Movie Review - Serena

Serena ** (R) It’s the Great Depression. Bradley Cooper is a good guy with a struggling Appalachian lumber mill. He falls at first sight for a babe (Jennifer Lawrence), whose logging family had been thriving in Colorado until a tragic fire left her as the sole survivor. She’s smart, sexy, tough and knows the business. That makes her a valued asset to hubby, a rival to his closest pals, and another factor in his battle with local politicos and competitors. The resulting period drama could have been far more compelling than it turned out, wasting a fine cast that includes Rhys Ifans and Toby Jones in key supporting roles. Someone apparently spent far more effort on re-creating the locale and period than the writing or pacing.

Something seems a bit too-good-to-be-true about Lawrence’s character, setting up a suspense element. The passion between the leads is surprisingly subdued, as if the Hayes Office that suppressed sexy bits in movies during that era were still monitoring the final edits here. They’d already shown better chemistry together in Silver Linings Playbook than director Susanne Bier decided to show in this pairing. I won’t tell you what happens, but they took too long to get there. If you have enough patience, you may find the plot and principals satisfying enough to keep you engaged. But prepare for more mood and texture than story progression. (3/27/15)

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