Big Little Lies: Monterey Moms and Their Drama Part 3
The Actors - My favorite element of the show that got critical acclaim was the acting from these 5 ladies who were always on top of their game. Reese Witherspoon nailed all her funny and sarcastic one-liners which make positive Madeline. However, she still has the wonderful ability to immediately switch to a more protective and compassionate Madeline, who is just trying to do right by everyone but makes some mistakes on the way. My favorite actress to watch in this series was Nicole Kidman. Her character was the most fascinating and intriguing to watch and Kidman knocks it out of the park with each complicated scene she had to do. Her performance was so raw and authentic that I, as an audience viewer, felt so many mixed emotions, wanting to see more. She does one of her best work in this show, sacrificing some amount, while filming, to make her compelling character come to life. Shailene Woodley plays a typically scared and sometimes confused single-mother. She played Jane with such understanding and empathy. It was a joy to watch her performance as this single-mother doing her best, with a secret she has been holding onto for such a long time. Another favorite was watching Laura Dern, this career-obsessed business woman who went to extreme lengths to protect her daughter, the one being bullied at Orientation Day. Her character was fun to watch due to how protective and successful she was trying to be. The last actress to get our attention was Zoe Kravitz. She was great as the second wife of Madeline’s ex-husband, Bonnie. Bonnie is a very Zen and calm woman trying to fit into the shoes of a good mother by being kind and all to Madeline’s older daughter. Her character had limited screen time but Kravitz made the most out of it. These actresses didn't act; they embodied these complex characters to the point where you start feeling uncomfortable of how real these women are.
My Experience - April of 2016 was when I went to Costco and picked up “Big Little Lies” to read for pleasure. Upon getting the book, I didn't really know what the story was but as I got through a few pages, I was hooked. I finished it in 3 days and couldn't stop thinking about it. I was so amazed by how good this book was. From its characters to its plot twists. Then I heard it was optioned for a television show and that's when I really got excited. I waited for a year for the show to come out on HBO. I watched the first few episodes and it was a little different than what I had in mind but it was still satisfying. Some scenes were uncomfortable to watch but I barreled through knowing they were crucial to the storytelling. I would recommend reading the book before watching the show. The book explains everything that the television show may not have covered. Plus, the book had more events that were addictive to read and made me wish that it would be put into the show. Then watching the show, getting through the uncomfortable and slightly slower parts to get to that jaw-dropping finale was all worth it. This show is leaned more to the females but males could enjoy just as much if they had a growth mindset on how clever and real some of the themes truly are. Thank you Liane Moriarty for creating female characters that the readers can relate to but also balancing light and harsh subject matters for the readers to discuss and process at the end. Also thank you the cast and crew for bringing these amazing themes that are not always illuminated well, onto the small screen. This is honestly one of the most well-done book and show ever created about females combining their power to create an even bigger meaning of who females truly are.
My Score - 4.8 /5
Rotten Tomatoes - 92%