump into Sara, after he has agreed never to see her again. If this is so, Abner will become yet another victim of Sara's selfishness. Finally, at the end of the movie, Nelson still doesn't have a job. He could get a job with Chad, but this again leads to an inevitable meeting between Sara and Nelson.

Just a note, in his review for the Salt Lake Tribune, Sean Means tiptoed around the ending of this movie with Godzilla-like grace. I would have enjoyed the surprise ending more if he hadn't told me it was coming. It would not have been any more fulfilling, just a little less predictable. In fact (had I not known the ending), there was a brief moment when it could have been fresh. When Nelson opens the cabinet and sees the ridiculous amount of drugs, I thought Sara might not die. Sara could have been addicted to drugs. Nelson would help her through rehab and they would live happily ever after. Of course, I realized that there were only 15 minutes left in the movie and so this ending wasn't feasible. Still, it would have been nice to maintain that fantasy for a little while. Sean Means's review didn't even give me a chance. Shame on him!

Another note, I am sick of watching the stereotypical gay man. I think these movies are trying to appeal to all audiences, trying to show how "with the times" they are, trying to show how they understand and accept homosexuals. What a crock! While I do not agree with the gay lifestyle, if I were gay, these cookie-cutter characters would offend me. As it is, they just annoy me. A gay mantra is "we're just like everyone else."  If these characters (note I am referring to poorly defined characters in a movie, not using "characters" to sarcastically refer to gay people) truly believed this, why aren't they defined by their work, their friends, their hobbies, instead of just their sexuality. I am really tired of flamboyant gay characters. They need to be replaced with roles that have some depth - for instance Simon from As Good as It Gets.

Overall, Sweet November's biggest problem is that it is too much like its characters. It lacks depth, originality, and caring. While it had a few genuine moments and brought a tear to my eye, in the end, the movie had no substance. It was just hypocritical and hollow. This movie could have been so much more and I think that is the saddest part of all.