Film performances do not get much better than this one.
An aging woman, who uncomfortably shares the Houston home of her son and daughter in law, yearns to make one last trip to her childhood home in the fast-disappearing town of Bountiful. The gentle tale of the woman's wily escape from her family is told in a simple straightforward style that does nothing to detract from the glory of Geraldine Page's career-topping performance as Carrie Watts.
There are no histrionic scenes in the film of the type that generally capture Oscar attention. Page's performance, however, has such depth and heartfelt, yet subtle, emotion, that the viewer is immersed in her quest to return home, and only the hardest stoic will be dry eyed when she sits on the porch of her parents' derelict house and says that she almost expected her father and mother to greet her at the door. Obviously Oscar voters in 1985 left tear stains on their ballots.
Carrie's journey from Houston to Bountiful is filled with memories as she relates pieces of her past to a young woman en route, to the night clerk at a bus station, and to a local sheriff. The people she meets share more of her past than her dull son or shrewish daughter in law. Although the supporting cast, which includes John Heard, Rebecca De Mornay, and Richard Bradford, is fine, each member underplays his or her part in such a way that they enhance and do not detract from Geraldine Page's work. Carlin Glynn's selfish daughter in law is the only character that tries to compete with Page.
When Carrie hears that the last friend she had in Bountiful has died, one can feel the empty hollowness and loneliness that such loss brings through Page's eyes and body language. Hers is a performance that commands attention from the first scene without flamboyance or mannerisms. She captures and holds the viewer with her soul and her deep understanding of the character and the character's need and yearning to return to the last place where she was loved. "The Trip to Bountiful" is haunting, heartbreaking, and yet ultimately uplifting.
An aging woman, who uncomfortably shares the Houston home of her son and daughter in law, yearns to make one last trip to her childhood home in the fast-disappearing town of Bountiful. The gentle tale of the woman's wily escape from her family is told in a simple straightforward style that does nothing to detract from the glory of Geraldine Page's career-topping performance as Carrie Watts.
There are no histrionic scenes in the film of the type that generally capture Oscar attention. Page's performance, however, has such depth and heartfelt, yet subtle, emotion, that the viewer is immersed in her quest to return home, and only the hardest stoic will be dry eyed when she sits on the porch of her parents' derelict house and says that she almost expected her father and mother to greet her at the door. Obviously Oscar voters in 1985 left tear stains on their ballots.
Carrie's journey from Houston to Bountiful is filled with memories as she relates pieces of her past to a young woman en route, to the night clerk at a bus station, and to a local sheriff. The people she meets share more of her past than her dull son or shrewish daughter in law. Although the supporting cast, which includes John Heard, Rebecca De Mornay, and Richard Bradford, is fine, each member underplays his or her part in such a way that they enhance and do not detract from Geraldine Page's work. Carlin Glynn's selfish daughter in law is the only character that tries to compete with Page.
When Carrie hears that the last friend she had in Bountiful has died, one can feel the empty hollowness and loneliness that such loss brings through Page's eyes and body language. Hers is a performance that commands attention from the first scene without flamboyance or mannerisms. She captures and holds the viewer with her soul and her deep understanding of the character and the character's need and yearning to return to the last place where she was loved. "The Trip to Bountiful" is haunting, heartbreaking, and yet ultimately uplifting.