Elizabeth Reaser two-fer: Puccini and Sweet

Reviewer: James Van Maanen
Puccini: Rating (out of 5): ****
Sweet Land: Rating (out of 5): ***½

We watch a lot of movies in our household; even our cat is starting to develop critical tendencies. But when my companion did not realize that the same young woman had played the lead role in two new-to-DVD films we'd watched within three days of each other, I realized that there might well be other movie-lovers out there not making this rather extraordinary connection. The films are Puccini for Beginners (released on July 3) and Sweet Land (July 10) and the actress is the pretty, petite Elizabeth Reaser, who creates two utterly disparate characters with conviction and aplomb. Reaser has worked more in television ("Grey's Anatomy" and "Saved") than in film, but since I watch almost none of the former, I found myself a virgin to her rather extraordinary talent.

In Puccini, Reaser is the narrator and lead, a young NYC lesbian named Allegra who bemoans her fate as one who consistently chooses the wrong mate. The most recent of these choices is Julianne Nicholson, and soon she becomes involved with a young man played by Justin Kirk and a young woman (Gretchen Mol of The Notorious Bettie Page)--both of whom are currently seeing each other, which, of course, Allegra is unaware. We are in the sub-genre of the NY-relationship comedy, lesbian-bisexual style, complete with witty, racy repartee that offers ideas and remarks on everything from life and opera to eating habits and art. Some critics were as keen on Puccini as others were cool, but I found it lively, funny, fresh and a big step up from writer/director Maria Maggenti's movie outing of the decade previous: The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love.

While the writing and direction are generally alert and knowing, it's the performances that really seal the deal. Kirk and Nicholson are good (see them together in Flannel Pajamas to fuller and better effect), but Reaser and Mol are simply terrific. Mol in particular glows like a house afire, spreading her warmth and joy indiscriminately and completely. (That early Vanity Fair cover and prediction of Hollywood greatness did her no service whatsoever: from the little-seen Music from Another Room to Just Looking, Attraction, The Shape of Things and many more, Mol consistently spins dross into gold and gold into something even better.) Reaser wisely does not try to compete with the Mol magic. She comes in under the radar, chipping away at you and finally--through stamina and patience--wearing you down with her smile, perk, intelligence and sass.

Sweet Land

Set a century ago, with forays/flash-forwards into today, Sweet Land offers Reaser a much more unusual role in which she is barely allowed to speak English. As the immigrant wife-to-be of a taciturn farmer (played by the always watchable Tim Guinee), she must learn about America--its language and mores--quite literally as she comes into contact with it. Reserved and aloof, she leads us along in fine fashion, slowly blossoming into--not the blooming wonder that a more ordinary and cliché sensibility would have given us, but a decent, quietly understanding woman who learns and grows slowly and believably in stature and strength. (This strength is necessary, as her much-older self is played by Lois Smith, one of America's greatest--and strongest--actresses.)

Though quite pretty, Reaser's beauty is not of the sort that overwhelms you. Instead, her face possesses the ability to indicate unusual intelligence, and she uses this very well indeed. The crackerjack supporting cast includes everyone from Alan Cumming (delightful) to Ned Beatty, Alex Kingston, John Heard, Paul Sand and Jodie Markell. Writer/director Ali Selim does a remarkably assured job in this, his first full-length film. The reviews were generally ecstatic (perhaps too much so, as the film is not great; it's simply good--and sweet). More than anything, it is Reaser's performance that binds the movie and provides us something memorable in the process.