The Lovely Bones - 1 1/2 smiles

I didn’t read Alice Sebold’s novel, the source material for Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones,” so I can only comment about what’s on the screen. Unfortunately, this movie is disappointing; it’s a jumbled narrative that’s lacking any emotional impact. The film’s narrator is Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), a young 14-year-old girl killed in the first quarter of the film. The rest of the movie alternates between what’s happening to Susie in the afterlife and what’s happening to her family. And although Jackson’s interpretation of Susie’s heaven is technically impressive, the abrupt tone shifts from her grieving family to Susie romping in Technicolor splendor is distracting. And the amount of time spent with Susie prevents us from emotionally connecting with the ones left behind.

The best performance is provided by Stanley Tucci as the nerdy neighbor, George Harvey, who waylays Susie on her way home from school. He is appropriately creepy as all serial killers are, but like Stephen Lang’s colonel is “Avatar,” he’s a one-dimensional villain. Saoirse Ronan is satisfactory as Susie, the only character with depth. And though Marc Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz as Susie’s parents try to bring some emotional intensity to their roles, they’re unsuccessful. Wahlberg overacts and Weisz doesn’t have many scenes. Perhaps Sebold’s novel is one that doesn’t adapt well to the big screen. Perhaps Jackson should have made major changes, like who narrates the movie. For whatever reason, “The Lovely Bones” doesn’t work. 1/17/10