Evening

 

It's got a dream cast of actresses, divine Newport seaside locations filled with rich 1950s period detail, and the promise of a skeleton or two in its well-attired closet. A dying woman (Vanessa Redgrave), tended by her adult daughters -- one unhappy (Toni Collete) and one satisfied (Natasha Richardson) -- reflects on her youth. Fifty years earlier, she (now portrayed by Claire Danes) attended the wedding of her pal (Mamie Gummer), at which both had a liaison with a dreamy boy and tragic events occurred. There's some thinly sketched verse about love's pains, paths not taken, class boundaries and the wisdom of aged mothers. But in the end, Lajos Koltai's domestic drama, adapted by Susan Minot and Michael Cunningham from Minot's novel, proffers nuggets (some of which are quite tasty in a soapy Sirk way) rather than a fully realized whole. It's certainly a pleasure to watch this slate of actors, who also include Glenn Close, Meryl Streep and Eileen Atkins; Streep's daughter, Gummer, is a wonderfully blotchy weeper. Starts Fri., June 29