Plot
An uptight NYC lawyer takes her two teenagers to her hippie mother's farmhouse upstate for a family vacation.

Release Year: 2011

Rating: 6.4/10 (97 voted)

Director: Bruce Beresford

Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chace Crawford

Storyline
An uptight NYC lawyer takes her two teenagers to her hippie mother's farmhouse upstate for a family vacation. What was meant to be a weekend getaway quickly turns into a summer adventure of romance, music, family secrets and self-discovery.

Writers: Joseph Muszynski, Christina Mengert

Cast:
Elizabeth Olsen - Zoe
Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Jude
Chace Crawford - Cole
Catherine Keener - Diane
Kyle MacLachlan - Mark
Jane Fonda - Grace
Rosanna Arquette - Darcy
Nat Wolff - Jake
Maddie Corman - Carole
Poorna Jagannathan - Mira
Marissa O'Donnell - Tara
April Crisafulli - Tara's Mom
Wayne Pyle - Party Guest
Terry McKenna - Jasper
Laurent Rejto - Thumbs-up guy

Release Date: 3 Jan 2011

Filming Locations: Kerhonkson, New York, USA

User Review

Jane Fonda Rehippified

Rating: 7/10

Six things about Peace, Love & Misunderstanding:

1. Yes, Jeffrey Dean Morgan really does look like Javier Bardem. So much so that I turned to my wife at one point and said: "I didn't realize that Bardem could speak English so flawlessly; too bad the strain of keeping that American accent has stunted his acting ability".

2. Great to see Rosanna Arquette, albeit in a bit part.

3. Woodstock looks like a really beautiful place.

4. The kids in this movie really can act, especially Elizabeth Olsen. Best Supporting Actress nominee: you heard it here first.

5. I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's and, despite some quibbles about the way in which the leftover hippies in this movie are portrayed, I was impressed by the ability of the young writers to steer away from some of the more obvious stereotypes (not completely, mind you - I don't think there is really a Kesey-esque psychedelic school bus anymore outside the props departments of the Hollywood studios). Perhaps they got the tone right because of the input from one of the era's cultural icons.

6. Thereby bringing us to Jane Fonda who, unfortunately, was ill and couldn't attend the world premiere last night in Toronto. She is just great in this film, in a role that could easily have fallen into parody (even self-parody). Sure, an ex-hippie in her 70's probably wouldn't be as heavily made up, but this is a Hollywood movie and she is a movie star. She is at once charming, spacey, provocative and slightly raunchy.

All in all, a really nicely written and lovingly directed and acted film. I hope it does well.

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