Georgia Rule (2007)

Frustrated by her rebellious daughter's (Lindsay Lohan) wild and erratic behavior, her mother (Felicity Huffman) packs her off to Idaho to live with her grandmother (Jane Fonda) for the summer. Directed by Garry Marshall (PRETTY WOMAN). While I've enjoyed some of Marshall's commercial pieces like THE FLAMINGO KID and OVERBOARD, overall his track record isn't very impressive. The movie is strictly by the numbers and rather sordid in its exploitation of sexual abuse of a minor. You can feel Marshall pulling the strings at the expected places and lines to get the desired result but the film's script isn't quite good enough to withstand the exploitation. Fortunately, there are three strong actresses at the film's core who occasionally spin gold out of straw, a testament to their abilities. Lohan is particularly good and one can't help but regret that her once promising career crashed and burned so spectacularly. With Dermot Mulroney, Laurie Metcalf, Cary Elwes, Hector Elizondo, Paul Williams and Garrett Hedlund.