In love, there are always new stories to be told. But is this the same when it comes to movies? Or for that matter, movies about love? We’ve seen so many romantic comedies roll from opening credits (Diane Keaton, Cary Grant, Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, etc), through the first kiss and the last one. When the final credits drop into the screen, some cry, some laugh, but most feel a strong feeling of satisfaction.
You see, love is constantly changing and movies just try to keep up and use the old stories to create new ones. In an attempt to create a new story about a timeless topic, Camille changes all the rules. Our main character, Camille (Sienna Miller), is a blonde beauty who always gets what she wants. That sounds vain, but it isn’t. She is the opposite of vain. In fact she is aloof and charming, albeit a little bit annoying with her incessant giggling at herself. Her other half (note: not necessarily her better half) is a man named Silias (James Franco). Silias is an ex-con whose parole officer is Camille’s uncle (Scott Glenn).
The film begins with Camille and Silias’ wedding. It’s clear that the two are pretty split on the idea of getting married to one another. Camille is as excited as ever and skips down the aisle with her Polaroid camera, taking pictures of the guests as she makes her way toward Silias and the altar. Silias on the other hand can barely get out the “I do” part and only manages a brief “Yes” as a result of getting shoved in the back by the sheriff/uncle. The two cruise on their way up to Niagara Falls on a motorcycle and sidecar. On the way Camille exclaims her ring is missing and Silias takes his eyes off the road for a moment, only to look back into the headlights of a truck. They swerve out of the way and their bodies launch off the bike and into a field.
Silias wakes up from his unconscious daze and runs over to Camille who isn’t waking up. With time she finally wakes up and although a bit battered and bruised, the newlyweds continue on their way up to the Falls because it’s Camille’s dream to see the great sight before she dies. Only, it’s too late. She’s already dead. It takes Silias some time to figure it out, but when he does, he makes it his only goal to get his dead wife (who is still walking and talking by the way) to Niagara Falls before she…well…dies.
This film is a story of love. It’s a semi-funny romantic comedy that explores the idea that you never really know what you have until it's lost. Only for Silias, he knows it's lost and he is allowed this one last chance to realize his love—a chance that none of us are ever allowed. In theory, the concept of the movie is a very creative idea. The story itself tells of love in a way that gave a little jolt to the business of making romance movies. However, Camille is lost in the translation between story and screenplay. The screenplay has trouble finding itself and gets caught between a drama and a comedy—but not in a good way. It makes for a somewhat uncomfortable film that you are never quite sure if you should laugh or cry. It’s really too bad because the story could have been a really special movie, but it just doesn’t quite work. James Franco is too serious and Sienna Miller is far too goofy. But I’m sure its no fault of their own, they were only doing what the script and director told them to do.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
There are no extra features on this Blu-ray so you’ll have to be impressed by just the 90 minutes of actual movie time.
"Camille" is on sale September 15, 2009 and is rated PG13. Comedy, Drama, Romance. Directed by Gregory Mackenzie. Written by Nick Pustay. Starring David Carradine, James Franco, Scott Glenn, Sienna Miller.
