ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

General Archives Reviews Women on Film 

ALL I SEE IS YOU — Review by Susan Granger

Susan Granger 0 Comments , ,
0 Flares 0 Flares ×

The concept of blindness has resulted in some fascinating films, starting with Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights” in 1931, followed by “A Patch of Blue,” “The Miracle Worker,” “Wait Until Dark” and “Scent of a Woman” and “Ray” – to name a few. Unfortunately, “All I See Is You” isn’t one of them. Continue reading…

Set in Bangkok. Thailand, this psychodrama revolves around Gina (Blake Lively), who is legally blind, and her husband James (Jason Clarke). After visiting an ophthalmologist (Danny Huston), Gina undergoes a corneal transplant to restore sight to her right eye after her vision was damaged in an automobile accident many years earlier.

As Gina begins to perceive the world around her more clearly, she recognizes that not only is their apartment a disappointment but so is her husband. When they go to Barcelona to visit Gina’s sister Carla (Ahna O’Reilly) and her artist husband Ramon (Miquel Fernandez), who take them to a grotesquely garish peep show, Gina also realizes that certain aspects of her sexuality are unfulfilled.

Once they get back to Bangkok, Gina’s increasing dissatisfaction with their apartment results in Jason’s agreeing to buy a house, one that can accommodate a child. And her distress about not getting pregnant is relieved after an encounter with a hunky Daniel (Wes Chatham), whom she recognizes as a fellow swimmer from the gym.

Of course, the fact that increasingly insecure James was told by another specialist that his sperm were not viable complicates matters – along with mysterious difficulties involving Gina’s steroid eye drops.

Working from a weak script he wrote with Sean Conway, director Marc Forster (“Finding Neverland,” “World War Z”) flounders, while Blake Lively’s limited acting range is disappointing. The most memorable scene chronicles Gina’s visit to Bangkok’s famed flower market when she first begins to recognize colors.

In retrospect, Lively was far more effective in the terror thriller “The Shallows,” “The Age of Adaline” and TV’s “Gossip Girl.”

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “All I See Is You” is a tepid 3 – with an absurd conclusion.

0 Flares Twitter 0 Facebook 0 0 Flares ×

Susan Granger

Susan Granger is a product of Hollywood. Her natural father, S. Sylvan Simon, was a director and producer at R.K.O., M.G.M. and Columbia Pictures; her adoptive father, Armand Deutsch, produced movies at M.G.M. As a child, Susan appeared in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Margaret O'Brien and Lassie. She attended Mills College in California, studying journalism with Pierre Salinger, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Phi Beta Kappa, with highest honors in journalism. During her adult life, Susan has been on radio and television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic. Her newspaper reviews have been syndicated around the world, and she has appeared on American Movie Classics cable television. In addition, her celebrity interviews and articles have been published in REDBOOK, PLAYBOY, FAMILY CIRCLE, COSMOPOLITAN, WORKING WOMAN and THE NEW YORK TIMES, as well as in PARIS MATCH, ELLE, HELLO, CARIBBEAN WORLD, ISLAND LIFE, MACO DESTINATIONS, NEWS LIMITED NEWSPAPERS (Australia), UK DAILY MAIL, UK SUNDAY MIRROR, DS (France), LA REPUBBLICA (Italy), BUNTE (Germany), VIP TRAVELLER (Krisworld) and many other international publications through SSG Syndicate. Susan also lectures on the "Magic and Mythology of Hollywood" and "Don't Take It Personally: Conquering Criticism and other Survival Skills," originally published on tape by Dove Audio.