Review of "Skeleton Key"

I wasn't precisely sure what to expect from "The Skeleton Key". I had seen the previews of course, which seemed to indicate that the movie was about a young girl's encounter with a Southern "house of mystery" and all the attendant plot devices; secret rooms, people who aren't what they seem to be, lurking danger around every corner, etc. But as always I avoided the specific plot details. One of the most grating phenomena of the 20th century has got to be the inability of a secret to be kept, particularly when it comes to movie plots. There is no way to "untell" a plot twist, right?

But I have to admit I was a little skeptical of a modern film being able to pull off something in this long neglected genre. I figured that we are all too jaded and knowing to fall for swinging doors, candlelit hallways, gothic family secrets and the like. But to my utter and happy surprise, it kind of worked.

"The Skeleton Key" concerns a young hospice worker (played by Kate Hudson) who quits her hospital job to care for a dying man at a remote New Orleans mansion. She encounters a strange mystery there, as the mansion houses an attic with a secret room in which someone or something seems to reside. The man's wife appears to hide whatever secret the room possesses, and there are rumors of voodoo, witchcraft and a dark history of the mansion. As Hudson's character delves deeper into the mystery, she realizes that her life and very soul may well be in jeopardy.

There's much more of course, but to say more would reveal too much. Suffice it to say that while "Skeleton Key" isn't really turning over any new stones, it does hold your interest and more than adequately honors the "old dark house" genre. Hudson's always winning personality really wins the day here; she is spunky and sexy without being annoying (not always an easy task). We feel for her and want her to be OK. It's not an easy task being a modern day "heroine in peril" because you have to work hard to rise above that old stereotype and still engender sympathy. Hudson does so quite well here; she is particularly effective in the scenes where she has to decide whether to stay or leave the mansion and when she is contemplating the father she wasn't there for at the end. She's a very impressive actress, one whom I have to admit I haven't been all that familiar with up until now.

Gena Rowlands is equally effective as the alternately sympathetic and menacing wife of the ailing John Hurt. Rowlands shines in a role that eschews all notions of glamour, and Hurt works miracles with what can generously be called a "thankless role". It's nice to see two veterans getting some fun, juicy roles in an industry that doesn't exactly reward the aging process.

The film is of course, not perfect. I really thought they relied too heavily on the "whoosing" sound effect of Hudson encountering someone around a corner ; the scares don't have to be overt to be effective, and by the fourth or fifth occurrence of this, I was getting a little jaded.
I also really question the logic of some of the historical events that supposedly happened in the mansion. One key event really made no sense in terms of character; the people doing it just wouldn't be that stupid to do this particular thing at that particular time. It's nothing a good proofreading (and rewriting) couldn't overcome, but it was troublesome. There may be other gaps of logic upon a second viewing, of course. But to be fair, a movie like this is bound to have a few of these and we probably shouldn't overworry these things, rather just sort of go with the flow and cut the film some slack. For instance, a picky reviewer would point out the very styled and model-like appearance of Hudson seems pretty incongruent with her character's job. But I would never be so petty...

I liked the development of a kind of "mystical feud" between Hudson's and Rowland's characters and would actually have liked to have seen this played up more. And even though this is quibbling a bit, I would have gone for more of John Hurt and less of the annoying (and obviously fake accented) lawyer who tries to charm/warn/whatever else Hudson's character. Alas, it is not a perfect world.

And though this is not a perfect film, I'd tell my friends to go see it. I really was one step behind it most of the way, there is some believable local color realism, the music is pretty good and the acting of Hudson, Rowlands and Hurt is fine and engaging. Buy a large popcorn and pop, turn off your logic monitor and enjoy!