Georgia MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +3 Content: -3

This sad, very moving story about two sisters will linger in viewers' memories long after they leave the theater. Sadie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) adores her older sister, Georgia (Mare Winningham), who has it all. Besides being a popular folk singer, Georgia has a strong, caring husband, two children and a lovely home outside of Seattle. Georgia, unlike Sadie, never intended to be a star, it just sort of happened. Her main focus is keeping her home life separate from the craziness of show business. Sadie, though, keeps popping up, much to Georgia's embarrassment, usually when she is out of work, stoned on drugs and homeless. Sadie's desperate attempts to "make it" as a singer are heart breaking. With no talent, the only gigs she can get are in sleazy bars with a rock band. Her energy, lack of bitterness and courage to pursue her impossible dream captivate two men. One is Georgia's husband, Jake (Ted Levine), who genuinely cares for her as a little sister. The other is Axel (Max Perlich), a 23-year-old starry-eyed delivery boy who believes in Sadie. GEORGIA is a beautifully acted, well presented character study for mature audiences.

Beneath Sadie's brave facade is a scared, vulnerable little girl who hides her fears with alcohol and drugs. Some of her musician friends try to help her, but others are just as drug and alcohol dependent as she is. In every scene until she is admitted to a treatment center Sadie has a bottle of whiskey close by. With tattoos on her arms, eyes blackened with heavy eye shadow, and skimpy skirts, she is every mother's worst nightmare. Her vocabulary fits her lifestyle as she readily spews out f-words and profanities. Although it's obvious she has slept with many men, only one sex scene is shown, and that is after she has married Axel. However, it is gratuitous and graphic with rear and breast nudity. Issues about family loyalties, personal responsibility, facing reality and letting go offer food for thought. Unfortunately, listening to frequent obscenities and profanities plus watching the graphic sex scene make those thoughts difficult to digest.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Miramax Films, 18 E. 48th St., NY, NY 10017