The House of the Spirits

I saw the description of this movie on Showtime and decided I'd DVR it (record) and watch it later. My reasoning for this was merely because of the cast list:

Meryl Streep

Glenn Close

Jeremy Irons

Winona Ryder

Antonio Banderas

Vanessa Redgrave

I figured "Hey, this looks like a good movie, but I wonder why I've never even heard of it". So I looked it up on imdb.com and learned that it came out in 1993. In '93 I was 13 yrs old and in the 8th grade. I was too busy thinking about boys, sleepovers with friends and was far from being interested in time period movies. Plus, it's rated R and my mom never wouldv'e let me see it.

I thourougly enjoyed this movie. All 2 1/2 hrs of it. Meryl Streep never ceases to amaze. She doesn't just play a character, she becomes them..almost to a spooky level. She literally turns on the tears like a switch. Jeremy is always the best at playing the villian. Glenn has a such a strong power about her. I loved the relationship between Meryl's and Glenn's characters. Truly sweet and heartbreaking.

The film is actually more centered around the bad things Jeremy's character does and how it affects everyone. Then towards the end he realizes he must rectify what he's done in order be at peace with himself. Like I always say "Abusive men grow soft in their old age." The termoil that everyone experiences in this movie makes me appreciate the luxury of my life, but then again, I'm jealous. This is a must see.