Anyone who knows me
isn’t even a little bit surprised I’m writing a review about Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
It’s got all the things I love: true crime, the occult, John Cusack, and it’s
set in the South. Based on John Berendt’s non-fiction book of the same name and
directed by Clint Eastwood, Midnight in
the Garden of Good and Evil brings all the southern charm Savannah, Georgia
has to offer - along with all of its dirty laundry.
The basic
plot of the film is as follows. John Kelso (John Cusack), is sent to Savannah
to write a 500-word article on a Christmas party held by eccentric local Jim
Williams (Kevin Spacey). When Williams kills Billy Hanson (a baby-faced Jude
Law) in what Williams said was an “act of self-defense,” Kelso decides to stay
and cover the trial. Kelso gets sucked into the drama of the trial and Savanah
itself, describing it as “Gone with the
Wind on mescaline.” It’s the local characters that Kelso meets during his
time in Savannah that really make the film.
Mandy Nicholls (Allison Eastwood, Clint
Eastwood’s daughter) is a love interest of sorts for Kelso, as well as helping
him break into the morgue to solve the mystery of what actually happened the
night Billy Hanson was shot. Sonny Seiler (Jack Thompson), Williams' attorney
and the owner of the University of Georgia mascot - a long line of English
bulldogs named Uga (pronounced “UGH – uh”), adds that unique Southern charm
that only Savannah natives can offer. Fun fact about the film - the real life
Sonny Seiler plays the judge in the murder trial. Kelso and Williams make a
trip to Bonaventure Cemetery to see voodoo practitioner Minerva (Irma P. Hall)
in an attempt to communicate with and help calm Billy Hanson’s spirit. Kelso is
skeptical to say the least, and Cusack’s scenes with Minerva are some his best
acting in the film; he seems genuinely bewildered by what she says and does.
But in the end she gives him some great advice - “to understand the living you
gotta commune with the dead.” Quite possibly the strangest character Kelso
comes into contact with is Luther Driggers (Geoffrey Lewis), a man who keeps
flies on strings attached to a shirt and threatens to poison the water supply
almost daily with a mystery substance he keeps in a vial that goes with him
everywhere, even while he eats his lunch at Clary’s Café. If he enjoys his
lunch he will put the vial back in his pocket and be on his way while the
entire café breathes a sigh of relief. Last, but certainly not least, playing
herself because there isn’t another human on this planet that could do it, The
Lady Chablis, a transgender club performer and all around iconic Southern Lady.
Kelso comes into contact with her after learning she may have some information
about Hanson’s relationship with Williams. The Lady Chablis has her fun with
Kelso, making him take her along as his date to a debutante ball he is
attending and delivering the best life advice and the best line in the film:
“Two tears in a bucket, motherfuck it.” I quote it all the time and most people
don’t have a clue where it comes from.
I can’t talk about this movie without talking about the
music. The real Jim Williams lived in famed songwriter Johnny Mercer’s house
and Eastwood chose to use the real house in the film (which is now called the
Mercer-Williams House and is open for public tours). Hell, I even made my
parents take me on a tour of the Mercer-Williams House on a family trip to
Savannah. Yes, that’s right, I’ve been in the room where all this went down. This
is the reason every song used in the film is a song written by Johnny Mercer.
It opens with an absolutely haunting version of “Skylark” sung by k.d. lang. Rosemary
Clooney, Cassandra Wilson, Tony Bennett, Allison Eastwood and even director
Clint Eastwood contribute covers of some of Mercer's most iconic songs. It
keeps that theme of Southern charm going throughout the entire film. 
What is most
striking about this film is Eastwood cast as many real life people as he could,
The Lady Chablis and Sonny Seiler are just a couple of them. It’s what makes
the film, which is already based on a true story, work. What better to make
something feel more authentic than casting the real life people who were
involved? The entire film is a good romp around Savannah, and Eastwood made use
of this unique southern town, highlighting many of its most iconic landmarks
and colorful locals. I find it to be a highly entertaining film, perfect for a
lazy afternoon watch full of laughs, voodoo, an invisible dog being walked on a
leash, murder, and a whole lot of Southern charm. -Anna Lathem
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