A Little Bit of Heaven
Director: Nicole Kassell
Starring: Kate Hudson, Gael Garcia Bernal, Whoopi Goldberg
After bursting on to the Hollywood scene with a memorable turn as "the ultimate groupie" in Almost Famous, Kate Hudson set about establishing herself as a rom-com regular, with films such as How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Bride Wars. Here she tackles more sombre ground in the comedy-drama A Little Bit of Heaven. Set in New Orleans, Hudson plays Marley, a woman burning the candle at both ends in every sense. Hard working, and even harder partying, to her own admission she does not focus on the important things in life such as relationships or long-term happiness. That changes, however, when she is diagnosed with cancer. The news jolts her into action, and just as this new lease of life appears, she falls for her doctor, Julian (Gael Garcia Bernal). As her fight against the disease goes on, her romance blossoms nonetheless, and Marley finds the prospect of making herself emotionally vulnerable just as frightening as her medical battle. The film is an odd combination of real, harrowing drama and light romance, something that feels uncomfortable from early in on the story. The plot flits from comedic moments involving Marley and Julian to really rather unsettling medical scenes, and for the majority of the film it's unclear whether the filmmakers expect the audience to laugh or cry. Both the leads fail to sustain that romantic connection in the subtext of Marley's illness, but in differing ways. Hudson is an old hand at the relationship scenes, but does not adequately embrace the more serious moments in the film. Bernal's problem is the reverse, in that he is more than adept at the drama, but looks thoroughly uncomfortable onscreen with Hudson. A big positive is the supporting cast, including Kathy Bates and the British actress Lucy Punch, who play Marley's mother and wacky best friend respectively. Ultimately this is a film that has too much happening, and the finished product is more reminiscent of a TV melodrama than a story about making the most of life. Hudson wastes her opportunity to add more depth to her acting CV, while Bernal is not the right fit as a romantic lead. This muddled story will probably only be of interest to lovers of the "weepy" sub-genre.
