Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Writer/director Richard Linklater’s latest endeavor is based on the comedy novel of the same name by Maria Semple. Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) is a former and now famous/critically acclaimed architect that’s extremely neurotic and eccentric, but is also a truly loving mother. After years of sacrificing herself for her family, she becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions. Her leap of faith takes her and her family (Billy Crudup and newcomer Emma Nelson) on an epic adventure all the way to Antarctica. Wonderful performances from the ensemble cast, but Blanchett steals the show in what is sure to be an Oscar/Golden Globe nominated performance come awards season. A pretty melodramatic and unbelievable movie at times, but it’s so well done, and the characters are so well developed that it’s quite easy to suspend your disbelief and fully immerse yourself into the story. And yeah, you could go read the book first if you wanted to, but I like to do what Rodney Dangerfield suggested in Back to School: “Read? Who has time? I see the movie. I’m in and out in two hours.” And this movie is two hours well worth it. A must see.

[PG-13]