MOVIE REVIEW - The Lovely Bones

When you see that Hollywood is going to take on the project of bringing a wildly successful book to the screen, many times we cringe. It takes skilled people to make a book sing on screen. The Lovely Bones is in the hands of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, and it's in theaters this weekend.

This is another good example where the star of the movie is....the movie. The cast here is big, and so is the story, and The Lovely Bones is a special movie. But to be fair, this movie is not for everyone as it puts you on an emotional roller coaster that mostly is charging down hill.

It's the story of Susie Salmon. A fictional 14 year old girl growing up in the mid 1970's, in a loving family. She is then murdered by a creepy neighbor. Her family is left to pick up the pieces of her death. Much of this movie is the story of Susie in "the in between." That is a place Susie's spirit goes in the time right after her death. There is a dose of the supernatural at work here, as she somehow connects to her father and others from beyond this world, and from hers. To be honest, the story is way too complicated to go over in short here.

The Lovely Bones is a very hard, dramatic movie that finds a certain track and stays on it. This is a heavy movie, that keeps getting heavier on your chest the longer it goes on. This movie is highly emotional, and very sad over all. It has a story to tell, and some times at the movies these stories are deeply sad. TLB doesn't mess it up by trying to be all things to all people. It knows where it wants to go and goes there. There are some disturbing scenes here, but no violence. There are moments of great suspense and some squirmy moments in your seat, but all is handled extremely well. But the story is just sad.

After watching this all play out on screen, parents may go home and hug their kids a bit tighter, and you may never look at your neighbor the same again. The Lovely Bones pulls no punches. It is direct in its message, and fearless in its ability to tackle a very tough subject and keep it on track and on pace all the way through. If you're looking for a good time at the movies, The Lovely Bones is not your picture. This is a movie I see groups of women going to, and out for coffee and conversation later.

The Lovely Bones. Certainly not for all. But well done. Well done.