As the final credits rolled to the infamous HBO show, "Big Little Lies", all I could think was, 'called it!' and I am not so sure that was the reaction they had intended. I so badly wanted to fall in love with this show, as I have fallen in love with Reese Witherspoon and her work so many times in the past. Unfortunately, it fell a little short for me. Was it good? Yes! Was it worth watching? Totally. Was it everything I had hoped for and wanted it to be? Not exactly.
The show revolves around a group of women living in Monterrey, California in modern day. Their children go to an exceptional public school and there is an undeniably juicy layer of drama over the otherwise quiet California town. The audience learns early on that a murder has taken place, but we don't know who is the culprit or who is the unfortunate lost soul. The characters are introduced by the drama they have with the other characters and you quickly grow to love and hate a few of these tenacious women. The mini-series climaxes at the school's charity gala, or 'trivia night', wherein we finally discover who has passed away, and exactly why.
"Big Little Lies" boasts an incredible cast with Hollywood's best like; Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dern and Shailene Woodley, rounding out a kick-ass female ensemble. I can't say I have any real complaints about the acting and was particularly impressed with how well Laura Dern played the crazy helicopter mother who would go to any lengths to protect her child. Kidman exceeded my expectations with her portrayal of the battered wife who would never dare betray her 'loving' husband. After seeing some of Woodley's early work I do hope she can find a role that truly challenges her, this to me, seemed like the usually Woodley role and I would say the same for Witherspoon. I am yet to find a Witherspoon project that I do not enjoy and though I think she did a great job in this role, the true stars of the show, the character's you loved to hate (or be disappointed in) were Kidman and Dern.
The cinematography and production design were stunning, and very well edited. I probably would have stopped watching the show earlier had it not been for how beautiful it was. Each scene felt like a new beautiful work of art. There is a particular scene at the end of the series, where the audience finally gets to witness the murder and it is intercut with beautiful shots of waves crashing. This was a perfect end to the multitude of ocean and wave imagery throughout the series as a whole.
You're probably wondering where could this whole thing possibly have fallen short? Well, ultimately it was the lack of suspense. The technical aspects of the series and the cast were what held the entire show. I was never hooked like I wanted to be, or in the way I have been with similar neo-noir type film. Movies like "Girl on a Train" and "Gone Girl" have the same neo-noir feel, but with the edge of your seat suspense. I never felt the need to finish the series. In fact, I found myself getting distracted or easily being able to shut it off mid-scene to go do something else. Does this make the show bad? No. Like I've mentioned, there was a lot of very redeemable qualities to this show that made it truly exceptional. Would I recommend it? Yes, for most women and even men, this is a great series. The ending was very predictable, and not just the murder aspect. But if you love any one of the five major women, I would recommend this just because it does do a beautiful job of telling the story.