The Virgin Suicides Reviews

Dying to see it again

I had first read the book, and had been looking forward to the film immensly. It captures the essence of the book beautifully. All the girls show the desperation of their family, and it does not try to over emphasise the suicides. I would definatly recommmened it and would watch it again.

Sensitive portrayal of teen angst

Sofia Coppola's full-length feature debut, I must be one of many fans of Lost in Translation curious about what Coppola had done previously.

It was very different to what I was expecting (preconceptions picked up from seeing the cover to the Air Soundtrack and hearing it compared to the seminal Picnic at Hanging Rock).

Similar in tone to The Ice Storm (and also set in the Seventies) it examines the sexual liberation of the times brought about by the invention of the pill.

The five Lisbon sisters live under a regime of stifling over-protection from their Catholic mother (an impressive Kathleen Turner) and borderline bonkers Maths teacher dad (James Woods) and their story is fascinatingly told from the point of view of a gang of neighbourhood boys, whose pubescent obsession with the sisters leads them to try and piece together the reasons why the short lives of the sisters ended in suicide.

Teen angst is rarely as sensitively portrayed and Kirsten Dunst once again demonstrates her deserved membership of the vanguard of next generation talent. As the lustful college jock Trip Fontaine, Josh Harnett flexes his burgeoning talent adequately but the glory has to go to Dunst and Coppola.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Not as cool as it would like to be

Like so many hip American indie films, this is not quite as clever as its makers would like to think. It's full of rather tired clich?s, the worst being the 'disaffected' croaky voiceover ['don't tell us, show us' should, but isn't, the rule of thumb].

Some good acting, excellent set design, but less than the sum of its parts: surely it's a bad sign if the suicide of the main characters is a matter of complete indifference to the viewer?

Amazing

What a treat this film was. I read the book two years ago and I loved it and I was worried that the movie might take the magic out of this depressing and moving story. But it hasn't. It was beautiful, accurate, lovely. And despite its depressing subject, it's got a perfect balance of humour and sweetness.

Only thing is, the DVD has no extras whatsoever. Just the theatre trailer! And for this reason, I give this film 4 stars.

Found in translation

Like Hopper on film, in "The Virgin Suicides" Coppola captures the light -- literally, figuratively, directionally and emotionally.

Rarely do I love a book and love the resulting film. But uniquely, this film surpasses the book. A visual, sensual feast conveying the power of teenage angst.

The cast and the crew have cohesively adapted a quirky book most perfectly, nothing has been lost in translation!

Exceptional debut by Sofia Coppola

Dont worry about the lack of features on the DVD, this is a film that does not need added value to promote it.

I had my reservations about seeing anything with Sofia Coppola's name on it after her dreadful acting in Godfather Part 3 but her talents are very clearly laid in film making by the remarkable debut.

Haunting whilst invigorating, delightful whilst depressing, the film gives an insight into teenage angst and the frailty of the pre-adolesence phyche through the eyes of 5 daughters (mostly Lux played by Kirsten Dunst)and their overbearing mother and 5 neighbourhood boys who secretly lust after them.

This is a fresh and intelligent film and although not as good as the follow up Lost In Translation it is quite clear to see where Copolla is coming from with her masterful skill of relationship examination and the vulnerability of the human mind.

Unusual but excellent

I really enjoyed this film. From the moment it started I was hooked and I really cared what happened to the characters.

I think Sofia Coppola is a fantastic director and has made a very unusual and beautiful film.

Watchable, lack of focus

Five teenage sisters are tightly controlled by their parents. From the outset it is known that they will all commit suicide and the period leading up to their deaths is seen through the eyes of four local boys.

There is a dreamy quality to the film, or to put it another way, it has no focus. Is it a mystery, a teen romance, social commentary? It's not really clear what this film is trying to say. The characters are not examined in any depth so it's difficult to come to any conclusions. Only 2 of the girls have much part to play and the boys characters are not explored at all.

James Woods is excellent as the father and Kathleen Turner is a great domineering mother. My favourite scene is Danny DeVito's cameo, and the music, which adds to the 70s backdrop, plays a big part.

If I could give this 6 stars, I would! A brilliant movie, full of emotion and love and empathy. Quite soon into the movie, you quickly relate to the girls and the parents, and just wish they could find a happy middle ground. But they can't, and the pressure and sadness projected onto the girls is huge. I cried at the end, and I am sure you will too Brilliant!

Odd, but memorable.

The Lisbons are a conservative, middle-class family, living in Michigan in the 70's. The father, James Woods, is a mild-natured schoolmaster married to Kathleen Turner, a severe, inflexible woman who rules their brood of five beautiful teenage daughters with a rod of iron. These are unusual roles for Woods and Turner; even more so, the appearance of Danny de Vito in a minor part, almost unrecognisable as a psychiatrist in a droopy moustache. The story is disturbing and not very well explained. The ending is rather unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, there is a haunting quality to it and some excellent acting which makes it worth a viewing.