The Ice Storm (1997)

Interestingly, the Weather Channel is predicting ice-storm conditions in Toronto this evening.

Synopsis: All-American family celebrates Thanksgiving with turkey, cranberry sauce, vodka, um...valium, teenaged sex, and a key party?!

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: "Kevin Kline, Joan Allen and Sigourney Weaver turn in crystalline performances as two dysfunctional families learning to cope with the unyielding forces of nature - human nature - in this emotionally charged tale of suburban life in the '70s."

What Did I Learn?: When you’re staying with your parents, it’s not advisable to masturbate in the shower, as it wastes water and electricity and everyone expects you to whack off in there, anyway.

You Might Like This Movie If: You enjoy watching a very mellow family deal with the unyielding forces of nature.

Really?: So, Wendy is what – 14 years old, and she’s able to chug vodka out of the bottle? No way. 2) I had a bit of a hard time believing Mikey would be ok with Wendy performing a sex act on him while she’s wearing a Nixon mask. 3) So, Wendy decides she wants to fool around with both Mikey and his brother Sandy, who’s what – 12 years old? This is fucked up! 4) The Carver’s own a bullwhip? Why in the world would a suburban family own a bullwhip? 5) I imagine the pharmacy decided not to press shoplifting charges against Elena, but it’s funny how that sub-plot is conveniently dropped and there’s no mention of it again after it happens. 6) I’m not sure Libbets would invite either Francis or Paul to her home over Thanksgiving...I would imagine she could do a lot better than either of those guys.

Rating: The Ice Storm is a beautifully-filmed near-masterpiece; through an odd musical score and some amazing cinematography, Ang Lee manages to recreate a long-ago time and place, and with it, a haunting stillness. The Ice Storm doesn’t really have a plot, which is fine for a character-driven drama, except that it’s tough to sympathize with any of these characters (at least until the end of the movie), as they’re all incredibly selfish and inconsiderate. Still, highly recommended. 9/10 stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119349/