(PG 13)
It’s London 1802 when we meet young Rebecca Sharp, a conniving child who convinces a Lord (Gabrielle Byrne) to pay more for her father’s oil painting than his bidding price. Fast forward years later, fluent in French and departing an orphanage, grown-up Rebecca (Reese Witherspoon) keeps her scheming intact as she enters a world of adults with monumental worth. Working her way through family after family she poses as a governess with higher yearnings and earnings, in mind. Far too cultured, lovely and witty, as opposed to her blue blood competition, she quickly climbs the social ladder to become wife, seductress and finally a mother. Afterall, a mother’s love is worth more than a palace in Mayfair; or is it? Director Mira Nair “Monsoon Wedding” adresses an overall question of what price is enough? While Witherspoon is delightful to look at (sort of the new Gwenyth “Emma” Paltrow) and having a grand ole time in her acting, we’re never quite sure where her conniving stops and her decency kicks in. Perhaps too many players behind her schemes are the result of this confusion. One thing we are sure of is that her life goes full circle, with an underlying message of “love is all that really matters”. But with so many disjointed sub-plots, her character’s motives somehow diminish along the way.
