Alternative Film Guide

Dennis Harvey in Variety:

"New Zealand playwright Toa Fraser makes a smooth transition to the screen directing No. 2, an adaptation of his 2000 stage work. This warmly observed drama about a Fijian-Kiwi matriarch [veteran American actress Ruby Dee] gathering her discordant clan around one last fete is formulaic at its core: One can guess grandma’s fate from the start, but only after, all wounds have been healed and every narrative string tied. Still, assured handling and an appealing cast make this a deserving crowd-pleaser (it won the dramatic World Cinema audience award at Sundance) that should find friendly theatrical and tube berth in numerous terrains. Title, however — which in the U.S. is scatological slang [--] may have to go."

The film, rebaptized Naming Number 2, opened in New York City on July 27.

I actually had think a bit before figuring out what Harvey meant by "no.2" being "scatalogical slang" in the U.S. The thought would never have crossed my mind had he failed to point it out in his review.

Michelangelo Antonioni

Honorary Oscars Bypass Women

Louise Brooks Turns 100

Early Love Songs from the South Seas

Sidney Poitier to Receive Marian Anderson Award

Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award

Comments RSS