The Safety of Objects (2001)

Director Rose Troche weaves together snippets of painful suburban short stories by A.M. Homes into the lukewarm ensemble piece The Safety of Objects. In a uniquely appealing opening sequence, the interconnected families are introduced by way of white plastic figurines in a dollhouse neighborhood, leading into the separate tragic episodes. Though undeniably interesting to piece together, many of these domestic situations translate as dull and uninvolving when put to film. This is fortunately helped by incredible performances from the well-cast group of actors. The underrated Patricia Clarkson shines here as a tough-as-nails mom, creating the most believable drama. Mary Kay Place is sad and funny as a fitness-obsessed neglected wife and Dermot Mulroney brings a freshness to his stale role with some funny internal monologues and character quirks. One of the more humorous subplots concerns his son, Jake (Alex House), who imagines a romantic relationship with a Barbie-style fashion doll. As the brooding daughter Julie, Jessica Campbell is a refreshingly real-looking teenager whose proportions are closer to actual living girls' bodies, rather than the emaciated ones usually photographed for audience consumption. As Julie's mom, Glenn Close also gives her all to the dowdy part of Esther, but even she can't bring enough urgency to the drama. Perhaps it's because the movie takes place after the car accident, rather than during a more exciting build-up (which was, incidentally, effectively done in the similarly themed The Ice Storm). Nevertheless, the interwoven stories are skillfully edited and manage to come together into a sincere tale of suburban woes without resorting to easy satire (American Beauty) or mean-spirited cynicism (Happiness). Troche also does her best to avoid excessive sentiment, leaving the story with a heartfelt but rather tepid conclusion. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide