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DVD REVIEW FOR
"A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES"

(1998) (Renee Zellweger, Christopher Eccleston) (R)

Length Screen Format(s) Languages Subtitles Sound Sides
116 minutes Letterbox (1.85:1) English English Dolby Digital 5.1 1

PLOT & PARENTAL REVIEW

VIDEO:
(A-) Overall, the picture here is good, but clearly not as outstanding as other releases. Some compression-related pixelation is present and at times some colors - most notably the reds - are at or nearing over saturation. In addition, some scenes appear to be bathed in a bit too much of a warm hue, but more brightly lit outdoor scenes fare much better.
AUDIO:
(A-) Beyond some ambient effects and a decent, but only occasional score, this drama is obviously and understandably dialogue driven. As such, it sounds good for what it's trying to accomplish, but clearly isn't anything memorable or something that will knock off your socks from a sonic perspective.
EXTRAS:
  • Scene selection/Jump to any scene.
  • Theatrical trailer.
  • COMMENTS:
    In 1985, Harrison Ford starred in "Witness," a film concerning a detective who ends up in an Amish community where he is, in essence, a fish out of water. Coming from a completely different background and heritage, Ford's character eventually accepted their ways and the community finally welcomed him into their fold.

    More than a decade later, and hot off her success in "Jerry Maguire," actress Renee Zellweger starred in "A Price Above Rubies," another fish out of water story -- but this one comes with a one hundred and eighty-degree twist. Instead of being an initial stranger, she's one of the fold, and instead of both parties finally accepting each other, here they go their separate ways.

    Of course, Zellweger's Sonia actually is a fish out of water right from the beginning. She constantly looks uncomfortable, and one wonders for some time about why she married Mendel and moved into a traditional, Hasidic community in the first place. We eventually learn that she's complying with her parents' wishes, but there needs to be more evidence of that to make it completely believable. As strong-willed as she is, coupled with the fact that we learn early on of her non-traditional Jewish beliefs (loving her brother more than God or her parents), it's hard to buy into the notions that she's agreed to all of this just to please her parents (whom we never see).

    Even so, Zellweger is engaging in the role, although some will obviously question her portrayal of a Hasidic Jew -- despite the fact that this incongruity seems intentional in both the casting and her performance. Perfectly playing a disillusioned and dissatisfied woman and wife, Zellweger brings a certain compassion to her character that endears her to the viewer.

    Christopher Eccleston ("Jude") plays the catalytic character who finally breaks Sonia free from her "confines." In doing so, his character comes across as a despicable creep, although Eccleston gives him enough depth to hold our attention and make his character interesting. His brother-in- law, played by Glenn Fitgerald ("The Ice Storm"), on the other hand, plays a likeable guy despite his inability to comprehend and or satisfy his wife's needs.

    It would have been easy to portray Mendel as the stereotypical, ultra-religious Jew with his nose buried in the Torah, but Fitzgerald brings enough human qualities to his character to make him sympathetic to the viewer. Neither he nor Sonia is right in their beliefs, but instead they've just come to an impasse in finding a compromise that will make both of them happy.

    While much of this sounds depressingly drab, writer/director Boaz Yakin (writer/director of 1994's "Fresh") has injected enough whimsical moments to lighten the mood. The introductory scene, for instance, where Sonia and Mendel's infant boy is set to undergo his ritual circumcision ceremony is subtly humorous as the nervous parents can barely manage to go through with it. Likewise, during early scenes, Sonia behaves in a comically frustrated manner that belies her later problems as a new mother in a new setting. There are also several moments where she interacts with her long dead, ten-year-old brother as well as several encounters with a mysterious, homeless woman, both of which lend a fantasy-like feel to the proceedings.

    Although there's nothing particularly special or compelling about this story of a woman breaking free from her societal, religious, and self-imposed lifestyle, it arrives in a competent package with enough interesting performances to possibly make it worth seeing for some viewers.

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