Esther Kahn

2000

Scoop's notes: Based on her talented siblings, you would think that Summer Phoenix might be a capable actress. You would be wrong. She's not just bad; she makes Sophie Coppola seem like the next coming of Judy Dench. She walks robotically, delivers every line in a monotone, and never alters her facial expression in any way. To make matters worse, she was supposed to be playing a great actress. Imagine the Orson Welles Story with Chris Klein re-enacting Orson's performance in Touch of Evil. That'll tell you all you need to know.

The New York Post wrote:

"How do you inject life into a film whose central character is dull, slow, stupid and grim? If you're Arnaud Desplechin, you don't. The French director has turned out nearly 2 1/2 hours of unfocused, excruciatingly tedious cinema that, half an hour in, starts making water torture seem appealing. Summer Phoenix wanders joylessly through this insufferable film as the title character, the emotionally repressed daughter of poor Jewish tailors living in London's East End at the turn of the century. Supposedly, she only truly comes alive at the theater and so pursues a career as a stage actress, despite having no discernible talent whatsoever. While the film's unrelentingly drab palette brightens when the action shifts to the world of the theater, Phoenix's lobotomized stare and deathly monotone remain unchanged."

On the other hand, Summer is an attractive woman and does (or did) look very good with her clothing removed. And that's what's really important.

Summer Phoenix film clips

Sample captures below.

This Frances Barber scene was in the DVD special features

Sample captures below.