Quest for Outward Beauty Turns Up Inner Strength

Grant
Austin360

Tue., March 11, 2003

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. So what's a wife to do when the man who once found her beautiful takes off with a younger woman?

"Made-Up" deals with this all-too-often asked question in a refreshing, enchanting way. As Elizabeth James Tivey (Brooke Adams) comes to terms with her husband (Gary Sinise) leaving her for a younger woman, her daughter (Eva Amurri), a budding make-up artist persuades her let her perform a makeover. Tivey's sister, (Lynne Adams) is taking a film class and decides to make a "documentary" of the makeover, while surreptitiously trying to get romance back in her sister's life.

The resulting chaos is a delightful muddle of crossed wires, failed plans and subsequent self-realization on the part of more than one character. This chaos is created by the Babushka doll-like series of subplots riddling the film. Each one nestles cozily inside the other to form one whole, but each is complete in and of itself. Rather like the women of the family. It's this combination of tightly tangled subplots which gives "made-up" such depth and charm.

A family project (director Tony Shalhoub is married to Brooke Adams who is real-life sister to Lynne Adams) and this works exceptionally well in producing a set of wholly comfortable and ultimately believable performances.

Finally, a "chick-flick" a man can enjoy.