Sometimes you have to give people more credit than you'd like. The popular opinion of Ms. Lindsay Lohan at the moment I write this is one of a drugged out, hard-partying celebutard who is one DUI away from snuffing out a semi-promising Hollywood career (the less said about her attempts to sing, the better). However, films like Georgia Rule reveal the talent Lohan is attempting to flush with her continued erratic behavior (ironically, this film is infamous for its off-set drama, with producer James G. Robinson drafting the Letter Heard 'round the World to help set Lohan on the right path). While she doesn't turn in anything approaching revelatory, she doesn't embarrass herself either; tackling what is certainly one of her more adult roles to date, Lohan proves she's matured beyond Disney Channel fare and that she can compete with the likes of Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman.

It's just a shame that Georgia Rule is so ham-handed with its potent material -- I'll keep away from any potential spoilers, since some of the film's dramatic punch comes from a sickening revelation involving child abuse about 40 minutes in. I'm unsure if director Garry Marshall (who certainly hasn't shied away from glossing up controversial material before; see Pretty Woman, The Other Sister or Exit to Eden) or screenwriter Mark Andrus (who penned a movie with similar tonal problems, 2001's Life as a House) couldn't get a grip on the right way to approach this story of three generations of women racked by grief, emotional repression and anger, but Georgia Rule doesn't have nearly the impact its creators clearly wanted it to.

Fonda stars as the titular Georgia, an iron-willed Idaho woman whose daughter Lilly (Huffman) deposits her headstrong daughter Rachel (Lohan) in small-town Idaho for the summer. Fed up with her mother and put off by her grandmother, Rachel spends her days acting out, flirting with boys and generally rebelling against any and everything. Much to Rachel's disgust, Georgia's "rules" for living in her house are enforced, and when a stunning accusation threatens to unravel the entire family, both Rachel and Lilly find themselves clinging to the stern matriarch.

Out of the three leads, Lohan spends the most time on screen, but Fonda reliably steals most every scene she's in, leaving Huffman with an odd, tricky role to play, one that doesn't showcase the actress at her finest. It's a strangely pedestrian role and one that doesn't offer Huffman much chance to display her range, aside from either shouting or sobbing. While Georgia Rule is marketed as some kind of sunny chick flick (that cover with the smiling heads is just as misleading as the film's feel-good trailer), it's actually a sobering, fleetingly poignant film about families wrestling with forgiveness that provides a showcase for one of modern Hollywood's most troubled actresses.

The Video:

Georgia Rule looks practically flawless in this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with warm skin tones, vivid colors and a minimum of visual flaws. Nothing to complain about here.

Bland pop songs and intensely emotional dialogue makes up most of Georgia Rule's soundtrack so the Dolby Digital 5.1 track doesn't get too much of a work-out. However, it relays the dialogue with clarity and no defect, so you'll hear every wracked sob and corny joke with no problems. Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are included, as are optional English, Spanish and French subtitles.

A commentary from director Garry Marshall kicks things off, supplementally speaking, with the veteran filmmaker wasting little time cracking lame jokes and making numbingly obvious comments about things transpiring onscreen. If you're hoping for some scintillating gossip about Lohan's off-set shenanigans, look elsewhere. There are cursory mentions of Lohan's real life, but Marshall keeps things strictly professional throughout. All things considered, it's a fairly mediocre yack-track. Seven deleted scenes and three alternate endings (presented in non-anamorphic widescreen; playable separately or all together for an aggregate of nine minutes, five seconds) are included with optional Marshall commentary; a seven minute, 18 second gag reel is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen; the seven minute, 29 second featurette "The Making of 'Georgia Rule'" is your standard-issue EPK fluff as is the six minute, 40 second "The Women of 'Georgia Rule'" featurette. The five minute, 22 second featurette "On the Set with Garry Marshall" and the film's theatrical trailer rounds out the disc.

While Georgia Rule is marketed as some kind of sunny chick flick (that cover with the smiling heads is just as misleading as the film's feel-good trailer), it's actually a sobering, fleetingly poignant film about families wrestling with forgiveness that provides a showcase for one of modern Hollywood's most troubled actresses. Recommended.