Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

THE HOURS is a Mirimax Films/Paramount Pictures presentation, a 114-minute feature rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, some disturbing images and brief language. It first opened in limited release on December 27, 2002 and then got the wider push January 24, 2003.

INTRODUCTION
Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? Not me.

The classic author (as well as her story "Mrs. Dalloway") serves as the main inspiration for this feature film, adapted from a Michael Cunningham novel (which somehow slipped my mind, although its Pulitzer Prize attention makes me all eyes) which was granted a wide theatrical release in the January 2003 era, when we get holiday movie leftovers, delicious Oscar candidates, and regurgitated dreck. THE HOURS falls into the middle category, and recently had a neat string of Oscar nominations, with one award going to Nicole Kidman in her portrayal of Virginia Woolf. But this movie doesn’t stop with her, and the talent packs up like mad.

Meryl Streep got this role and ADAPTATION, and Julianne Moore had this and FAR FROM HEAVEN on their resumes. Way to go. Ed Harris has an Oscar-nominated role here, and John C. Reilly, who got one of the best moments in CHICAGO (which merited his Oscar nod) and also starred in Scorsese’s GANGS OF NEW YORK, has a notable supporting role as well. But this movie finally comes out on DVD having been an honorable mention on my list of good films in the last year. It is the most-high profile DVD of this week (at least I believe it to be…f*ck KANGAROO JACK), and I am here with a complete DVD and movie review. Let me go back to last year and tell you about this movie before I root myself with this free-floating criticism.

STORY
The movie opens (and ends) with the suicide of Virginia Woolf (Kidman) in Sussex, England, 1941, at the Ouse River. After penning a loving goodbye note to her dear husband Leonard (Stephen Dillane) and filling her robe with rocks, she walks straight into the water and drowns. But not before she had begun writing the story of “Mrs. Dalloway.” She gets her first sentence and also her idea for the story: “An entire woman’s life, in a day…and in a day, an entire woman’s life.” The story of Virgina Woolf here focuses on her ill state in Richmond, England, in 1923. Unable to be social and feeling intimidated by her own servants, her madness complicates her relationship with her doting husband, who set up the publishing press which resulted in her independently-released early stories.

The finished story becomes a publication and eventual literary read for Laura Brown (Moore), a housewife in Los Angeles, 1951. She had gotten married to a kindly soldier boy named Dan (Reilly), who means well but neglects to notice the unhappiness and disillusion in his wife’s eye. It is the young son, Richard (Jack Rovello), who is the most aware of Laura’s aching personality, and screams in horror when he is left alone with a babysitter, his mother heading for a motel room in order to die from a drug overdose. Whether or not she does, and the possible effect on the family I will not give away here.

But Richard is also the name of the ex-lover (Harris) of one Clarissa Vaughan (Streep), who is a book editor living in Manhattan, 2001. She is involved in a lesbian affair with Sally Lester (Alison Janney) and has a sperm-donor daughter, now college-aged and named Julia (Claire Danes). Richard is a poet about to receive a literary award he’s not too eager to receive, and the book which made him popular drove away his closest friends, perhaps including his current lover, Louis Waters (Jeff Daniels). Clarissa is trying to help throw a celebration for Richard, who has been stricken with AIDS and is staring his final days head-on. He wants Clarissa to be happy on her own terms, and she is more insistent on getting the celebration to commence.

Another possibility is the possible linking of each of the stories, which need to be seen to be believed. I will stop now.

OVERVIEW
I am fond of this movie for successfully taking one literary piece and employing into three separate stories without ever getting repetitive and boring. The Woolf novel “Mrs. Dalloway” serves as a cross-reference upon which ties these three stories together.

It follows upon the fact that the story talks about the conventional feelings of happiness in women is a breakfast, a trip to the floral store, and setting up for a social/family gathering. However, happiness lies somewhere beyond that, and it’s the primary incidents in these three stories that cause the three women to realize maybe they are living a lie, with the exception of Mrs. Woolf, who was writing about and more or less had her own personal demons outside the modern lives in the two subsequent stories. She is pretty much faced with consumption following her unfortunate breakdown in London, and soon finds herself coming up with the first sentence in the story that sets the foundation for these tales.

The first two stories are at once entirely gripping and able to be supported by the cast, the stylish art direction and production values, director Stephen Daldry’s excellent theatre-based ability and a sound script written from the Cunningham novel by David Hare. However, even though I dug the elements in story number three, basically the performances of Meryl Streep and Ed Harris in their respective roles, they had a couple of underwritten, undeveloped characters in the rest of Clarissa’s family, which consists of lesbian lover Sally and daughter Julia, played by Alison Janney and Claire Danes, and they seem to just come in and out of the movie with very little to do. That was the only bone I had to pick with this film though, which remains one of my favorites of 2002.

There’s so much literary-style richness to this story most moviegoers won’t be held attentive to it. Every scene in itself is like a chapter, and I’m not talking about DVD subdivisions. There are moments of greatness that feel so good to be true that you’re surprised you’re watching a movie. Take the scene where Virginia Woolf’s sister Vanessa Bell (Miranda Richardson) comes over, and we see her youngest child giving a funeral to a deceased black bird. When she is called over to the house for tea, Virginia lies down and looks straight into the eyes of the bird, having a nice look at death itself. The movie also likes to rely on symbols like the flowers in the opening scene, and even repeated dialogue that ties in to one story or the remaining two.

These stories are life-affirming without having a real joie de vie to them, and even though the film is rather dark, there are plenty of mildly humorous observations and a couple of small moments to break up the intensity of these heartful proceedings. Like the moment when we see Vanessa come in at an earlier time. But the movie takes it more serious most of the time, with characters facing uncertainty and going through motions that they realize are causing their lives to be trivial.

The key observations are mostly true to life. I think the most rooted example was in the character the invaluable Ed Harris plays, which is the stricken man Richard, who remembers the good times with Clarissa and doesn’t want to end up being a burden for superficiality. He asks Clarissa “Who is this party for?” and ends up having to speak a sad truth to her: “I think I’m staying alive just to satisfy you.” He is also the poet, who knows his literature and even refers to Clarissa as “Mrs. Dalloway.” There’s also the actual prospect of the hours which he addresses as he ponders suicide. I noticed that most of the male characters are more affective than a lot of the one seen in more simple and haphazard “chick flicks” (the horrible genre this movie proudly skirts from), and the movie’s lesbian themes are surprising and more devoted to the sisterhood of the female characters in their various eras, culminating in the most modern time in the movie which contains an actual homosexual relationship between Clarissa and Sally.

The Virginia Woolf story features the most excellent performance, in a sea of bravo acting, in the movie from Nicole Kidman. I’m sure you know all about her infamous prosthetic proboscis, which denied the movie an Oscar nod when they used digital work to patch the seams. Even with that, the nose still seemed natural, as did the make-up applied to Julianne Moore when she plays an older character. But with her eyes and her cheeks and forehead and chin naked, Kidman still can play a mean Virginia Woolf. It’s also surprising to see Eileen Atkins, who also has played Woolf on-stage, in a brief appearance as a flower shop clerk. But Kidman shines in this one, and she voices such philosophy as “you cannot find peace by avoiding life” in a thoughtful, brilliant way.

But all of the elements gel to create a movie of masterful quality. Kidman, Moore and Streep all have shining lead performances, with a strong ensemble to help them in the background. Stephen Daldry and David Hare keep themselves rooted in Virginia Woolf’s literary themes and never skip a beat in translating it to the screen. A musical score by Phillip Glass has precision-sharp instrumentation that explores the emotional ranges of each stories separate and combined. Seamus McGarvey does a brilliant job with the cinematography, which is colorful and serene. And costume designer Ann Roth and production designer Maria Djurkovic do a nice job of recreating the set pieces of both 1923 England and 1951 L.A. (post-WWII era).

What these people have done is made one of those movies that will grow on normal filmgoers like the most natural hair and nails. And though it may take a few glimpses at the entire film to get the most out of it, you will get so much from it that it will stimulate you in a rare kind of way. The three characters choose life over death, even though Woolf dies in order to give life. It may be an ironic concept for the first mention, but THE HOURS is a movie to cherish. You will “remember the love” and “remember the hours.”

DIRECTION
Stephen Daldry does a stellar directing job, never letting there be weightless filler and placing plenty of emotional physical actions, expressions and metaphors into basically every scene. It never diverges into stereotypes, and Daldry’s pacing is sharp and fitting for a film that pushes two hours of time. He devotes enough time to the separate stories and also has the assistance of editor Peter Boyle to help create a fluid opening credits scene which seamlessly juxtaposes time frames, and there is also a skirmish of flashbacks and voice-overs to be congratulated. The movie is simply a grand piece of work, and it is a respectful job for Daldry for keeping the faith in his source material.

ACTING
Nicole Kidman is a really excellent performer even if you complain about the nose. Granted, she does have an appearance quite different from the real Virginia Woolf, and the voice had to be altered a bit so it becomes less ripe for parody, but she is so strong, intelligent and focused in her performance that it is her best in a recent string of surprising performances in movies like MOULIN ROUGE and THE OTHERS and BIRTHDAY GIRL. She delivers the usual subdued hysteria and illness-related frailty we associate with Virginia Woolf, plays well off the other actors, has nifty facial expressions and a keen awareness of the material. The Oscar nomination is well deserved, although I was rooting for Julianne Moore in FAR FROM HEAVEN. But even in this movie, I liked Julianne Moore’s performance. I think she also has a surprising resume, and yet these two performances are the stand-outs, if I may be so bold. I liked her in HEAVEN more than in HOURS, but she’s playing a suburban character with some issues, much like in the former movie, even if they missed having a black man in this feature. Moore also is able to play a character’s awareness, in that much of the action she makes here will be considered cruel but are forgivable and not out of stereotypical villainy. Brittle and racked by a deeply-realized loss, at least she finds a way out of her troubles that transgresses simple suicide. And Meryl Streep is the more outward personality of the three, the better to hide her own mixed feelings and denial for herself and those around her. Streep can break down with the best of them, as seen here, and delivers a performance up to par with her delicious role in the quirky ADAPTATION.

But there’s also prime talent in the supporting cast, beginning with the great Ed Harris. I think he had to have lost 100 pounds to play this role as in how he looks so bony and weak in his appearance that it actually seems as if he really got the disease. And his performance suits his appearance, with a weathered and wrenching realization of his life and the fact that maybe he feels as if he should die in order to set his dearest friend free. He plays a role as vital as those as the three women, and has a presence that he simply drives home with a cantankerously credibility.

Toni Collette has a nice supporting role as Laura’s neighbor, Kitty Barlowe, who fears for her life seeing she might be diagnosed with cancer. She has a couple of interesting moments while playing as earnestly as she can be. Miranda Richardson is quite similar to Toni as Virginia’s sister, Vanessa. As I heard on the commentary track, some bashed on Jeff Daniels for being “too gay.” I don’t believe it to be, and Daniels actually underplays his role and gets rid of all the horrific stereotypes played mainly in odorous comedies like THE WEDDING PLANNER and BOAT TRIP. He has presence, too, and it’s not over-the-top. Speaking of presence, how about the multifaceted John C. Reilly, still “Mr. Cellophane” and “Happy Jack” to me. His character is so lovable and caring, its kind of sad to know he doesn’t realize his own wife’s dissatisfaction and depression. The distinguished Stephen Dillane has a similar but exceedingly considerate and open character as Mr. Woolf. He is quite sympathetic and also more prone to heartbreak, and the role never gets loathsome.

Alison Janney and Claire Danes, as full of life and spark as they are, have small, neglectable roles despite the fact that they are energetic (and proven talents) and probably would’ve worked better with more material. Their performances pale next to a role by a child actor, one Jack Rovello, who plays a straight dramatic role surprisingly well for a kid of 6.

MUSIC
Phillip Glass may have suffered the slings and arrows of “South Park,” but I at least found the music he created here very fitting and rich in detailing the emotional undertows throughout these three stories, allowing themes to run around in excellent orchestral whimsy. Since there’s no actual songs on the soundtrack, this is what you’re stuck with, and I at least say that Glass’ score, with piano and strings the main instrumental focus, is worthy of its award nominations. There is one Richard Strauss title though, and yet it is one of his last four pieces: “Beim Schlafengehen,” a composition about death.

VIOLENCE/GORE
Some intense images and a couple of suicides.

SEX/NUDITY
There’s a couple of lip-kisses exchanged between a few of the female characters.

CONCLUSION
If you like acting the most in a movie, and feel kind of brought down by the fact KANGAROO JACK has been released this week (do I have to keep diverging on how bad that film was? YEAH!), then I suggest you hurry yourself to pick up THE HOURS. Meryl Streep…Nicole Kidman…Ed Harris…Julianne Moore…Jeff Daniels…Toni Collette…John C. Reilly…Claire Danes…HOW ABOUT THIS CAST! A recommended rental for all, and a well-worth purchase for some.

DVD DETAILS
Paramount Pictures remain faithful in allowing DVD consumers to pick up either widescreen or fullscreen versions of new releases on DVD, with the widescreen presentation in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. French and English 2.0 soundtracks are in Dolby Digital, with the main Dolby Digital track losing that .1 LFE bit to create a Dolby Digital 5.0 track in English, of course. Optional English subtitles are available as well.

The picture quality is as natural and rich as the scenery and lighting which with they shot the movie with. Starting off with the hardly noticeable defects, I did see only some edge enhancement and grain in more contrast-oriented shots. Other than that, chalk this up as a fresh transfer. The hues and colors are very accurate, vivid and real, with perfect darkness and shadow details. The contrast which I mentioned lends a neat consistency across the scenery, sharpness not falling behind for a second. A surprisingly well-rendered visual experience throughout its two-hour time.

The audio track does lose the .1 LFE track, but that’s not to mean that I wasn’t particularly fond of the rest of the aural experience. The music is pretty strong and contains clarity, with its forward-speaker and rear-enhanced insistency, but the movie basically relies upon the ambience and the dialogue, which is as perfect as can be. There is no aggressive quality to be drawn, and the track does as much as it can to give the viewer a sense of understanding and belonging.

The special edition DVD contains plenty of bonus material, starting off with the two audio commentary tracks. First, we get a screen-specific track from the separately-recorded trio of Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and Julianne Moore. This is hardly a technical commentary, but more of a character-oriented session at the most. At times a bit praise-heavy, this is an intimate look at how these actresses got into their roles and the acting methods chosen, as described mostly by Julianne Moore. Streep is quite humorous and useful in her comments as well. But, like in the movie, Nicole Kidman is the stand-out. She offers plenty of great information on her scenes and the craft placed into playing Virginia Woolf, not below offering background information on her infamous make-up, the spirit of VW, and the actual production. A generous offering from all three actresses.

Track number two unites director Stephen Daldry and author Michael Cunningham. The book was one of those deals wherein there was cynicism about it being successfully transferred to screen despite the ambiguities and precision offered in literature, and these men get into the history of the production, the changes, the attitudes, and the troubles of it all. There’s also some neat biographical information on Virginia Woolf as well as a little bit of production info here and there. Both commentaries offer layers of information on the actual film, but there’s still more to be revealed.

Thus, we get four additional featurettes, which are in full-frame with optional English subtitles (and closed captioning) and French subtitles just as well. First is “Three Women,” which runs 16 minutes and contains interviews primarily with director Daldry and the three actresses (probably taped together from a talk-show appearance). There is much more to learn about the casting decisions and the appearances and deliveries of the three main characters that this piece delivers upon. There is also some comments on working with the young Jack Rovello, and Daldry’s theatre background. But I thought this was at once an engaging, interesting piece. And the behind-the-scenes footage is a nice touch too.

The second bonus is basically an extended biography (but a good one) on Virginia Woolf, “The Mind And Times Of Virginia Woolfe.” This 26-minute extra is told more from the perspective of actual historians and living people who knew or are related to Woolf in some way, including biographer Hermione Lee, historian Dr. Francis Spalding, Nigel Nicolson (son of Vita Sackville-West), and Virginia’s niece, Olivier Bell. The comments here pertain exclusively to the actual, saddening life of Virginia Woolfe, from childhood to adult life and final days. It is neatly-edited, contains many vintage images, and offers plenty of background on the real VW.

“Music Of The Hours” (7 mins.) deals with the musical score, and features brief comments on hiring Phillip Glass from Stephen Daldry and scriptwriter David Hare. Then we see Phillip by his piano, commenting on the emotional and visual links between his music and the movie, such as how he tried to balance life and death in particular moments. A small but worthy piece dealing with the evocative dramatic score, which is an obviously high element of the film.

Last of the batch is “The Lives Of Mrs. Dalloway” at 9 minutes, which details the adaptation and inspiration behind the movie. Stephen Cunningham recollects on reading “Mrs. Dalloway” and writing “The Hours.” Like the Woolf bio, literary passages are read aloud by Eileen Atkins to give you a sense of the alluring writing of the timeless writer. Cunningham, Daldry and Hare are the lone participants, and they have great moments talking about the influence and impact of both this film and the legacy of VW.

Last but not least are the original theatrical trailer for THE HOURS, which does the film no real justice once you watch the movie and then view the ad, and the trailer for one upcoming Paramount DVD title, the mediocre HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN TEN DAYS. There’s a real “chick flick” which lacks ambition, whereas THE HOURS is at once an excellent drama, one of the best of 2002 and a highlight of the cinematic cesspool of early 2003.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older