Sweetie [VHS]

Sweetie [VHS]
by Jane Campion

Sweetie [VHS]

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Product details

Actor: Dorothy Barry, Genevi?ve Lemon, Jon Darling, Karen Colston, Tom Lycos
Director: Jane Campion
Cinematographer: Sally Bongers
Writer: Jane Campion
Editor: Veronika Jenet
Producer: Billy MacKinnon
Producer: John Maynard
Writer: Gerard Lee
Edition: VHS Tape
Format: Color, NTSC
Running Time: 97 minutes
Release Date: 1997-04-22
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Avid Home Ent
Studio: Avid Home Ent

VHS Movie Reviews of Sweetie [VHS]

Movie Review: Black, black, black humor.
Summary: 4 Stars

Sweetie (Jane Campion, 1989)/Passionless Moments (Jane Campion, 1983)

Sweetie is the type of comedy I would write if I wrote comedies-- relentlessly black, full of subversive moments, and deeply, deeply twisted. Barrel of monkeys? I scoff at your fun!

Kay (Karen Colston) is rather mousy, introverted, and not terribly happy in her relationship with Louis (Tom Lycos), whom she lands after consulting a fortune-teller. Not the best start to a relationship, one would think (and one would be right). Still, Kay and Louis are content, in their own miserable way, until Sweetie shows up. Sweetie (Genevieve Lemon) is Kay's younger sister, and she's well, I believe the technical term is "crazy as a loon". No one but Kay, however, seems capable of seeing this; her parents just see her as slightly eccentric, though still their darling baby daughter. Louis is oddly entranced by her. Gordon (Jon Darling), her manager/boyfriend, is convinced she'll be the one to finally net him some success, and he's not put off by the fringe benefits of managing her, most of which he reaps between the sheets. Loudly. As Sweetie slips farther and farther round the bend, though, the rest of the family does come to see that, perhaps, there might be something wrong; unfortunately, no one's equipped to deal with this new perception, and anything that can go wrong, etc.

I should probably insert some sort of warning about triggering conversations/behaviors, but that's kind of the point of the movie, isn't it? This is supposed to push your buttons (in much the same way that Very Bad Things did a few years later). And it does a very good job of it; the movie was castigated and/or damned with faint praise when it appeared, though it has since been recognized as a classic in the making given some of Campion's later output (e.g., The Piano). Campion, who both wrote and directed, is a twisted genius with a camera here; all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. And I highly recommend you do so.

I wouldn't normally review a thirteen-minute film, but Passionless Moments, which can be found in Sweetie's DVD extras, is on Jonathan Rosenbaum's list of the thousand best films ever made, so I should probably give it a paragraph. A short made by Campion in 1983, Passionless Moments takes a number of disparate scenes and puts them together. Each of them is oddly familiar, things you've done or wondered about yourself, but presented from odd angles, or with weird cuts; it's as if Roald Dahl got inside your skull and started writing Tales of the Unexpected straight out of your subconscious. It's absolutely worth your time, and is worth the cost of buying the Sweetie DVD by itself. **** (for both).

Movie Review: Thanks Again, Criterion!
Summary: 4 Stars

Once again, the Criterion Collection's given us a marvelous DVD transfer of a wonderful film that had rather fallen through the cracks -- in this case, Jane Campion's haunting feature debut, SWEETIE. Odd and intensely personal, the picture's full of striking images (particularly brilliant use of color in the set design), camera angles that are unusual without feeling forced, subversive comic writing, a wonderful soundtrack and, not least, fearless performances from a talented cast. This is the kind of movie that has such strong interior logic, the audience willingly follows where it leads, no matter how bizarre or unexpected the destination proves to be. I'd vividly remembered many scenes of SWEETIE since seeing it theatrically in its original release; experiencing Campion's vision again today is just as strong. The usual superior Criterion touches -- fascinating commentary and student works from this director, insightful essay in the accompanying booklet. If the only Campion films you know are THE PIANO or PORTRAIT OF A LADY, you may find many surprises here. Very worthwhile.

Movie Review: A story about a mentally ill woman
Summary: 2 Stars

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Sweetie, written and directed by award winning filmmaker, Jane Campion best known for the film "The Piano" is the story about a young couple in a distant relationship. One day the womans mentally ill sister Dawn "Sweetie" breaks into their house and lives with them. She is not on her medication and creates havoc. When her father visits after his wife leaves him, he tries to calm her but is unsuccessful.

It is never mentioned what kind of illness Dawn has. I thought the film was too graphic and recommend eaisliy offended people not watch it.

The DVD has some great special features. There is a theatrical trailer, behind the scenes photos, audio commentary by director Jane Campion and director of photography, Sally Bongers and screenwriter Gerard Lee. There are interviews with lead actresses, Genevieve Lemon and Karen Colston. There is a 1989 conversation between Campion and film critic Peter Thompson made after the success of her short films.

Finally, there are 3 of her short films made as a student. The first film, An Exercise in Discipline: Peel, is about a man and his son and sister out for a drive. The son has trown orange peels out the window and his father stops the car and demands he pick them up. The second film, Passionless Moments; is a series of short scenes about various situations. The third film, A Girl's Own Story, is about schoolgirls who do various activities.

This film is ok but is not appropriate for children.

Movie Review: She's Not As Sweet As Her Name Might Suggest
Summary: 5 Stars

"Sweetie" is here! A Criterion treatment! The first time I saw "Sweetie" was purely by accident. It was before Jane Campion went on to make better known, bigger budget films--this film was her feature debut in Australia. And while I respect many of her works including "The Piano" and "An Angel At My Table", I don't have the passion for them that I do for this oddball of a movie. Part of the joy of seeing "Sweetie" for the first time was having no expectations. The film surprised me in every regard--it's wickedly funny, yet horrifying and moving at the same time. A few years ago, I found it again and I made my friends watch it, too. I was concerned it might not hold up to memory, but that feeling was short-lived as soon as the wondrous Genevieve Lemon came onscreen as Sweetie.

"Sweetie" is a film that really explores the notion of family. As the titular character, Sweetie is a powerful presence whose very existence has crippled her family and, in many ways, held them hostage. Primarily, we see things through Sweetie's sister Kay and I love that the film introduces us to the peculiarities of Kay without explanation. Then when Sweetie arrives on the scene, things start to become very clear as the family dynamic takes the foreground.

I consider "Sweetie" a comedy, but I'm not sure everyone would agree. But then, I have a bit of a sick sense of humor. Certainly there are many laughs to be had in the film--if only uncomfortable ones. But, make no mistake, there is also genuine and vivid emotional turmoil. The films success is that it balances these elements so well--and, in fact, that brings a bold realism and resonance to the proceedings.

The film is shot beautifully, and always slightly askew (which is perfect for the subject matter). The performances are vivid. Karen Colston is great as Kay, and you won't soon forget Lemon as Sweetie. And as odd as the film is, it will stay with you. And you just might recognize elements of your own family dynamic within the excesses presented! KGHarris, 9/06.

Movie Review: pure pleasure
Summary: 5 Stars

I've seen three Campion movies. It took a long time for me to forgive 'The Piano''s humorless, heavy hands and move on to 'Holy Smoke!'. But HS revealed a comic sensibility that 'The Piano' never suspected. 'Sweetie,' Campion's first feature, is by far my favorite yet.

'Sweetie' is an odd film. Mostly, it's an examination of what it means to be an individual--inside of and outside of the repetitive struggles of family dramas--and the perils and joys of exclusion and elitism. Campion uses her sharp wit to draw blood, and without the comforts of a privileged moral voice (e.g. the competent parent or maternal sufferer of most family dramas), the humor can seem a little mean-spirited at times. But 'Sweetie' tempers its alienated perspective with moments of grace that are as terrifying, joyful and sublime as the dry open spaces of its Australian landscape.

Moving the viewer through a fractured world of beautiful and unsettling images, Sweetie is this director's most richly creative and psychically adventurous work.

Write your own review

Summary of Sweetie [VHS]

Chock full of director Jane Campion's trademark sensitivity, her debut, Sweetie, is slyly emotional without sentimentality. In this family drama, Kay (Karen Colston) stars as a prudish, confused loner, who chooses her mate, Louis (Tom Lycos), based on the shape of the mole on his face. As a couple, they lack passion, due to Kay's fear of the erotic. Once her mentally ill sister, Dawn, a.k.a. Sweetie (Genevieve Lemon) comes to visit, the viewer understands that Kay's temperance has evolved out of her wish to tame her wild sister. As Kay's parents weather turbulence, and after Sweetie suffers a tragic fate, Kay's happiness becomes less and less tangible, until she realizes the basic human need for love. Campion embellishes this story of disconnection with camera shots that feel lonesome; a scene in which Kay and Louis swim is shot from across the body of water, at the water's eye level. An old-fashioned setting, at least in Kay's home, mocks the idea of a functional nuclear family. On every level, Sweetie is crafted by its tone, one of melancholy infused with hope, making it not only Campion's best film, but also a clear selection for the Criterion Collection. --Trinie Dalton

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