‘Rabbit Hole’ displays Nicole Kidman’s talents

By John Soltes

Nicole Kidman is one of those actresses who always knows how to turn in a great performance. Whether it was her Oscar-winning turn in The Hours or her flashy (and ultimately tragic) part in Moulin Rouge!, Kidman is one of the world’s great cinematic stars. Her cheekbones and uncanny ability to look dashing in just about any scene have made her a household name and desired property.

But does this undeniable Hollywood quotient serve as a simultaneous detractor? Is she so big that she’s unable to slip into smaller roles? By granting her the status of celebrity, has the world taken away the charm of a skilled artist?

Rabbit Hole is proof that none of the Kidman luster has worn off. She is top-notch in this small film about a small family with big problems. If it weren’t for Kidman’s anchoring performance, Rabbit Hole would likely have fallen apart as a cinematic project. But, instead, the drama about a married couple who lose their son after a horrific car accident proves to be a skilled study in human emotions and frailty.

Kidman plays Becca, a woman torn apart by her son’s death. She almost never leaves the house and constantly gets into fights with her husband, Howie (an equally impressive Aaron Eckhart, in one of his finest roles). Becca hates how the world seems to have forgotten that she was a mother, that she is in perpetual grieving, that her son used to be there and now he is not. She has run-ins with her slacker sister, Izzy (the great Tammy Blanchard), and her mother, Nat (the always dependable Dianne Wiest).

Although there are several supporting characters, Rabbit Hole belongs to Becca. It is her emotional roller-coaster ride that we travel on, watching as she makes contact with the teenage driver (Miles Teller) who killed her son, watching as she struggles with simple tasks like grocery shopping, watching as she refuses to say goodbye. In fact, we come to love and care for Becca so much that when there’s exposition thrown at us about Howie and the rest of the family, we feel a little cheated. Becca’s conversations with Jason, the driver who took her boy away, are far more interesting than Howie’s typical fall into possible adultery (thanks to Sandra Oh’s Gaby, a fellow parent who lost a young child).

John Cameron Mitchell, the director of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire, working from his Pulitzer-Prize-winning play, smartly know that Becca is the one to follow. The spotlight is finely focused on her growth (and subsequent falling apart), and we come to appreciate her presence and feel her difficult pain.

Rabbit Hole is not in the least bit complicated. Its 91 minutes fly by, and other than the grieving process, the plot is simple and digestible. This makes Kidman’s job that much more important: She needs to hook us; we need to find out who her son was by witnessing her anguish. The actress, earning her keep, never lets us look away.

Rabbit Hole

2010

Directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Written by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on his play

Starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Sandra Oh, Tammy Blanchard and Miles Teller

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, some drug use and language

Running time: 91 minutes

Bubble score: 3.5 out of 4

Click here to purchase Rabbit Hole on DVD.