By HEATHER SINCICH
Movie producers should have kept 'Hush' below a whisper.
Helen (Gwenyth Paltrow) and Jackson (Johnathon Schaech) are a couple who go to his hometown to meet his mother, Martha (Jessica Lange). They return to their New York City apartment and decide to get married after finding out about her pregnancy. At their wedding, Jackson's grandmother hints at skeletons in the family closet. Helen and Jackson decide to move back home and live with Martha and renovate the family home. Helen's dreams of living happily ever after are ruined when she uncovers buried family secrets.
'Hush' is supposed to be a horror film (Not a 'Friday the 13th' kind of scary, but a 'Psycho' sort of mental thriller); however, it isn't. In one scene, Helen opens up an attic and a few rats fall down. For anyone who has seen 'Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade,' the impact of the scene pales in comparison with the thousands of rats Indiana Jones had to wade through. (Indiana Jones isn't even a horror film.)
In another scene that is supposed to be scary, Martha induces Helen's delivery and comes after her with a needle, a scene that is not very threatening for anyone who has seen their share of doctors or needles. The conflict is resolved too easily anyway. The previews show clips of the most intense scenes, so there are not many surprises. The previews almost spoil anything that could have been frightening.
The script is lacking and not written well. The evil mother-in-law premise is cliche. There are so many unanswered questions: Why didn't Jackson know his mom was a psycho in the first place and how was Martha able to deceive everyone for so long? One scene reveals that the random attack Helen faced in New York was planned by Martha but the motivation is unclear. Other scenes are contrived and are not adequately tied together. The weak climax comes at the end of the movie and lacks intensity.
On the other hand, 'Hush' is well acted. Lange does a good job of playing a demented mother who covers up her neurosis well. Paltrow isn't as believable but does a fairly good job of reacting to the discovery of her mother-in-law's
dementia. Jackson's character is less demanding, so the actor pulls his role off pretty well. The acting is pretty consistent.
Those wanting an intense thriller should choose a different movie because 'Hush' is anything but. The easy resolutions and contrived scenes are a disappointment.