The Battalion Wednesday • February real Expectations Starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Pal Directed by Alfonso Cuardn Playing at Hollywood 16 Rated R Critique: C- ■I Aaron Meier staff writer T he trailers make it look like a sensual love affair between two sexy stars. The reputation of the classic Dickens’ novel, on which the movie is based, is a tale of class struggle and acceptance into high society. In the end, how ever, Great Expecta tions does a lukewarm job of trying to achieve both. Following in the footsteps of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Great Expec tations tries to put an MTV-generation twist on a classic love story. The problem with this update is the twists also occur with some oc casionally nauseating camera movements that invoke unfriendly reminders of lunch. On paper the update sounds interesting. Ethan Hawke plays Finn Bell, a child of the poor fishing towns along the Gulf Coast and an aspiring artist. He is employed by the 3 town’s resident nut case — excuse me, ec centric socialite — Ms. Dinsmoor, played with unabandoned relish by Anne Bancroft. Young Finn’s job is to be a dancing partner for Dinsmoor’s niece, Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow). Even at age 11, Estella is an ice queen who would make Nancy Kerrigan proud. Over their years of danc ing, Finn falls in love with Estella, even though their social worlds are millions of dollars apart. Some years after Estella has moved from the sultry society of Florida to the suave jet setters of New York, Finn receives a chance from a mysterious benefactor to display his artwork. This opportunity offers him a chance to escape the marshes of the Gulf Coast and possibly reunite with Estella. For those people lucky enough to have avoided the book in high school, the fun of the movie comes in Dickens’ plot cou pled with the beauty of Paltrow and Hawke trying to be at their sensual best. For those of us who were not smart enough to dodge Dickens, the plot’s sur prises are ruined and the modern update does not do much for the original, other than making its warbling prose bearable. The acting in the film is best served in the silent moments oi Great Expectations. Watching the two lovers dance or observ ing Hawke’s passionate drawings in si lence show the sensual charisma of the stars. It is disturbing when the words of a movie get in the way of making it good. Bancroft’s portrayal of Dinsmoor is the film’s only improvement on the novel. Al though the book has the character con stantly dressed in a tattered wedding dress, director Alfonso Caurdn’s has Dinsmoor in heaVy makeup accenting every wrinkle of Bancroft’s face. The dor mant insanity of Dinsmoor still shines through, making her the memorable char acter of Great Expectations. While the movie is relatively Paltrow- light, she illuminates the screen as well as brings a chill into the theater whenever Estella lets a pointed barb fly at Hawke’s Finn. Paltrow has definitely come out of her post-Brad Pitt era as a star in her own right and her prominence in the movie’s trailers proves this fact. Now, if Paltrow can stop sporting the “anorexic waif” look, maybe her nude scenes would not be so disturbing. Caurdn’s direction is both innovative and childish. He clearly is fond of an active camera, but sometimes the camera work distracts from the actors’ performances. He does deserve praise for trying to make the camera work in the film. Perhaps in future projects, Caurdn will learn to temper ener gy with the serenity of a quiet moment. The whole product of Great Expecta tions does not equal the sum of its parts. It just goes to prove that sexy stars, a clas sic script and a young innovative director does not a good movie make. Mf you look at the| statistics, sleep disorders are one of the leading causes of institu- | 4 tionalization in the United States.”! Dr. David Earnest associate professor. College of Medicine CJABXAEOFHIfrKAMNOHGPZTYgQS^ZABXAEtlJr >- H W Oh ® Congratulations CO X > m E O z to all the fraternities *-! cc < on a great rush! ds Z > 2 CP s u O @> z o a © UJ < X CQ