# Anywhere But Here (1999)

### reviewed by
James Sanford

Most parents eventually understand there's a point at which you have to let your children go their own way rather than directing their destinies and dreams. Then you have parents like single mom Adele August (Susan Sarandon) who cheerfully keep dodging that realization.

Adele was felt suffocated living in Bay City, Wisconsin and being married to an ice-skating instructor, so she poured her life savings into a used Mercedes, grabbed her adolescent daughter Ann (Natalie Portman) and headed for Beverly Hills. The plan was simple: Ann would be enrolled in the Beverly Hills school system and begin her career as a child star. But the real performer in the family was, of course, Adele. Ann would rather have stayed with the folks back on the family farm. Nothing doing, Adele decreed, adding "I am not going to let you turn into a nothing girl in a nothing factory in a nothing town."

So begins "Anywhere But Here," a beautifully modulated comedy-drama adapted from Mona Simpson's 1986 best-seller. Refreshingly free of melodrama and calculation, the movie gives Sarandon and Portman ample space in which to study the mother-daughter dynamic, and the results are frequently funny and often touching.

"Anywhere" was directed by Wayne Wang, who previously handled the big-screen version of Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club." Although nicely made and well-acted, that picture seemed to be one variation after another on the same theme, that of good women being victimized by stupid, insensitive or just plain weak men. It might have been a courtesy to the male audience if ushers nationwide had hung "women's room" symbols on the doors of theaters playing the film.

This movie is entirely different, both in its perspective and in its message. Despite her bravado and lust for life ("it was as if she wanted to taste the whole world," Ann says of her mother), Adele is a deeply flawed woman whose ambitions always seem to be greater than her skills. Even when the world refuses to accommodate her wishes, she plows ahead anyway, whether her mission is trying to get Baskin-Robbins to open its doors on Christmas Day or making a series of futile phone calls to a guy whose interest in her ended the morning after their first date.

Adele may not be the most multi-faceted role Sarandon has ever tackled, but the actress throws herself into the part whole-heartedly and creates a sensational portrait of a sometimes grating, ultimately poignant child-woman.

While Adele lives by the philosophy "when life gets rough and you only have a dime in your pocket, go get your shoes shined," Ann is the practical voice of reason in the household. She's mystified that her mom will spend money they don't have on a fancy dress while forgetting to pay the utility bill or that Adele will walk away from a good job rather than participate in a strike for better wages. "We did not come to Beverly Hills to struggle," Adele insists, to her daughter's consternation. Portman, a mesmerizing screen presence whose talents were largely wasted as the regal Queen Amidala in "Star Wars: Episode One," is in top form here, lending Ann a gravity and wisdom beyond her years. Rather than competing for the spotlight, Portman and Sarandon instead concentrate on trying to discover what makes these women tick, and in doing so, they enhance each other's performances.

It's doubtful there will be a sequel to "Anywhere But Here," although this is one case in which a second installment might be welcome. When this tender, affecting film comes to a close, you may feel the same mix of mild sadness and deep satisfaction that comes when you finish a terrific novel. That's an enormous compliment to everyone involved. James Sanford

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