I prefer Jennifer Garner as a happy upbeat actress...this role (although well acted) just didn't seem like her thing. This was a very realistic movie but extremely sad. If you want a light feel good movie...this isn't it!
I know many divorced families that have kids who are basically shoved to the side to make room for the new spouse and family. The kids usually are the big losers as you can see in this film.
This movie highlights the sharp contrast between the idyllic ocean setting with beautiful houses with manicured lawns and the turmoil going on under the surface. The wealthy surgeon husband is more concerned with feeding his ego with his new woman after uprooting his family to this high brow community where they just don't fit in. Jennifer Garner plays the frazzled mother and dumped wife of the surgeon who absolutely doesn't have the inner strength to keep her family together. As a result, the kids go off and do their own thing leading to disaster.
It kept my attention, but I'd rather stick with something a little more upbeat.
Review of The Tribes of Palos Verdes
