Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
2024-08-03
Choosing a movie for my wife and I can sometimes be a battle. So we have this set of cards designed to help set up a date night, and there are ones for movies. It gives you a very specific category to pick from.
Last night we picked: The movie must be set in the place where you had your last vacation. Our last vacation was our honeymoon, and we went to Savannah, Georgia. It was delightful to find out that this movie by Clint Eastwood is actually somewhat about Savannah.
It's a long movie, I'll be honest. More than 2 hours and a half. The interesting thing is that even though it's set up as a murder mystery, it's not really about the murder itself. It's more about characters, who are very... colorful.
The voodoo witch, the extravagant drag queen, the nouveau riche, the constant party pianist guy, the guy who walk his imaginary dog, and so on. The only person that feels kind of out of place is John, the main character, which makes sense because he's from NYC. So it's quite successful.
It depicts a romantic southern life which is quite appealing. And I feel like it takes the time to go in depth with the different characters to give a powerful overall picture. The fun part is that I believe they're all inspired from real people who lived in Savannah.
After spending a week on vacation there almost 30 years after the movie was shot, I can't really tell if it's close to reality, but it does capture the vibe the city tries to give.
Besides that, the plot is entertaining enough that I didn't feel bored during the 2.5 hours. There is no huge twist as one might expect in this style of movie, but that's okay. It also gives an interesting view of how homosexuality could have been lived and perceived in the South in the 90s. However, knowing what we now know about Kevin Spacey, some scenes leave a sour taste.
Overall, even if I wasn't really moved by the plot, I really enjoyed watching this movie, seeing bits of Savannah, and the overall picture. It's not really surprising for a film directed by Clint Eastwood.
Name Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Release 1997 Type Movie, Mystery Country USA, Savannah, GA Director Clint Eastwood Main Actors John Cusack, Kevin Spacey --- Opinion Great movie.