Search - Hush on DVD

Southern Maternal Love Gone Plumb Mad!

Sheila Chilcote-Collins | Collinswood, Van Wert, OH USA | 06/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Hush" serves up a down-home southern "charm" that would put Oedipus himself to shame. Only child, Jackson Baring, played by Johnathan Schaech is the quintessential and clueless man-child mama's boy. His love interest and the first girlfriend he has ever brought home to meet his mama (no wonder!), Helen, played quite off-kilter by Gwyneth Paltrow.They journey to the Baring's Thoroughbred Horse Farm, Kilronan for Christmas to meet "mama". Jessica Lange, is mama Martha Baring. Lange superbly but quite over the top plays Jackson's demanding, clinging, cross between Queen Jocasta & Blanche Du Bois on crack mama. Martha fawns, flirts, grabs, and kisses on her only baby boy in quite a non-maternal way through most of the film. Martha is obsessed and quite in love with her own son and has done some "doozies" to keep him where she wants him. Hal Halbrook has a nice couple of scenes as obstetrician, Dr. Franklin Hill and ol' dame, Nina Foch (Spartacus, The Ten Commandments, Scaramouche) turns in a terrific performance as Great Aunt Alice Baring that has been on to Martha for years and knows exactly what she is capable of. Torture, drugging, murder, lust & incestuous thoughts and deeds ensue! A great thriller with decent performances and a strong storyline all the way around.Happy Watching and Be Careful Of Those Momster-In-Laws!"

Stupendously awful fun!

Daniel Galeza | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 07/27/1999

(1 out of 5 stars)

"There hasn't been a bad movie that was this much fun since "Mommie Dearest", to which "Hush" bears more than a passing resemblance. Jessica Lange (in a campy Blanche DuBois-meets-Baby Jane performance that is not to be believed) plays the psycho mother from hell who slowly begins to terrorize her son's emotionally fragile wife. As the pretty young young thing in question, Gwyneth Paltrow gives her latest one-note performance, but at least here she's terrorized for a good 90 minuites as punishment. Oedipal overtones notwithstanding, the plot (such as it is) is full of holes you could drive a Haddad's truck through, and large portions of the story seem to have mysteriously disappeared. But if bad cinema is your guilty pleasure, you won't care; pick this up and prepare to howl yourself into oblivion."

WISH THERE WAS A DIRECTOR'S CUT...

sbuzan1 | Illinois | 06/17/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a HUGE Johnathon Schaech fan, I watch everything he's in, good or bad. I've seen Hush about a dozen times, and I've finally noticed something. In the trailer for the movie (which is on my DVD of FINDING GRACELAND) there's so much more to the movie that's missing from the actual cut we see...including a huge fire, someone being taken out of the house on a stretcher, and Johnathon standing in front of an ambulance, holding up a locket (resembling the one Gwynneth wears in the movie.) So I rewatched the movie and noted that in ALL scenes that Jackson's father is mentioned, Gwynneth's wearing a wig...leading me to believe the whole story was changed...rewritten to include this story of a father who was killed by Jessica Lange. ...this movie had so much potential and lost it all with this ending. I WISH THEY'D RELEASE A DIRECTOR'S CUT! At least we could see some of that good action they enticed us with in the trailer! Until there's a director's cut....this movie only gets 3 stars from me!"

Underrated

Joan Crawford | Lansing, MI USA | 03/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw Hush in theaters when I was about 11. I remember seeing the trailer on TV, thinking wow this movie is going to be a classic! Well, I saw the movie and I still thought it was a classic--possibly because it was my first exposure to Jessica Lange, who gives an indelible performance. Although many have said Hush is a forgettable film, I believe it is quite the contrary. 1997 was a few years ago and this film stands firmly within my memory. It really is an excellent throwback to the Joan Crawford and Bette Davis thrillers of the 1960s. First, there is beautiful cinematography, a lush score, and excellent acting (besides Gwyneth Paltrow, who positively sucks in this film!). Its true that you long for Lange to hit Paltrow with a lamp, to stop her insufferable whining! This is a far cry from her excellent performance in the recent Sylvia.I guess the thing you will love about Hush is that it is fun to watch. It is not garbage like most people would have you believe, but in fact a very well-made, well-acted, classy thriller with a great score and a great star (Lange). And, for the record, the plot is great!"