A Thousand Acres

In the opening credits of A Thousand Acres—a drama about three daughters of an aging, Lear-like farmer—the filmmakers let you know right away that they've made a Very Important Movie by crediting "the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jane Smiley." You have to wonder, though, if anyone involved in adapting the story actually read the book, or merely glanced at a six-page summary written by a producer's intern. Screenwriter Laura Jones dutifully transcribes many fragments of voiceover narration, dialogue, and incidents from the novel, but strips them of important context, irony, and dramatic punch—thereby transforming a complex and dark novel about unspoken power struggles into a teary, string-laden Zebulon County 90210. It's not even an effective tearjerker; Michelle Pfeiffer turns in one of the best performances of her career as the middle daughter, but her character still comes off as emotionally flat. A Thousand Acres is full of fine performances, but it's discouraging to see so much talent in service of such standard domestic melodrama.