To Have and to Hold Movie Review

I had been looking forward to another Rachel Griffiths movie ever since her award-winning performance as Rhonda in 1994's Muriel's Wedding. To Have and to Hold, sadly, is a depressing bore. Tcheky Karyo used to be married to Anni Finsterer, and is now trying to turn Griffiths into a facsimile of his first wife. If we gave a damn about any of the characters, this might make an intriguing minor noir entry, but we don't. Griffiths is a jewel, but To Have and to Hold isn't, and her innate intelligence is in conflict with the incomprehensible choices of her character. Watching this flick is like walking into the screwed-up household of a stranger where all you can do is fidget and wonder, “Why do I have to be here? May I go now, please?” woof!

1996 98m/C AU Tcheky Karyo, Rachel Griffiths, Steve Jacobs, Anni Finsterer, David Field, Robert Kunsa; D: John Hillcoat; W: Gene Conkie; C: Andrew de Groot.