Hysterical Blindness Review

Hysterical Blindness
Two Jersey girls experience the battlefield of love in the 1980s.

by Caroline Westbrook |
Published on
Release Date:

01 Jan 2002

Running Time:

96 minutes

Certificate:

15

Original Title:

Hysterical Blindness

Set in 1980s New Jersey, this made-for-TV movie follows two young women - emotionally fragile yet assertive Debby (Uma Thurman) and single mum Beth (Juliette Lewis) - as they look for true love in their small town - or more specifically, in their local bar. A thrid strand to the story is Debby's mother Virginia (Gena Rowlands), whose fledgling relationship with a widower is beginning to blossom.

Director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) draws terrific performances from her two leads (Thurman landed a Golden Globe for her troubles), and Rowlands offers up sterling support as usual, but the cast is ultimately far superior to the film itself, which feels too thinly plotted to make much of an impact.

Given that this was made after the advent of Sex And The City, it's certainly no lofty achievement, but the actors save the day.
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