A famous author goes on a cruise trip with her friends and nephew in an effort to find fun and happiness while she comes to terms with her troubled past.
Chuck says:
The production notes for Let Them All Talk state that the script by Deborah Eisenberg, such as it is, consists of a series of scenes without dialogue, that the cast of the film was given the situation of the scene and then improvised their characters’ conversations. This goes a long way towards explaining what’s off in Stephen Soderberg’s latest experiment. The director is known for looking for innovative ways to present a story and he must have been at the top of his persuasive game to convince the veteran cast he assembled to take a flyer on this one. And why not? I’ve had the impression for quite some time that Soderbergh gets bored easily and I’m sure that Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest and Candice Bergen are always on the lookout for something that’s not just the same-old, same-old. In that light, I’m sure that it was pretty easy to get them to sign on. That the bulk of the movie was shot aboard the Queen Mary II, obviously didn’t hurt either.
To say that author Alice Hughes (Streep) is difficult is an understatement of titanic proportions. Vain, insecure and haughty, she hasn’t written a book in years, but because of her past success, any suggestion that she may be working on a new tome causes her publisher to perk up and take notice. Poor Karen (Gemma Chan) has been assigned to meet and cajole her into revealing whether she’s writing once more, but Alice doggedly holds her cards close to her vest. However, her vanity gets the best of her as she reveals she is set to be given a major literary award in England but is afraid to fly to receive it. Karen suggests booking her passage on the Queen Mary II so that she can make the trip. Alice takes the bait, but she insists that her nephew (Lucas Hedges) accompany her and that two college friends, who she hasn’t seen in decades, make the trip with her as well.
Susan and Roberta (Wiest and Bergen, respectively) are stunned by this turn of events but agree to take the voyage, the former out of curiosity, the latter because she has an axe to grind. Convinced that Alice’s greatest literary success was based on her life, Roberta is hoping for, at the least, an apology and at the most, financial compensation.
The premise is solid, the cast is beyond reproach and yet this is an oddly unengaging affair. The story moves along steadily but with a surprising lack of urgency or energy. The climactic confrontation between Alice and Roberta is steadily built up yet fizzles once it takes place. Truly, this is an odd film in terms of set up and pay off and I suspect that because there was a loose structure in the way scenes were constructed, a steady sense of urgency or pace simply wasn’t achieved.
Some scenes end abruptly, while others run a bit too long and meander. The result is a movie that moves in fits and starts, one that entices the viewer with just enough interesting tidbits to keep them on the line, but ultimately a satisfying conclusion gets away. That being said, it’s a delight to see the three veteran actresses trade barbs, the chemistry between them palpable, so much so you wish they were in a better movie. In the end, “Let Them All Talk” winds up being nothing more than a curiosity, an exercise that ends up wasting its great potential.
Let Them All Talk is streaming on HBO Max.
Pam says:
Meryl Streep plays Alice, a successful author apparently suffering from writer’s block has won an award. Her agent, anxious to get Alice’s new manuscript in her hands, suggests Alice travel abroad to receive the award, but Alice cannot fly. The solution? Hop aboard the Queen Mary 2, invite a couple friends with whom she has lost touch, and bring along her nephew as a family companion. This film, filled with incredible acting talent including Streep, Dianne Wiest, Candice Bergen, and Lucas Hedges, had such promise, but unfortunately, never rises to the occasion.
Alice, a self-absorbed and guarded woman, has relished in her fame, but along her road to success, she has discarded her friends. This trip seems an opportune time to make up for her callous and pretentious past, but writer Deborah Eisenberg has different plans for her characters. We do get an introduction to Susan (Wiest) and Roberta (Bergen), and while on their excursion we learn of the petty issues that drove the initial wedge between each of them with Alice. However, we never have a chance for the three women to have a lengthy or meaningful conversation. The most interesting interactions are between Susan and Roberta as they rehash their grievances with Alice and the superfluous love interest between Alices’ nephew and agent.
While the QM2 makes headway, this story seems to be just drifting with the wind. Alice has a few mysterious situations that resolve in less than dramatic ways making this oceanic cruise feel like a toy boat in a bathtub—there are no waves, or crests, it just floats in the same place.
Bergen, thankfully, uses her comedic chops to give the viewer a few laughs and Wiest naturally finds herself as the gentile soul, never wanting to rock the boat. The dramatic and unexpected ending almost saves it along with each actor delivering their best in a shell of a script, but it’s just not enough to connect you with these characters or the story.
2 Stars
