IN THE LAND OF WOMEN

Adam Brody learns a thing or two from the opposite sex in IN THE LAND OF WOMEN. Brody is Carter Webb, a second-rate screenwriter from Los Angeles who leaves California after his gorgeous, actor girlfriend dumps him. He heads to Michigan to watch over his ailing grandmother, but more importantly, to leave the pains of the break-up behind him. While staying with his grandmother, Carter meets the mother and daughter tandem of Sarah and Lucy Hardwicke. Soon Carter finds himself in the middle of a family squabble between the two.

IN THE LAND OF WOMEN was written and directed by first-time director Jonathan Kasdan, the son of writer-director Lawrence Kasdan. I mention the relation, because Jonathan treads over some of the same emotional territory that his father has with his films. IN THE LAND OF WOMEN doesn’t have a conventional beginning or end but briefly ventures into three individuals’ tangled lives. Brody’s Webb is trying to rebound from a love lost, Sarah, played by Meg Ryan, is trying to rediscover life and a relationship with her eldest daughter, and Lucy is just beginning to learn life’s lessons. Kasdan’s calming touch behind the camera, and careful nature with his characters, enables us to feel for these troubled suburbanites in spite of the writer-director’s accelerated emotional connection between Carter, Sarah and Lucy. The three actors, Brody, Ryan and Kristen Stewart, provide compelling and unique individuals, ones easy to connect with. Their close interaction seems natural, despite the short duration of their relationships. IN THE LAND OF WOMEN is a slice of life drama that tackles emotional recovery from a different angle.

Grade: B-