Day 228 - 8/16/09 - Movie #224
BEFORE: We went out yesterday to Fair Lawn, NJ for a BBQ - so early Sunday morning I was so tired I fell asleep about 20 minutes into this film (not a good sign) and had to pick it up the next day. I had bought some of those chocolate-covered espresso beans at the Harry & David's outlet, and forgot to eat two before starting the film.
THE PLOT: A nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.
AFTER: This is a tough one for me to rate - there's not much question about the guilt of Sean Penn's character, Matthew Poncelet, so the debate about his execution isn't likely to sway anyone's opinion on the matter - and Susan Sarandon's character, Sister Helen Prejean, attacks the subject from so many angles, the issue just gets more muddled. So I'm going to treat this as more of a character study, a portrait of both a convicted killer and his spiritual advisor. What goes through a man's mind before his execution - can a nun connect with him emotionally, and help him find some form of redemption or peace in his final days?
Penn and Sarandon do deliver the goods - with supporting work by Robert Prosky, R. Lee Ermey, and the female character actors Margo Martindale (last seen by me in "Million Dollar Baby") and Celia Weston. Cameos from Jack Black and Clancy Brown as a small-town sheriff (see what I mean?)
RATING: 6 out of 10 Bibles
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