Kevin Bacon drew a winning hand with "Losing Chase," hisimpressive debut as a film director.
With Emmy winner Helen Mirren as his lead actress and wife KyraSedgwick as his boss, the "Apollo 13" co-star knew he had a cast withtalent to burn.
Executive producer Sedgwick hired her husband to direct themoody movie about an unusual relationship between two troubled women.Then she stepped in front of the camera and took orders from Bacon.
The result is another sensitive Showtime drama from HallmarkEntertainment, premiering at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Best known here for her intimidating performances as DetectiveSupt. Jane Tennison in the ongoing PBS "Prime Suspect" mysteryseries, Mirren won't be mistaken for a tough British cop in "LosingChase." Tennison is an aggressive, demanding leader who refuses tocompromise. Mirren's high-strung Chase Philips character, a frazzledwife and mom, is losing her grip because she sacrificed her truenature to satisfy her family.
A lifelong resident of Martha's Vineyard, an island off theMassachusetts coast, Chase yearned to be a sea captain like herbeloved father. Instead, the fiery free spirit married aconservative Boston businessman (Beau Bridges as Richard Philips) andbecame a repressed homemaker with two young sons who constantly worryabout her.
Recovering from a severe breakdown, Chase returns from thehospital and sulks on her front porch - smoking cigarettes ("fordecoration"), sniping at her condescending husband, scaring herchildren and scandalizing the local busybodies.
"I've lost all sense of decorum," Chase says. "I'm used tobeing treated like a fruitcake."
Feeling helpless and betrayed, exasperated Richard tries toremain calm while enduring Chase's taunts. "You didn't have abreakdown," he says, finally snapping. "You got bored."
So Richard hires wispy Elizabeth Cole (Sedgwick), a sweet SarahLawrence college student, to join the family as a "mother's helper."A creative-writing major with a tranquil demeanor, Elizabethimmediately relates to Chase's erratic behavior.
"I'm much too vain" to commit suicide, says Chase, wrylyreassuring her caretaker. Chase spars with Elizabeth, testing theinterloper, and the women slowly begin to understand each other.
Mirren masters her American accent and drives the film with herwit, energy and tenderness. Sedgwick turns Elizabeth into a deep,complex catalyst who changes at least five lives. Bridges allowshimself to appear stuffy and selfish as Chase's uncomprehendinghusband. And Michael Yarmush reflects the family's fear, anger andpain as 11-year-old "Little Richard."
Bacon's perceptive direction stirs the passionate undercurrentsin Anne Meredith's choppy screenplay, enhancing the committed effortsof his fine, caring cast.
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