The Constant Gardener

DVD review from The Movie Snob

The Constant Gardener (C+). I remember that this movie got good buzz when it came out, but I was surprised to relearn that Rachel Weisz (About a Boy) won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for this film. I found it rather unmemorable. Ralph Fiennes (The White Countess) plays Justin Quayle, a British diplomat posted in Kenya. At the beginning of the film, he learns that his wife Tessa (Weisz) has been found, dead, under mysterious circumstances. Then we flash back for a while to see when they met and what events led up to Tessa's untimely demise. Then we see what Justin does next. It is a pretty formulaic tale of corporate greed, treachery, and amorality, and some things happen that just strike me as very unbelievable. I was unimpressed. Also, doesn't "widescreen" mean that you're supposed to get the whole movie picture on your TV screen, with the balck bands at the top and bottom? My DVD box says "widescreen," but the movie is actually in full screen format. Annoying.