A collection of five femme-oriented vignettes that are not intricately linked dramatically but overlap characters, this observant, emotionally acute drama is distinguished by a pronounced poetic sensibility in its writing and visual style.
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her
Men have their will. Women have their way.
2000 · 1h 49m · PG-13
Drama, Romance
Directed by
Rodrigo García
Overview
In California, a group of women struggle with personal problems as their paths intertwine in unexpected ways. Dr. Elaine Keener, the sole caretaker for her aging mother, turns to tarot card reader Christine for spiritual aid. Christine grapples with her own angst due to her lover's debilitating illness. Meanwhile, a bank manager deals with an unwanted pregnancy, two sisters pursue romantic interests and a housewife gets back into the dating game.
Director and cast
- Rodrigo García Director
- Cameron Diaz as Carol Faber
- Glenn Close as Dr. Elaine Keener (segments "This is Dr. Keener" and "Fantasies about Rebecca")
- Calista Flockhart as Christine Taylor (segments "Goodnight Lilly, Goodnight Christine" and "This is Dr. Keener")
- Holly Hunter as Rebecca Waynon (segment "Fantasies About Rebecca")
- Kathy Baker as Rose
- Amy Brenneman as Detective Kathy Faber
- Gregory Hines Cast
- Valeria Golino Cast
- Matt Craven Cast
- Miguel Sandoval Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
Garcia excels at eliciting strong performances throughout and maintaining a consistent mood poised delicately between wry comedy and more serious contemplation of contemporary American female lives.
For every moment that sags, there are three or four that stand out as the kind of thing we never get to see in movies.
What does it say when a picture like Rodrigo Garcia's lovingly detailed Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, which won the first-time writer-director a prize at Cannes last year, doesn't make it to theaters in this country?
If the stories sometimes use Creative Writing 101 devices (like a quasi-prophetic homeless woman), the total effect is as spare and haunting as the film's arid, beautifully shot setting.
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