with an uncompromising dedication to character and and a flair for graceful and richly textured storytelling and merchant ivory seem incapable of mediocrity . and with the recent passing of ismail merchant and i have be thumb through the company stellar filmography with renew appreciation . adore the costume drama and i don my comfy slipper and international coffee and settle into 120 minute of merchant ivory bliss . what i get instead be the bostonian and the mi treatment of henry james witty and satirical novel about the early day of the feminist movement . this production take a fun and bite social commentary and turn it into gooey melodrama . it fail to show the irony of a headstrong young feminist ( daughter of a mesmeric healer and a chronic hypochondriac ) allow herself to be manipulate on all side while fall for a dull and misogynistic southern lawyer . it turn the classic plutonic relationship with her feminist mentor into the claw desperation of an age lesbian . script appeal seesaw between eat a mouthful of alum and and blow butterscotch pudding out one nose . editing be at once jag and lumpy and spend copious amount of film on innocuous bit of business and only to slam the guillotine so close to some dialog that it make me wonder about my dvd player . and that only the half of it . stiff and lumbering be all i ever expect of the now canonize christopher reeve and so this performance shouldn not have surprise me . but it do . reeve be channel some kind of confederate heathcliff with a little mary shelley thrown in for good measure . read his line from crib note apparently tap to the bottom of the camera lens and he never blink nor give the slight indication of understand his dialog . he seem to be forever walk downhill and and be patently incapable of move his head . on see this performance and one could almost believe that the future rid accident might actually improve his flexibility . the heroin and a play by a mush mouth madeleine potter and show all the plucky conviction of a plate of cold bake bean ( yes and with the little puddle of congealed pork fat float on top ) . a for the usually magnificent vanessa redgrave ( in the desperate aging lesbian role ) and i say let just forget this ever happen . the only redeeming performance be two tiny bit send in by linda hunt and jessica tandy . i would be surprise if their script total more than 150 word . it would seem the director do not bother to load their bloomer with the 100 lb of wet oatmeal like he do with everyone else . in a way and it a shame i only rent the bostonian . i will miss out on the gratification i would have felt in put it in the microwave . what a tragic waste of good couch time .