dentlakesha

My very first introduction to V.C. Andrews came when I was about 10 years old. My mother, usually very protective and conservative when it came to movies, actually let me watch a movie called "Flowers in the Attic." It was kind of an "I-think-you-can-handle-it; it'll-be-our-secret" moment. :-) I really liked it, and even though as an adult I think it's actually pretty tame, that movie retains, for me, an element of the taboo and outrageous. A few years after that I read the book and realized how sanitized it actually was.

I was so excited to learn that there was going to be a 2014 remake of "FItA." However, I was a little nervous to learn that Lifetime was going to be the venue. After reading the book, I thought that the only TV station that could do it justice would be HBO, Showtime or Starz. So nonetheless, I excitedly awaited the premier of this on Lifetime, so much so that I waited until midnight to catch the replay (I was spending MLK weekend in a cabin with some girlfriends and a few guys that I couldn't convince to tune in for the 8pm showing!). After viewing it, I decided that it was neither better nor no worse than the 80s film.

First of all, the Lifetime film was much closer to the novel, even down to small details like the picture of Hell in the room. Unlike the 80s film, in which the story took place in the present time (the 80s), the remake takes place in the correct time period, the 50s. This film succeeds in some places and fails in others.

The good: Again, very close to the novel. The film is also beautifully shot with gorgeous 50s period costumes and dark, Gothic eerie-ness. Ellen Berstyn as "The Grandmother," Olivia, was good. What's funny is she actually portrayed a three-dimensional character, as opposed to Louise Fletcher's 80s portrayal, which was more one-dimensional, but, to me, MUCH more evil and fun to hate. BUT when Ellen's Grandmother got nasty, she got NASTY very well! When a grown woman threatens a little kid and makes a fist, that's pretty disturbing! The actor who portrayed Chris was also good, or at least better than the one who portrayed the character in the original.

The neutral: The lead actress who played Cathy (Kiernan Shipka) portrayed her completely differently than the one that played her in the 80s film (Kristy Swanson). Instead of a sweet, quiet and occasionally angry girl, we get a very 21-st century, kind but sarcastic hard @$$. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your taste and/or how you interpreted the book.

The bad: Heather Graham is a gorgeous, sexy and talented actress. However, I can't help but feel that most of her talent must lie in comedy. She looked beautiful in the costumes, but I didn't care for her acting in this at all. And, well, this movie was kind of boring. Despite the producers actually showing some of the more tawdry details of the novels, I still felt that Lifetime held back. To me this was the opportunity to capture the craziness of the novel, and it just failed.

I did enjoy this, but it wasn't any better than the original film, unfortunately. It was just a slightly different version.