Like “Accidental Love,” the David O. Russell film that was so bad he took his name off the credits, “Serena” comes with such a fine pedigree that few will believe it’s not good unless they see it for themselves. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper – who, ironically enough, have costarred beautifully in two David O. Russell films – get top billing, and it’s directed by Susanne Bier, whose operatic Danish film, 2006’s “After the Wedding,” deserved the foreign language Oscar for which it was nominated.
The problem lies squarely with the eponymous novel by Ron Rash. Though a critically acclaimed best seller, Serena should never have been adapted to the big screen. Its depressive, schlocky ambiguity could be overlooked, even appreciated, when meted out in Rash’s carefully tuned prose. But as a film, it translates into a melodrama that makes little sense and fewer friends. Even Darren Aronofsky, that master of elegantly crafted cinematic confusion (“Noah,” “Black Swan”), passed on this project, though he’d been slotted to direct it as an Angelina Jolie vehicle. Continue Reading →
