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Back Shelf Beauties
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The Exorcism of Emily Rose Based on the true story of Anneliese Michel (learn more here, see a picture of Anneliese here), horror film fans might be expecting a frightening movie like The Exorcist. The movie's trailers and commercials practically promise as much. However, moviegoers are provided something much different and much more boring if you buy a ticket. Laura "The Sexiest Woman in Hollywood" Linney stars as Erin Brunner - a hot shot defense attorney who just got a man acquitted of murder during a very high profile trial. While celebrating the victory, Erin's law firm asks her to defend Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), who has been put on trial for negligent homicide after he led the exorcism of Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) - a young, religiously devout small town college student. Moore thinks she was possessed by evil demons, while medical experts determined her to be suffering from mental illness. It's guaranteed to be a difficult and highly publicized case, and Father Moore is determined to fight it, so the firm's client, the Catholic church, wants to protect themselves and control the highly unpredictable clergyman. As the case gets underway, Erin realizes she's in for more than she bargained for. Was Emily Rose possessed? Should Father Moore have allowed physicians to continue to treat her for mental illness? What is going bump in the night in Erin's home? If you are looking for a fright fest like The Exorcist, The Exorcism of Emily Rose will be a big disappointment. Instead of being some sort of horror film, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a courtroom drama with several weak flashbacks to the scary, demonic possession scenes. Worse than that, it's a movie that seems to fall short in every respect. Co-writer/director Scott Derrickson and co-writer Paul Harris Boardman try to develop the courtroom drama, but never raise the tension in the courtroom to the necessary levels as Linney and co-star Campbell Scott, playing the prosecuting attorney, have some good combative exchanges, but they are few and far between, just like the movie's twists and turns. The movie starts to rely on cliché scenes and statements full of melodramatic overtures we have seen many times before, especially as Scott oversells his closing statement making it ridiculous instead of moving. I thought his speech was a parody of Perry Mason or L.A. Law. Maybe it was frozen caveman lawyer? Then, we see some frightening scenes of Emily Rose battling the demons inside of her, witnessing evil specters and acting out, but none of it is scary enough or often enough. Most of these scenes feel shortened by Derrickson, so we never get a good feel for the pain Rose is supposed to be going through, don't learn enough to be scared out of our wits and don't see enough of the battles between Father Moore and the demons. A one on one showdown would be dramatic and ful of tension, so Derrickson avoids it (wouldn't want to class this one up). Erin also faces some evil forces, which leads the audience to believe she might be battling the devil as well as the prosecutor, but it isn't developed well enough to be important. Worst of all, Derrickson provides one of the most anticlimactic endings I have ever seen. The courtroom drama fizzles as the verdict is handed down, the movie's judge allows something to happen that is beyond the realm of possibility and the audience is denied one of the most crucial parts of the story - seeing how Emily Rose died! Father Moore is on trial for homicide. Yet, we only see a few scenes of exorcism without the ultimate resolution. Seeing Emily's last days would be vital to building up drama, but, instead, Derrickson takes us through a religious experience she went through. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is full of great actors doing their best with weak material, as well as some frightening moments and snappy dialogue exchanges, but, overall, it's a disappointment. 1 Waffle (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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