Gwyneth Paltrow Movie:

Editorial Review:
In the tradition of Die! Die! My Darling comes this tale of a young heroine made miserable by a lover's eccentric relations. Gwyneth Paltrow plays a New Yorker who marries a handsome boyfriend (Jonathon Schaech) and--following a confidence-shattering encounter with Manhattan crime--moves to his family's thoroughbred ranch. There, the young man's dominating mother (a hammy, Blanche DuBois-like role for Jessica Lange) goes to war with new bride's claim on mama's Oedipal turf. A stock thriller ensues, and while one has a sense of déjà vu about the whole thing, the film is fun for its audacity, its underpinnings of dime-store psychology, and some gothic stereotypes. (Hal Holbrook is perfect as one's fantasy of a country doctor.) --Tom Keogh

Hush [Region 2] Reviews:
"Get up! You think you're an alley cat, dropping its litter by the side of the road?"
2009-10-31 - Just stay away from the strawberry cake...

They say to never come between a lioness and her cub. Jessica Lange provides a fever-pitched performance as the ultimate suffocating mother-in-law in the underrated 1998 thriller HUSH, co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow.

Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) thinks she's found her dream-man when boyfriend Jackson Baring (Jonathan Schaech) proposes marriage...unfortunately he comes with an overbearing mother, Martha (Jessica Lange) who insists that the pair move back to the family's sprawling horse-ranch estate. Helen isn't too keen on the idea until she's confronted by a knife-wielding thug and almost loses her unborn child. Jackson bundles up his terrorised wife for a new start, completely unaware of the deranged plot that Martha has cooked up for Helen and the upbringing of the baby...

I really only wanted to see HUSH because of Jessica Lange, for whom I've developed a renewed fascination thanks to her Emmy Award-winning performance in "Grey Gardens". These sorts of unhinged, Southern Gothic characters somehow seem to always come easily for Lange, and I thought she gave quite a chilling turn as the hellish Martha. Nina Foch is also wonderful playing Martha's very own mother-in-law, their scenes together are full of delicious venom! Recommended.

GATHER THE GAYS AND WATCH IT FOR THE CAMP
2009-05-23 - Sure, this movie is trash, but come on! Jessica Lange? I'd watch her read the phone book, and even though the movie is horrid, it's worth the price just to watch Ms. Lange go buck wild on everybody. This is truly a gay camp classic. What queen (including myself) doesn't love it when she's sewing and telling Gwynny "Oh the pain is terrible, isn't it?...You just have to go through it!" Get this flick, grab a cocktail, take out "Wonder Woman" for a second, and give this flick a whirl!

""Mommie Dearest" Eat Your Heart Out!"
2009-05-20 - Hush was released in the late '90s, a decade when Hollywood produced many films with women being arch villins, such as "Misery", "Single White Female", and "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle". If you like "psycho women movies", think "Mommie Dearest", "Hush" is for you. Jessica Lange plays Martha, who refuses to part with her grown son, played by hunk Johnathan Schaech. When Martha meets her son's new fiance, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, she is determined to rid the world of her any way she can. The film is mainly about the psychotic obsession by a woman who, sickenly, is sexually attracted to her own son. The undertones of the script are evident. The movie is nowhere near the caliber of films Lange and Paltrow have been in, but it is great camp and fun. The cinema photography is beautiful and the score impeccable, but take the movie for what it is- high class soap opera at it's best!
The DVD is barebones. The movie, however, upon viewing the trailer, was highly edited, as a key scene involving a fire was cut. When I saw the trailer before the movie I thought this fire scene would be in the conclusion of the film, but it was not. I only wish the ending had more of a dramatic ending than what it had, along the same lines as "Misery" or "Hand That Rocks The Cradle". Still, enjoy the film...great fun!

hush
2008-07-12 - This movie was pretty good, but the end was quite predictable. Not the sort of ending you're looking for in a thriller. Jessica Lange was marvelous and scary.

Hush and just love it for being campy!
2008-05-13 - Let me start off by saying that if you take this film too seriously, you will be put off by the many flaws. This will undoubtedly go down as a camp classic starring two great actresses of our time. But, if you accept it as a fun, entertaining B-movie where there are no rules (like getting up and walking around the next day after giving birth) you will enjoy it very much. There is some smart, witty dialogue here and what a riot it is watching Jessica Lange and Gwenyth Paltrow sharpen their claws on each other. "What do you think you are, some alley cat dropping her litter on the side of the road!?" LOL! Nina Foch is great in her supporting role and Jessica plays the mother-in-law from hell to the hilt as she smokes and drinks her way through the entire film trying to do away with poor Gwyneth Paltrow so she can have her son all to herself. Johnathon Schaech is just along for the ride because this film belongs to the women. If you love campy thrillers, this one should be at the top of your list! If you enjoyed this also check out Mommie Dearest, Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte and Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?