The Lovely Bones

Movie Title-- The Lovely Bones

Release Year--2010

Running Time-- 2 Hours and 15 Minutes

Director-- Peter Jackson

Cast-- Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Saoirse Ronan, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon

Set in 1973, 14 year old Susie Salmon is murdered and watches her family cope from "above". As her family deals with the loss of Susie, they change forever, torn between vengeance and healing in a story about love and terrible loss.


The story for this film seemed interesting, so I decided to watch it and see if it is any good. However, in a movie with very few high points, most of the movie was no good at all. It was odd and the acting didn't seem genuine. The movie is really kind of interesting right up until Susie is murdered, that is when things get weird. I assume that Susie is watching her family from purgatory (they never officially say purgatory, they use a different name) but it really does seem like a world right out of a video game instead of purgatory. Don't get me wrong, some of the scenes are really cool but most of it is just odd and feels misplaced.

When not in this "other world" with Susie, we are with Jack, her father, while he tries to solve his daughter's murder. Jack is played by Mark Wahlberg and normally I like Wahlberg's performances but this one just didn't do anything for me. I thought it was a little over the top for a grieving father but perhaps I just feel like it wasn't his normal kind of role. Rachel Weisz play Abigail, Susie's mother. She is a mother dealing with her daughter's death but to me, she just seemed like a flake.


My favorite parts about this movie were Stanley Tucci and Susan Sarandon. Stanley Tucci plays George Harvey, a neighbor of the Salmon family. He is kind of creepy and he has this laugh in the film that almost makes your skin crawl. He did a very good job in this film, if I had a neighbor like him, I would keep my eyes wide open, especially if he gave me the creeps like this guy. Susan Sarandon was really my most favorite character in this film. She plays the part of Grandma Lynn, Abagail's mother. She brings a little bit of comedy to an otherwise serious film. The best is when she comes into the film after Susie is murdered and she takes control of a crumbling household.

All in all, this movie was only OK. I know for a fact that I will not be sitting through it again any time soon. If you do have to see this movie I would see it for Stanley Tucci and Susan Sarandon, otherwise I would just leave it on the shelf. If you decide to see it, don't forget the popcorn!