It's 1965 Alabama. Peejoe (Lucas Black) is 13 living a simple life until his eccentric aunt Lucille (Melanie Griffith) kills her abusive husband. She cuts off his head and takes it with her to Hollywood. Her brother Dove (David Morse) and wife Earlene (Cathy Moriarty) run the funeral home. They take in Peejoe and his brother. It's the time of the Civil Rights movement. Local black youth Taylor Jackson gets kicked out of the white public swimming pool and returns with a group of black youths for a peaceful sit-in. During a confrontation, Sheriff John Doggett (Meat Loaf) kills Taylor. Peejoe is the only witness.
This movie is oddly split in two with the two stories. I don't know the reason unless it's in the book. Melanie Griffith tries to be quirky but it wears down by the time she gets to Hollywood. The tone gets so far away from the more serious Alabama side that it becomes untethered. The Alabama side is deadly serious but Antonio Banderas may be a little loose with the directing. I would rather follow either one side or the other but following both is distracting.
This movie is oddly split in two with the two stories. I don't know the reason unless it's in the book. Melanie Griffith tries to be quirky but it wears down by the time she gets to Hollywood. The tone gets so far away from the more serious Alabama side that it becomes untethered. The Alabama side is deadly serious but Antonio Banderas may be a little loose with the directing. I would rather follow either one side or the other but following both is distracting.