Austin360 blogs > Austin Movie Blog > Archives > 2010 > October > 22 > Entry
First look at Foote’s last
The last screenplay ever penned by the late Texas legend Horton Foote had is premiere Thursday night at the Paramount.
Directed by John Doyle, it’s called “Main Street,” and it has all the hallmarks of a gentle Foote tale.
Ellen Burstyn stars as a Georgiana Carr, a Durham, N.C., matron who lives in a gorgeous old mansion where she was born. She knows she can’t afford to continue to live there, because her income has grown meager over the many years. So when a stranger named Gus Leroy (Colin Firth) comes to her home and asks to rent one of the warehouses she owns, she agrees, no questions asked.
It turns out that Leroy is storing hazardous waste at the warehouse, however. And Georgiana’s niece Willa (Patricia Clarkson) isn’t amused.
As with many Foote tales, “Main Street” has a subplot focusing on a couple of younger people in Durham. Harris Parker (Orlando Bloom) works as a cop and attends law school at night. He’s trying to improve himself so that he can win back the love of his life, Mary (Amber Tamblyn).
Doyle weaves back and forth between the old and possibly new families with grace. But the pacing lags at times, seeming more like a play than a movie.
Still, the cast is excellent, and Burstyn still has the ability to amaze us with her fearless vulnerabilities.
Hallie Foote, the daughter of the screenwriter and playwright, introduced the movie to Austin audiences.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Austin Film Festival 2010
Comments
When commenting, we ask that you keep things civil and abide by our Visitor Agreement. To report comment abuse, click here.