Still Life: A Three Pines Mystery (2013) Reviews

• The intelligence of the books is completely lost in the movie

  douglasscarol1232014-09-09

  I wanted to like this movie, having read all of Louise Penney's atmospheric, intelligent, introspective books featuring Armand Gamache. How disappointing to find that all that has been reduced to soap opera standards. There is in the movie none of the sensitivity, insight, philosophizing that makes the books so compelling. The cast is impossibly good looking, with that plastic, every-hair-in-place, perfect make-up at all times look so common to made-for-TV movies. The characters, instead of being complex and unpredictable, are stilted, their utterances short, too fast, emotionless--a sign of poor direction and/or poor acting. The use of that husky, almost-whisper voice (who talks like that?) also betrays the cookie-cutter approach to this movie. Scenes are very short, pushing the plot ahead in only the barest, least thought-provoking manner. It's a shame to see Penney's deeply thoughtful works reduced to such shallowness. It was peculiar, as well, to see what Penney describes as the surreal, provocative artwork of murder-victim Jane,(thus killing off a main and recurring character in the books) represented as poorly-rendered American Primitive. Have the producers/director no loyalty to the books at all? If Penney is one of the executive producers, as referred to in other reviews, I cannot imagine that she feels the movie faithfully represents her literary work. I doubt, too, that she had much to say about it.

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• Not as good as I'd hoped

  dotsyschild2013-09-19

  I was so looking forward to seeing the adaptation of the Inspector Gamache series set in the fictitious town of Three Pines somewhere in Quebec. I have read every book in Louise Penny's series and I have enjoyed Nathaniel Parker's acting in several different works. Somehow, though, the TV-movie of "Still Life" just fell flat. I think maybe a one and a half hour TV movie just wasn't enough to fully develop the characters and some of the acting was just so-so. Whatever it was, it was certainly not up to the caliber of Inspector Morse or Inspector Lewis, however beautiful the cinematography. I would say that if another episode is filmed, I would have to watch it.

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• Casting is just part of the problem

  jadewalsh2014-09-15

  I love the Gamache books and was so excited for the movie. What a painful disappointment. Nathaniel Parker is definitely not the Gamache I imagined, but the most astounding miscast is Clara. Louise Penny's descriptions are closer to Helena Bonham-Carter than the beautiful blonde actress playing the character. Clara is unkempt, always has crumbs in her hair and paint smudges on her face, has no fashion sense and frizzy hair. By contrast, the Clara in the movie is straight out of a Hollywood red carpet. Don't even get me started on Myrna (who is not only about 100kg off, but never has a chance to say a line and is not even referred to by name). Yet, I feel that (mis)casting is not the complete issue here. Someone needs to tell the screenwriter that book adaptations to screen are not required to use the book dialogue word for word. What works in a book sounds clunky and is difficult to deliver in a movie, no matter how good the actors may be. Adaptations are tough, yes, but the name says it all - take the essence and create your own dialogue! Meryl Streep and Anthony Hopkins couldn't deliver those lines with straight faces! Just for fun, here is my Hollywood, award-winning dream cast, dead or alive: Inspector Gamache - Geoffrey Rush or Jean Reno | Jean-Guy - Jean Dujardin | Clara - Rachel Weisz or Helena Bonham-Carter | Peter - Christian Bale | Gabri - Phillip Seymour Hoffman :-( | Olivier - Jared Leto | Ben - Adrien Brody | Ruth Zardo - Judy Dench | Myrna - Octavia Spencer

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• Completely missed the characters of Three Pines

  nesskris2014-03-22

  Storyline was fine, but there are amazing characters in these books, and their witty repertoire is key to capturing the heart of Three Pines. Instead, they looked like a bunch of crazy (and thinner than expected) extras. There was also lack of character development in Armande's team. Beauvoir and Lacoste were bland background characters. This, and other Louise Penny mysteries could (AND SHOULD) be made into a series. There is enough wit and mystery to carry a single novel through a short season, and allow for the long term characters to grow on you.

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• A let down!

  coucoukatchou42013-10-09

  Boy was I looking forward to seeing that rootless Ruth! Where was that mean machine in the movie? The characters lacked character all together. Way too reserved! And I could barely make out what Gamache was mumbling. Thanks for trying! I know it is a hard task to make a movie from a book especially when their are so many great characters. And Penny's writing gives us many opportunities to feel each one of them. This could be hard to achieve in one TV movie based on one book of her Gamache series. But I know that I would watch a Gamache TV series if they promised to dig deeper into the characters. Show some expressions and presence on that TV screen!Lets see that rootless Ruth in action!

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