The Hours - Best Actress

2002 film that rewarded Nicole Kidman her only Oscar to date.

"The Hours" has been on my list of movies to watch for quite some time now.  Not only did I want to see what landed Nicole Kidman an Oscar, but the cast boasts some major names; Julianne Moore, Ed Harris, Meryl Streep, Claire Daines, John C. Reilly & Toni Collette. The cast did not disappoint.

From the very beginning I was hooked.  It grabbed my attention by playing with my curiosity.  Who is this woman, why is she putting rocks in her coat, isn't Nicole Kidman in this movie?  Wait, is that Nicole Kidman?! By the 7 minute mark I was already on my computer opening up IMDb, because I knew the interwebs wouldn't lie to me.  I had to verify that I was looking at Ms. Kidman, the same gorgeous actress who was in "Moulin Rouge!".  Srsly.

Nicole Kidman - Virginia Woolf

Carlize Theron - Aileen

That's right kids.  Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf on the left. Who woulda thought?!  The transformation was almost as shocking as Charlize Theron from "Monster". Almost. (Pictured right) I mean, it's damn near impossible to top Charlize's performance in that creeptastic role, which earned her a well deserved Oscar, for portraying a true serial killer. I understand that a lot of credit is given to the makeup crew, but the point I'm bringing up is how well they both did at completely transforming themselves into their characters emotionally.  Both playing real life people, both ridiculously unstable characters.  If you haven't seen "Monster" I recommend it, but I must warn you, very dark and twisted. Alas I  have digressed ...

I feel that the beginning was so gripping not only because of the curiosity factor, but the music was perfectly entwined into the scene.  The melody did not drown out the scene, it complimented it perfectly and flowed smoothly into the beginning credits(thank you Phillip Glass).  Then after the opening sequence you start to see the lives of three women; Julianne Moore playing a unhappy housewife in 1951, Meryl Streep as a 2001 publicist and Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf circa 1921 struggling with depression and the meaning of life while writing one of her most famous novels, Mrs. Dalloway.  The lives of these women are simply shown to you, with no dialogue, for about 10 minutes.   All living different lives but tied together by the same underlying dark motif of death.  

If your in the mood to watch a movie movie I highly recommend you watch this.  It's definitely a darker drama but the acting was tremendous and just how it's about life, death and how people deal with them was really intriguing for me.  Maybe it was the mood I was in, but I do believe this movie is in my top 30 movies, definitely top 50 movies. I ended the movie with a better appreciation of the friends that I have and my own personal happiness being a driving factor in major decisions.  You can't stick with something, either a job, relationship, etc; if it doesn't truly make you happy.  Because honestly, what is life without happiness? 

The movie also had some amazing lines.  When Kidman's husband asks her about her novel and "why does someone have to die?" she responds with "someone has to die so we value life".  And my favorite line was Kidman's response to her family's choice to move her to the country side for he "mental stability"; "You cannot find peace by avoiding life".

Definitely a movie worth your time. And yes, that IS Nicole Kidman.  Srsly. 

Until next time,  happy viewing!