Cast: Kathleen Turner, Tommy Lee Jones, Asha Menina, Park Overall
Director: Michael Lessac
Producers: Dale Pollock, L. Holfong, and Wolfgang Glattis
Screenplay: Michael Lessac
Cinematography: Victor Hammer
Music: James Horner
U.S. Distributor: Penta Pictures
After living in Mexico for several years, Ruth (Kathleen Turner) and her two children are going back to North Carolina. It is not a festive homecoming, however; the family is one member less than when they left. Ruth's husband, Alex, died in a tragic accident south of the border. But that's not the end of her troubles. Shortly after returning to the States, Ruth's six-year old daughter, Sally (Asha Menina), inexplicably withdraws from reality. Although fluent in three languages, Sally refuses to speak, nor will she acknowledge the presence of her mother. However, she develops an affinity for high places, and, after she nearly kills herself climbing in a building construction site, the court places her in the custody of Dr. Jacob Beerlander (Tommy Lee Jones), a psychiatrist who's an expert in dealing with dissociated children.
I'll admit to being touched by House of Cards, but even as the movie skillfully manipulated my emotions, it confounded my sense of logic with a poorly-constructed storyline. Too little of this film is believable, even in a year when the magic realism of films like Like Water for Chocolate is enchanting viewers. In attempting to play on the audience's emotions as well as create a mystical atmosphere, House of Cards has allowed too many contrivances to seep into the plot.
The acting ranges from passable to excellent. Kathleen Turner, in a less glamorous role than she typically plays, gives a solid-if-unspectacular performance as the widowed Ruth. Tommy Lee Jones is too restrained as Jacob Beerlander, never winning the audience's sympathy or respect. Asha Menina, on the other hand, outacts all the adults (and boy can she catch a baseball).
One of the more interesting -- and believable -- moments in this film occurs in Dr. Beerlander's school for children as Ruth is introduced to kids with various problems. Some are frightened, some are shy, and some are withdrawn. Because it seems so real, this scene is quietly affecting without being manipulative. If more of House of Cards had possessed this sort of insight and feel for drama, I might have been able to recommend it. As things are, however, the film is too derivative and clumsily fabricated to be worth a trip to a theater.
© 1993 James Berardinelli