"In the Land of Women" and "Fracture"

In the Land of Women- A mere hours after watching his older brother Jake's "The TV Set" I saw Jonathan Kasdan's debut feature, "In the Land of Women." With both of these films the Kasdan brothers stick to the famous advice, "Write what you know." The main focus of both of these films is a frustrated screenwriter. Unlike Mike Klein of "The TV Set" however, "Women's" Carter Webb (Adam Brody) is younger and lower on the food chain. So low in fact that he's stuck writing scripts he doesn't care about until he can get something better.
In the opening scene, Carter is dumped by his actress girlfriend (Elena Anaya). In an effort to rejuvenate he leaves L.A. to clear his head and take care of his grandmother (Olympia Dukakis). While there he meets the Hardwicke family across the street. In no time at all he's taking morning walks with Sarah (Meg Ryan) and offering advice to her daughter Lucy ("Panic Room's" Kristen Stewart).
Carter is a likable guy, and as played by Brody, he can't not be. As he proved during his years as Seth Cohen he's an extremely talented actor and his comic timing is impeccable. The written lines are funny on their own but he brings something extra to them that very few actors could. Still, it seems strange that Sarah and Lucy are so instantly comfortable with this stranger that they feel that they can share their deepest secrets with him. I could buy it after awhile, but within days of his arrival just doesn't make much sense.
Kasdan's script is far from perfect, but it is interesting and bright enough that he shows a lot of promise. He also assembled the right group of actors. Brody is funny without simply re-treading Seth, Ryan is terrific and heartbreakingly vulnerable as Sarah battles against cancer, and Stewart does a fine job as Lucy. While "Women" does take a few predictable turns, it is very much worth watching for the performances and for the film introduction of Jonathan Kasdan. He's pretty good but he's going to get better. 7/10

Fracture- Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) is being cheated on. His wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz of "Army of Darkness") and hostage negotiator Rob Nunnally (Billy Burke) are having an affair. Jennifer and Rob make a point of not knowing each other's real names, simply referring to each other as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but Ted knows all about them. One night as she arrives home, she finds Ted waiting for her. Ted toys with her a moment and then shoots her in the head. When the police arrive, along with an unsuspecting Rob, Ted is all too eager to confess that he shot Jennifer. Even so, Ted has found a way to cover his tracks.
Meanwhile, young district attorney Willy Beachum ("Half Nelson's" Ryan Gosling) is about to leave the D.A.'s office for a high paying job with a major firm. Willy doesn't like to lose and he feels good about prosecuting Ted as his final case as a D.A. After all, Ted has chosen himself as his own legal counsel. While Willy believes that this is quite literally an open and shut case, Ted has enough tricks up his sleeve to impress Hannibal Lecter.
"Fracture" is a film full of surprises and for awhile the screenplay by Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers works. Whether somebody could actually pull off what Ted does or not, it comes off plausibly, and Beachum is an interesting character, brought to life terrifically by Gosling. Still, Ted is never developed in a satisfying enough way. Hopkins is deliciously evil as only he can be, but I think there's a truly classic character in there if only he were developed further by the script or by director Gregory Hoblit ("Primal Fear").
This is a pretty enjoyable movie until it does something so ridiculous that it almost ruins the whole thing. I won't give it away, but you'll know it when you see it. I wanted to shout at the screen, "THAT WOULDN'T HAPPEN!" The reason this almost ruins the entire movie is that the last act is dependent on that happening. There was a way they could have made that work, but the way it was done just undoes the good will that had been established. A stupid ending to a pretty smart movie. 6/10