Universal Pictures with Morgan Creek Productions present a 113 minute R rated film directed by Garry Marshall and starring Jane Fonda (Georgia), Felicity Huffman (Lilly), Lindsey Lohan (Rachel), Dermot Mulroney (Simon), Cary Elwes (Arnold), Garrett Hedlund (Harlan), Hector Elizondo (Izzy), Dylan McLaughlin (Sam), Zachary Gordon (Ethan) and Laurie Metcalf (Paula).
As the billboard states welcome to Idaho and underneath it you find in the beginning of the film the so called anti-Christ herself, Rachel. Her mother Lilly was taking her to spend the summer with her grandmother, Georgia, with hopes that maybe she could help turn her around from her evil self absorbed rebel without a cause mentality. Sometimes the rebel has a reason for being the way they are in life and towards others they love.
The story evolves around three generations of women, Georgia, the grandmother who by all means is quite set in her ways. Lilly, the daughter who now lives in San Francisco, the home of fruits and nuts, married to Arnold, a lawyer. Can one really ever trust what a lawyer says? Rachel, the somewhat disturbed young girl that likes to consider herself unique. Rachel befriends the town hunk, Harlan, a practicing Mormon who has never smoked, lied, drank or had sex, that is until Rachel rocked his boat. She also becomes friends with local veterinarian Simon, who her grandmother got her a summer job with at his clinic in this small but quaint community in Hull, Idaho. Rachel for once in her life discovers never to assume things about people she first meets. Simon turns out not to be gay but rather suffers from the pain of losing his wife and child in a car accident hence the reason he is alone with no ring on the finger.
When Rachel confides in Simon about her stepfather molesting her since she was twelve the story takes a rollercoaster ride delving into the relationships between the three woman and the differences between what is truth and what is a lie. One must remember there are other ways though of making a point and sometimes it is best to say, no! Not until the final open road does the real truth come out and the reasons for all the destructive behavior from Rachel over the last several years. To forgive someone is to move forward which is one of the Georgia Rules but there will never be something more precious and valuable than a mothers love.
Once again Garry Marshall hits a directorial home run for woman looking for that sentimental drama, comedy, romantic journey about mother daughter relationships. Both Fonda and Huffman were brilliant in their roles surrounded by a stellar supporting cast. Lohan did a great job but I almost felt like life was imitating art throughout most of the film when it came to her somewhat darker side. She tended at times to slip in and out of her character at moments during the film but still seemed to pull off a good job as the main focus of the story hence the life and art comment. I'm sure we'll start to see Hedlund in more roles since he truly pulled off the likeability factor. Mulroney although not a far drop from his typical roles did a sufficient job for the amount of time he was on screen playing the somewhat silent but intelligent character. Overall, this cute and touching film had a great cast and deserves to find an audience which I'm sure will mainly be of the female demographic that is if the men in their lives don't drag them to Spider Man, Shrek or Pirates which come out right around the corner.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.