Great Expectations (1998)

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Cooper, Anne Bancroft, Robert De Niro, Hank Azaria, Jeremy James Kissner, Josh Mostel, Nell Campbell, Kim Dickens, Raquel Beaudene. [R]

Charles Dickens’ classic novel is (post-)modernized and moved to America; Hawke plays Finn (instead of “Pip”), a poor orphan who gets the chance to become a NYC artist thanks to contributions from a mysterious benefactor, obsessed with the heartless, calculating girl of his dreams (Paltrow). Abridged of most of the novel’s most intriguing (and entertaining) elements, the film neglects to provide an audience entry point, resulting in a pair of unappealing leads where one struggles to care about what happens to either of them; Finn’s “growth” is less a bildungsroman than a calcification. Supporting characters fare better, like pathetic recluse (and mother of the Paltrow character) Bancroft and well-meaning “Uncle” Joe (Cooper). Presentation is stylish to a fault, wasting Emmanuel Lubezki’s beautiful camera work on flashy tricks to compensate for (or camouflage) the narrative’s inherent hollowness and dissonance. Bancroft’s evocatively decrepit Florida mansion and grounds are memorable, though.

39/100