joanwelbourn Review of The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991)

In a small Southern town post WWII, an independent woman sees her life destroyed by her closest friend and her biggest enemy.

[4/10 · 29 October 2013]

I thought this movie had an intriguing title and a list of great actors. The problem is that it is based on a book by Carson McCullers, and she likes going for "themes," and other high-fa-luting literary devices. As such, the characters don't seem real, and their motivations are hard to identify with. Honestly, the plot is totally goofy and unbelievable. If at the end they had said, "It's all a dream," I would have been satisfied: (kind of like "Mulholland Drive"). The movie does well to represent another time and place, but a time and place in someone's horrid dream. I would not watch this movie unless you are a fan of the author, or you need something to watch while you knit or lick Green Stamps.