A Thousand Acres

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright © 2000 Filmcritic.com

This adaptation (read: poor imitation) of Shakespeare's King Lear sports Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, and Jennifer Jason Leigh as the three twisted sisters of ailing king Jason Robards -- only this time the kind is a farmer with a whopping 1000 acres. Parcelling the property becomes a headache thanks to Leigh's ungrateful bitch of a daughter, and soon enough a legal battle ensues... not to mention accusations of abuse, alcoholism, and every other hot-button sin you could name. No one is good in this movie. Everyone plays a variation on the annoying sad sack -- Pfeiffer probably being the worst of all. I don't know anything to redeem the movie except for an understated performance from Leigh -- unless you're into masochism. Avoid.

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Rating

1.5 out of 5 Stars

Cast and Crew

  • Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse
  • Producer: Marc Abraham, Lynn Arost, Steve Golin, Kate Guinzburg, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
  • Screenwriter: Laura Jones
  • Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Colin Firth, Keith Carradine, Kevin Anderson, Pat Hingle, Jason Robards
  • MPAA Rating: R