The Ice Storm

"The Ice Storm"
Starring: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Sigourney Weaver, Elijah Wood
Grade: B+

Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm" is a prime example of an American film. The film chronicles the Thanksgiving festivities of two upper middle class families in Connecticut during the Watergate scandal, which is ever present on TV's in the background of more than a few scenes.

Ben played by Kevin Kline is married to Elena played by Joan Allen. They've recently dropped out of marriage counseling, and both are on the edge of infidelity. They're two kids played by Tobey Maguire and Christina Ricci are young, curious, and are experimenting with drugs, and the opposite sex. The other family is the Carvers, the parents played by Sigourney Weaver and Henry Czerny. They have two boys, both of whom are interested in Ricci's character.

The film takes place over a long Thanksgiving weekend. The weather is nasty, and as the sins of the parents and kids gets worse, the weather worsens. There is no general plot, but an insight into the infidelities of parents, and struggles of growing up on kids. There are no main characters, but every character has there own dynamic scene where they're spotlighted. This isn't an ensemble drama as it might read like one. "The Ice Storm" exists on many levels. It has a dreary and morbid undercurrent as it goes along, but it's also funny. Consider the scene in which awkward sexual advances are being made by two kids of each the families. A parents walks in, and one of the kids is wearing a Nixon mask.

Ang Lee gets the best out of his actors, Kline and Allen are particularly strong. The kids all hold there own, they're feelings and character developments are just as important as the adults. "The Ice Storm" is a fluid drama at 120 minutes, but there is a late plot development that is maybe too dark for the stories own good. All in all, this is a very good film.