Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon and the equally fantastic Pierce Brosnan join forces as a grief-stricken couple, Allen and Grace Brewer, who family is pushed to the breaking point b the death of their son, Bennett. But when Rose (Academy Award nominated Carey Mulligan) shows up on their doorstep pregnant, the dynamics are about to take a turn. The healing rpocess begins with a new set of ground rules. Afterall, you don’t “give a puppy to somebody whose just lost their dog,” says Sarandon, unwilling to accept this girl and certainly not willing to accept this “gift.” For young high school student, Rose, this unborn child represents innocence, first love and a new beginning. For the grandparents-to-be it represents many things and not all of them good. The question is can Mulligan’s character tear the family further apart, or be the very thing to bring them back together? The movie isn’t about her though. It’s about the parents grief of losing a son, and the rebuilding of an already troubled marriage. Debut writer/director Shana Feste should be commended. Much as Jenny Lumet floored us with Rachel Getting Married, Feste nails this drama with an earnest elegance and a substance that opens the flood gates with a whole lot of tears. Sobfest central! It’s this generation’s Ordinary People. Four tiaras
