DVD Review: ‘The City of Your Final Destination’ Fails Spectacular Cast

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CHICAGO – It’s unlikely that there will be a more A-list cast in a more frustrating film this entire year than on display in “The City of Your Final Destination.” Not only does it include a reunion of the great director James Ivory with star Anthony Hopkins (who appeared in the director’s “Howards End” and “Remains of the Day”) but it features two of my favorite actresses alive, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Laura Linney. And yet, the only word I can think of to describe the film is “disappointing.”

HollywoodChicago.com DVD Rating: 2.0/5.0
DVD Rating: 2.0/5.0

The opening scenes of “The City of Your Final Destination” hint at a gorgeously shot film that one hopes will be matched by the incredible insight of Ivory’s best work with screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who won Oscars for her adaptation of “A Room With a View” and “Howards End.” Like a leaky balloon, the dramatic weight of the project almost immediately begins to seep from the film.

The City of Your Final Destination was released on DVD on August 17th, 2010
The City of Your Final Destination was released on DVD on August 17th, 2010
Photo credit: Screen Media Films

It’s a beautiful film and the performances, particularly those of the more experienced cast members, are expectedly excellent, but the story is nonexistent and the dialogue so self-conscious that the entire proceeding becomes as numbing as someone reading a mediocre book aloud. The problem is that very few of the character exhanges in “The City of Your Final Destination” feel remotely genuine and the whole project sinks under the weight of its own pretension. They say that something can be learned from every movie, even the bad ones, and the lesson here is that even the most notable cast and luscious cinematography of the most beautiful locations can still turn out a dull film if the script isn’t interesting or believable.

The City of Your Final Destination was released on DVD on August 17th, 2010
The City of Your Final Destination was released on DVD on August 17th, 2010
Photo credit: Screen Media Films

Ivory’s film is based on the 2002 book by Peter Cameron and details the story of a biographer’s (Omar Metwally) quest to tell the history of a legendary author named Jules Gund, a reclusive man who wrote only one novel but became so beloved that his family now lives on a massive estate in Uruguay that not only feels like a part of another country but another time.

The biographer is pressured by his girlfriend (Alexandra Maria Lara) to go to Uruguay and convince the Gunds of the importance of his work. There he meets Jules’ bitter widow (Laura Linney), a more-friendly older brother (Anthony Hopkins), the brother’s lover (Hiroyuki Sanada), Jules’ lover (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and that woman’s daughter (Ambar Mallman). The bulk of “The City of Your Final Destination” consists of exchanges between Omar and one or two of the ensemble listed in the previous sentence as he learns about the past and present of the Gund estate.

The exclusion of the Gund family from normal society makes them hard to relate to, which puts a lot of weight on Metwally’s shoulders as our eyes into this unusual world. He’s simply ineffective, never developing an interesting character of his own. He’s all response and it’s often to a world so over-the-top in its representation of wealth that it nearly borders on parody. At one point, Omar encounters the sullen widow sitting in a room of artwork and cracking walnuts, to which she responds, “I was just eating my breakfast.” The gorgeous estate and luscious cinematography make for a film that’s almost too beautiful in that even actors as talented as these can’t find the humanity within the chamber piece.

There are still moments in which Linney, Gainsbourg, Sanada, and Hopkins find a way for their talent to shine through the pretentious artifice. There’s a great scene between Linney and Gainsbourg where the former takes passive-aggressive stabs at the latter about her new flirtation with the young writer. But it’s followed by a moment that doesn’t ring true. “The City of Your Final Destination” always threatens to develop into an interesting drama but it never does so. It will ultimately be a footnote on the career of everyone involved. Only the most diehard fans need take the trip.

Special Features:
o Select Scenes With Commentary
o Behind the Scenes: Sorting It Out in Ocho Rios
 

“The City of Your Final Destination” stars Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Metwally, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Alexandra Maria Lara. It was written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and directed by James Ivory. It is rated PG-13 and was released on DVD on August 17th, 2010.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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