A HOLE IN ONE
Directed & Written by: Richard Ledes.
Produced by: Alexa L. Fogel & Joseph Infantolino.
Director of Photography: Stephen Kazmierski.
Edited by: Susan Graef.
Music by: Stephen Trask.
Released by: Beech Hill Films.
Country of Origin: USA. 97 min. Not Rated.
With: Michelle Williams, Meat Loaf Aday, Tim Guinee, Louis Zorich & Bill Raymond.

Like Todd Haynes's Far From Heaven, A Hole in One handsomely recreates the 1950s, as well as harshly criticizes the prejudices and societal norms of the era. But director Richard Ledes' debut feature film is not quite as polished.

Contemporary viewers will not blame Anna (Michelle Williams) for being depressed. Not only is she dating a psychotic and abusive mobster, Billy (Meat Loaf Aday), her younger brother has returned from World War II as a shell-shocked wreck. Anna reads an article in Life Magazine concerning lobotomies, which have been said to cure just about any mental ailment imaginable. Enter Dr. Harold Ashton (Bill Raymond), an economically-minded neurosurgeon who has pioneered the transorbital lobotomy, which can be performed by a single person (the mechanics of this procedure are depicted in graphic detail).

This role gives Michelle Williams a chance to show a range that was never necessary for TV's Dawson's Creek. Meat Loaf, however, is totally over the top, although it looks like he's having a good time. His loud overacting frequently takes the audience out of the somber mood the director has worked so hard to fashion. Bill Raymond is a foreboding evil presence, and Louis Zorich gives a great, but brief, performance as a Greek nightclub owner whose innocent gesture of affection towards Anna gets him in trouble with the fanatically jealous Billy.

With a whole lot of ideas and not much of an actual plot, A Hole in One is a bit of a mess. Thanks to the cinematography of Stephen Kazmierski, it is a frequently beautiful mess. The gorgeous shots of beaches and other landscape will provide something to look at if the audience finds the story tiresome. Although A Hole in One falls short, Richard Ledes is a director to keep an eye on. Rob Glidden
May 6, 2005