DVD REVIEW

Evelyn  (2002)

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Julianna Margulies
Director: Bruce Beresford

Rating: PG

Studio: MGM

Review Posted: 4.10.03

Spoilers: Minor

Reviewed by Dennis Landmann

Times are tough in Dublin, Ireland. But no one has it tougher than Desmond Doyle (Brosnan) when his wife runs off and his beloved daughter Evelyn and two young sons are sent to an orphanage by the government. Enlisting the help of loyal friends (Margulies, Stephen Rea) and a feisty American lawyer (Aidan Quinn), he takes his case to Ireland's Supreme Court in a history-making quest to topple an ironclad law and win back custody of his children.

Evelyn is based on a true story written by Paul Pender. While I respect the historic significance of the story and its intention, I think that true stories generally don’t make the transition to film very well. They tend to be overdramatic and predictable. Evelyn is both, unfortunately. The story is pretty simple and variations of it have been explored before. Its theme, however, is always one that lends itself to drama very well. Some force, in most cases a judge or government, takes the children away from their parent or parents to provide a healthier and more stable life. Poor families tend to become victim of this practice the most. Sometimes a parent leaves the family or passes away, creating an instability that is usually hard to recover from.

The most important element in a drama such as this is the emotional connection to the characters and the situation. Coming in at a close second are the performances. Yet before these two things can take place, a strong screenplay must be available. Paul Pender structures the script well, but the story feels like it’s missing something. This something is a void that Evelyn can’t afford, but deals with it as best as possible. To clarify, the void is the lack of emotion I got from the film. The script tries its best to introduce the Doyle family to the degree to which we can care for them. However, it is difficult to feel for them if the relationship is just not genuine. Sometimes chemistry between the actors is an element towards making it work, but here it is not the case. The film insists, rather forcefully, that Evelyn’s mother is a heartless woman. She might very well be, but the film makes the mistake to insist instead of letting the audience find out.

Regardless of the lack of emotions the film possesses, Evelyn features a stunning cast and performances. Pierce Brosnan is an entirely different person in the film as he is flawed and drinks to the last pint, but still has all the love in himself for his three children. Brosnan proves he can play any role he wants, not just James Bond. In the role of Evelyn, Sophie Vavasseur creates an important character. She is a strong child actor and proves this in every scene throughout the film. Supporting players Aidan Quinn, Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea, and John Lynch provide experience to their roles and stability to the film. Director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy) brings a certain quality to the overall execution of the film, despite my reservations about the script and characters.

Evelyn is an inspirational story. It is a respectable look at love and what actions are necessary to prevail it. Despite the lack of emotion and my disconnection with the major characters, Evelyn is a drama worth checking out if the subject matter interests you.

7 out of 10

Presented in the 2.35:1 format, enhanced for 16:9 televisions, Evelyn features a fantastic cinematic look. The format works very well for the film, but the actual video transfer leaves something to be desired. While the image detail is crisp and consistent, the print suffers from noticeable scratches and light grain. They are clearly visible during light scenes, which also affect the print’s softness. On a positive note, black levels retain its essence and provide a crisp image. Shadow detail is handled with care and many of the film’s colors create exciting views of the locations. Saturation of the print is probably the biggest flaw of this transfer and much of the picture tends to emit yellow flushes. I don’t think the transfer is terrible or anything, but it just crosses the border of a mediocre presentation.

7 out of 10

Evelyn doesn’t rely on its soundtrack per se. The film features several scenes inside an Irish pub with music playing inside, but the 5.1 Surround Sound doesn’t make much of it. Much of the audio is concentrated in the front and rear speakers rarely come to life. Stephen Endelman’s score rarely takes center stage and it’s a shame because it is composed rather nicely. It is also the film’s only real source of sound and if it were louder and used to more extent the 5.1 Surround Sound would have come across as more impressive. Dialogue scenes occupy most of the soundtrack and all of them are clearly understandable and sharp. As it stands, the 5.1 Surround Sound is handled fairly well even though it doesn’t impress. The French and Spanish Stereo Surround Sound is a great inclusion for the particular natives of the two languages, but neither impressed much.

8 out of 10

Considering its minimal box office intake, not to mention it got lost in last year’s Holiday season, Evelyn gets a nice special edition treatment from MGM Home Entertainment.

Audio Commentary with Director Bruce Beresford – The director has much to say about the film and his comments are mostly screen-specific. Since he’s the only one speaking on this track, his conversations become a little one-sided and boring.

Audio Commentary with Pierce Brosnan and Producer Beau St. Clair – These two engage in many interesting conversations, including Brosnan explaining what this film means to him and why he decided to do it (not to mention he also produced it).

“The Story Behind the Story” featurette – This 18-minute production features a nice set of film clips and on-set interviews with Brosnan, St. Clair, and Pender, but doesn’t go in-depth on the actual “true story” the film is based on.

Behind-the-Scenes featurette – This 21-minute making-of is a simple look at the film featuring interviews, etc.; standard EPK material.

Photo Gallery - A group of circa 30 stills are divided into shots of the film and production. Also included is a Soundtrack spot and the film’s original Theatrical Trailer presented in anamorphic widescreen format.

8 out of 10

Despite a lack of emotions in my case, Evelyn is nevertheless an inspirational story. It handles the subject matter with much dramatic pause, even though its conclusion is predictable right from the start. It is too bad the video transfer lacks intensity, but the cinematic look of the film makes up for half of the problem. The audio is handled well, but doesn’t impress. The special features include two featurettes, a photo gallery, and one out of the two commentaries available is actually pretty nice. Evelyn is worth a rental if nothing else is immediately available.

Overall DVD Rating: 7 out of 10

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