About the film (courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment):
This is the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh.
When two of the most consistent things that you keep hearing about a movie are who’s producing it and who sings the title song, that might be a hint that all of the substance that you’re hoping for a film isn’t quite going to live up to your standards. Where the Crawdads Sing is the adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by American author Delia Owens. And to my earlier point, this film is co-produced by Reese Witherspoon along with Lauren Neustadter, and just in case didn’t already know, Taylor Swift’s Carolina is the featured song on the soundtrack. Yep, Reese Witherspoon and Taylor Swift are the two big marquee names that Sony marketing decided to sweeten the interest pot with, and neither are actually in this film.
Director Olivia Newman has been given the opportunity to bring to life a book that has sold more than 15 million copies in less than four years. The tricky part of taking on these projects is that you need to keep the tried and true readers satisfied while also appealing to pure moviegoers that may not possess the capacity for patience as a film attempts to capture the essence of the words in a much more condensed timeframe. The pacing of Where the Crawdads Sing is its biggest weakness. Things, at times, just drags too slowly like a oarless canoe floating on a lazy river.
Some of the acting was decent, but none of the film’s main stars, this includes Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson and veteran actor David Strathairn, really did anything in any of their moments onscreen to seize the moment. Maybe it was the tone, maybe it was direction, or maybe it was something totally different, but nothing stood out by any of these talented actors that forced viewers to take notice.
One aspect of Where the Crawdads Sing that was not flat was the cinematography. The settings, landscapes and scenery are just breathtaking at times. Part of this film may have taken place in a marsh with more rural surroundings, but boy was it beautiful. And as far as the technical aspects go, there was truly an authentic feel to the 1950s in everything you see on set.
Where the Crawdads Sing does have a compelling plot that should keep viewers at least slightly engaged throughout. There will be a lot of second-guessing oneself as you toss around the circumstances and evidence to reach your own conclusion. And that, for this type of movie, is definitely a positive.
Ultimately however, Where the Crawdads Sing fails to live up to the hype, even for most fans of the novel. What took two hours to play out and unfold, could have truly been done in 90 minutes and that could have helped its cause. As stated earlier, this is part of the unique challenge when trying to bring so many words to life. I feel as though this will have a pretty weak impact in the box office. And the recent drama that is spreading in the media regarding author Delia Owens probably won’t help matters.
Where the Crawdads Sing opens in theaters Friday, July 15th with early showings on Thursday. Maybe the mystery drama will strike a melodious chord for you.
