This film is quite disappointing, especially considering the big names in its cast. Paltrow is good as always, and Lange is convincing too. But the weakest part is the plot. It lacks any coherence and cannot really convince, even if you watch the film without too much attention (like I did). **Warning: major SPOILERS ahead!** The end is the worst: Jackson got very close to his mother - then one morning Helen tells him she tried to kill her, and he immediately believes her, changes his mind and decides to leave. Even worse: having found out that the woman is a deranged murderer who already killed her husband, they just leave her there without doing anything about it (what about calling the police!?), and go on to leave happily ever after. I give it 4 out of 10.
93 Reviews
Hush hush sweet Gwen!
dbdumonteil26 January 2005
If you take it for what it is,a feast of camp,then this movie (and particularly Lange) is much fun to watch.Probably influenced by Davis's (see "hush hush sweet Charlotte") and Crawford's end of career ( see "straitjacket"),Jessica Lange gives an over the top performance of the bitchiest mother-in-law you can think of.Always a beaming smile on her face even when she 's at her most sadistic.Her bubble head son seems not to have overcome his Oedipus complex;when at the turning of the year,"Auld lang syne" is played,he dances with his mom.As for the wedding ,he seems to marry her. Besides,being able to lead a normal life
after what we learned from his "education" is hard to believe ;a boy like him would have normally ended up like cousin Sebastian in "Suddenly last Summer".
This extravaganza has also intellectual pretensions:in the church ,Martha keeps on reciting her act of contrition while quoting the Ruth Book in the Bible;in her troubled mind ,her unfortunate daughter-in-law becomes Ruth ,whose affection to mother-in-law Naomi reflects her own situation.
If you're not a highbrow,and if you like old-fashioned cheesy melodramas "Hush" is made for you.If you're a "pulp fiction" fan,well,please pass by.
after what we learned from his "education" is hard to believe ;a boy like him would have normally ended up like cousin Sebastian in "Suddenly last Summer".
This extravaganza has also intellectual pretensions:in the church ,Martha keeps on reciting her act of contrition while quoting the Ruth Book in the Bible;in her troubled mind ,her unfortunate daughter-in-law becomes Ruth ,whose affection to mother-in-law Naomi reflects her own situation.
If you're not a highbrow,and if you like old-fashioned cheesy melodramas "Hush" is made for you.If you're a "pulp fiction" fan,well,please pass by.
Dull and predictable
danielmanson7 January 2021
I quite enjoy watching older movies (pre 2000), just to see the difference in films between then and now, so I saw this on Netflix and I took a punt. And I was quite disappointed to be honest.
So the beginning, the plot absolutely flies by, there's no dithering about and it throws you into the thick of it within minutes. 10 minutes in you know the characters, the plot, her mother's maiden name and what they had for dinner last June. This pace, in my opinion, is a good thing and I thought it would continue this way throughout. Then all of a sudden, it kind of just sticks to a standstill. Very little happens, even the ending is really underwhelming and nothing really of note happens. Between the 15 min mark and an hour all of what happened could genuinely be condensed into a single scene.
As you're watching you are waiting for THAT moment. The twist, the golden moment that makes you go "aghhh". But nothing happens, it's just really boring. You're waiting for something to go down, or even something to be said that kicks the film into gear. But no.
It also just got predictable, you knew what was going to happen in the scene and you knew what was going to happen in the next scene.
The saving grace to this film was the performances. Jessica Lange in particular played her role really well, but ultimately it's not enough to get this film going.
So yeah. Disappointed in this movie and perks ably wouldn't recommend. 4/10
So the beginning, the plot absolutely flies by, there's no dithering about and it throws you into the thick of it within minutes. 10 minutes in you know the characters, the plot, her mother's maiden name and what they had for dinner last June. This pace, in my opinion, is a good thing and I thought it would continue this way throughout. Then all of a sudden, it kind of just sticks to a standstill. Very little happens, even the ending is really underwhelming and nothing really of note happens. Between the 15 min mark and an hour all of what happened could genuinely be condensed into a single scene.
As you're watching you are waiting for THAT moment. The twist, the golden moment that makes you go "aghhh". But nothing happens, it's just really boring. You're waiting for something to go down, or even something to be said that kicks the film into gear. But no.
It also just got predictable, you knew what was going to happen in the scene and you knew what was going to happen in the next scene.
The saving grace to this film was the performances. Jessica Lange in particular played her role really well, but ultimately it's not enough to get this film going.
So yeah. Disappointed in this movie and perks ably wouldn't recommend. 4/10
Not too bad
Gordon-1122 February 2004
From the low score it has got from the IMDB users, i didn't expect too much. I only watched it to see Gywneth Paltrow. Indeed, the first half of the film was not too impressive. The scenes tended to be fragmented. As more of the plot was unveiled, the film became intense and engaging. I think this film deserves slightly more points than it has got.
Hush..shss turn your brain off
marbleann2 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
First let's get this out of the way. I have never been a fan of Gwenyth Paltrow, I never understood the fuss surrounding her. She has two expressions one with her mouth is pouting and one of bewilderment. The pouting technique is in high gear in this movie. Now that is over I have to say that for once I actually liked her character. She wasn't some dumb bunny who had to be hit over the head with a brick before she noticed something was up boyfriend/husband mom. Strange the first time I saw them as a couple going into their loft in downtown NYC they looked like John Kennedy Jr and his wife. I am not sure if that is the image we are suppose to get. Anyway there is grandma in the mix which we nothing about until the wedding. And we find out she wasn't invited, she mentioned something about chasing down catering trucks to find out about the wedding. It was hilarious. Right away that should give the viewer who has yet to see the mother is nuts that something is wrong. The new husband seems to be clueless. Actually they could of used anyone including a dead Orson Welles for the part because the hubby really has nothing to do but just be a plot device. He is hubby, son of a nut and that is his role. We find out that the the son also owns the ranch mommy lives on and runs. Another hint something was not right. THen we see that he blames himself for his dads death. It looks like they made that up while they were filming the movie. Because before that we just saw a perfectly normal guy with a nutty mom now we see a victim. Well before all of this she finds out she is having a baby and they get married. One day coming into her loft she get assaulted. This locket which had already been a conversation piece between mommy and daughter in law comes up missing from the assault. Her dead parents picture is in the locket. Now we know Gwennie is all alone without any family other then her future hubby. In other words a perfect victim. OH boy we all know that locket is going to show up again. Why do people in movies keep remnants of their bad deeds?? Throw the stuff out. In any case she is afraid to live home, mommy is threatening to sell the horse farm. So son decides to make a go of the ranch. They move into the house. The hubby is really not seen too much after that other for some occasional nookie and seeing running the ranch. Like I said a dead Orson Welles could of played the part. Mom starts doing some piggy things and Gweenie is astute enough to see what is happening. There is a scene at this horse show and Gwenie sees grandma, she wants to go talk to her and mom tells her she forbids her to talk to her. Well Gwennie turns around and mentions she hasn't been forbidden to do something since she was a teenager. Good for her I say!! She goes to see the grandma but mom yells her name and a horse gets excited and almost harms a pregnant Gwennie, Well Gwen gets off the ground and Yells at mom and tells her "You didn't have to yell" She is not letting up on mom one bit, I loved it. Oh before I forget mom hears Gwennie telling her son that she talked to his grandma and he should see her. After that mom makes a visit to the Home of the Hardly Living (what the grandma calls the nursing home). And warns her to keep away. I swear she was going to kill her in the heating machine but she didn't. Gwen goes for a visit too and finds out that mom was basically a gold digger SURPRISE SURPRPISE! She eventually lets her know that the son didn't kill the dad and he wasn't leaving the mom because of a affair. Well now we know that mom is letting her son take blame for killing his dad. Oh boy. Another thing it seems the mom is interested in male offspring's only. Why we never find out but it is very weird. Heck the whole movie is weird. Gwen who has been smart up to a point all of sudden gets dumb and eats this piece of cake mom insists she eats. The poison induces labor and we see her give birth as mom is talking about the pain. Something she talks about through the movie. Weird. Before that scene we see mom has already got a room ready for the baby and Gwyn is mad. That is why I thought it was out of character for her to eat that cake. Orson Welles shows up eventually after the obligatory wish washy scene and leaves with his wife. Nothing is done about mom and her criminal behavior. I guess they are leaving granny who is a tough nut to take care of it. It is one of those so bad it is god movie. Take a look if there is nothing on. One last thing I find Jessica Lange, who I think is a very good actress always uses cigarettes as a prop when she is playing sassy or devious women, she does it here. All you have to see is her bring that cigarette put it between her fingers hold her hand up and move it backwards palm up out and you know the role she is going to play.
Better Than the IMDb Rating
weasl-729-3106824 December 2014
I agree with several other reviewers that this movie is underrated here.
It keeps your interest, especially if you like horses, and the contrast between hectic, noisy, frustrating, randomly violent, dirty, inhumane city life and the clean air and soothing charms of the "simple life" in the country (which now costs much more than most of us can afford).
I think both Jessica Lange and Gweneth Paltrow handled their roles with aplomb. Anyone who's seen Lange in "Blue Sky" with Tommy Lee Jones will not be a bit surprised at her ability to successfully carry off a full-on lunatic.
I think people may be a little put off by the happy ending from a lower budget, non-mainstream film, but what do I know?
Well, I know I liked it more than it's rated on here, and I'd recommend it to friends. A masterpiece, it isn't, but I'd consider it entertaining and worthy of your time if you like mystery/thrillers set mostly in beautiful country surroundings with good acting.
It keeps your interest, especially if you like horses, and the contrast between hectic, noisy, frustrating, randomly violent, dirty, inhumane city life and the clean air and soothing charms of the "simple life" in the country (which now costs much more than most of us can afford).
I think both Jessica Lange and Gweneth Paltrow handled their roles with aplomb. Anyone who's seen Lange in "Blue Sky" with Tommy Lee Jones will not be a bit surprised at her ability to successfully carry off a full-on lunatic.
I think people may be a little put off by the happy ending from a lower budget, non-mainstream film, but what do I know?
Well, I know I liked it more than it's rated on here, and I'd recommend it to friends. A masterpiece, it isn't, but I'd consider it entertaining and worthy of your time if you like mystery/thrillers set mostly in beautiful country surroundings with good acting.
Mediocre film with great cast (3/10)
JMH-329 December 1999
I don't know whether they give Oscars for casting, but if that is the case, the person responsible for casting for this film must be at least a nominee. I'm just amazed how such established actresses as Lange and Paltrow have been agreed to take part in this 'plot is thinner than silk-paper'-film (blackmailing? ;->). Every scene is predictable and the story itself has been told thousand times. There aren't any camera-angles that make you say 'wow, nobody thought of that before' either, so the end-result is very average. I'm all too aware about the existence of bad mother-in-laws, so this one just didn't cut it for me... 3 out of 10.
Bad but fun
Chance_Boudreaux1913 December 2020
One thing that certainly cannot be said about this movie is that it's boring. The 90s were a great decade for thrillers and this one certainly doesn't rank up there with the best of them but it's most certainly fun. Jessica Lange is pretty great in her role, acting completely insane from the get-go. Her demeanour is so off-putting you wonder why Gwyneth Paltrow's character didn't run at the first sight of her crazy eyes. The husband, as is often the case in cheap thrillers is a complete tool and so the main heroine has to overcome all the odds pretty much by herself. What the film does fairly well is that it creates genuine moments of tension. On top of that, the ending is very satisfying and the last shot is pretty good for what it is. I am in no way saying that this is a masterpiece but for those that like cheap thrillers, it hits all the right beats and leaves one fairly satisfied.
High camp in Virginia
jotix10022 April 2005
Jonathan Darby is credited with the writing/directing of this misconceived movie. As an auteur, Mr. Darby, doesn't bring anything new to the medium. "Hush" proves to be a total waste as it appears Mr. Darby had nothing in the way to control the over the top campy performance of Jessica Lange.
Ms. Lange is at her worst as Martha, the evil mother behind all the scheming in the film. Her love for her son, and hatred for her daughter-in-law, gives the actress an opportunity to do some of the worst emoting in any film in recent memory. Gwyneth Paltrow must be questioned for her choice of material. Didn't she smell the aroma in reading the script? Oh well, let's hope she was able to ask for millions of dollars for appearing in this turkey. Jonathan Schaech doesn't fare better. Nina Foch is the only one who comes out the best in her small role of Alice, Martha's wise mother-in-law who has seen right through what's going on.
This is a film to watch with friends after having a few drinks, then one might enjoy the "masterpiece" some avid fans thought "Hush" was.
Ms. Lange is at her worst as Martha, the evil mother behind all the scheming in the film. Her love for her son, and hatred for her daughter-in-law, gives the actress an opportunity to do some of the worst emoting in any film in recent memory. Gwyneth Paltrow must be questioned for her choice of material. Didn't she smell the aroma in reading the script? Oh well, let's hope she was able to ask for millions of dollars for appearing in this turkey. Jonathan Schaech doesn't fare better. Nina Foch is the only one who comes out the best in her small role of Alice, Martha's wise mother-in-law who has seen right through what's going on.
This is a film to watch with friends after having a few drinks, then one might enjoy the "masterpiece" some avid fans thought "Hush" was.
"Intriguing but disappointing thriller"
ChRiS-8031 January 2000
The trailer for "Hush" was one of the most enticing of the 1998 season and i was very intrigued by the film, but watching it proved one of those theories that what you see in the trailer is not what you get in the movie, many scenes from the trailer such as a climatic fire are missing and the ending seems tacked on, however the film doesn't fully fail and has some interesting moments and the cinematography is very worthy. Jessica Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jonathon Scaech are all good actors and do well, but this film could have been better and it shows that post production problems were evident in the film.
Not even bad enough to be good
mrlocco19 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
An absolutely awful movie I watched only because of Gwyneth Paltrow who I had previously admired greatly. Not so much now. Shame on her for being party to this load of rubbish. It started off quite promisingly, well actually the wheels didn't start coming off until burglary/attack on Paltrow when it was blatantly and painfully obvious that the mother had arranged this. No explanation of the reason for this. Things went rapidly downhill from there, yes the scenery was attractive if you like that sort of thing but credit for that is due to mother nature not the cinematographer. I think the second worst aspect, after the terrible story line, was Lange's acting.
Incidentally, Oxytocin is rendered useless in the digestive system and is only effective if absorbed through the mucous membranes or given intravenously, and even then has a half life of 3 minutes I believe, so it would be totally useless taken in food. Also if my mother-in-law had treated me like that when I was in labour and then tried to kill me with a lethal injection I would not have stayed in the house even for a dramatic denouement the next morning.
Then the son, after being led around by the nose by the evil mother does a complete about face in the space of a few minutes on the strength of his wifes unsubstantiated accusations.
A rubbish movie best avoided.
Incidentally, Oxytocin is rendered useless in the digestive system and is only effective if absorbed through the mucous membranes or given intravenously, and even then has a half life of 3 minutes I believe, so it would be totally useless taken in food. Also if my mother-in-law had treated me like that when I was in labour and then tried to kill me with a lethal injection I would not have stayed in the house even for a dramatic denouement the next morning.
Then the son, after being led around by the nose by the evil mother does a complete about face in the space of a few minutes on the strength of his wifes unsubstantiated accusations.
A rubbish movie best avoided.
Good film despite the obvious clichés. Acting manages to save it from the total obscurity
Rodrigo_Amaro29 September 2012
"Hush" is the kind of film that's so easy that it should work right on the first view but it's not the case. I remember watching it a few years ago and finding one of the most boring things I've ever seen except for the outstanding acting of Jessica Lange. Fate pulls its strings sometimes and one of those nights when you're desperate for something to show up on TV and there you go, there was this and I got a little gripped into seeing it again, this time paying more attention to details. Well, it turned out to be quite a good film, undeserving the low rating that is getting now.
A twisted and thrilling tale about acceptance and skeletons in the closet? You can say that. Gwyneth Paltrow plays the lovable Helen, a successful and beautiful woman, loved by a man who's also both of the fore-mentioned qualities, the great Jackson (Johnathon Schaech) of the powerful Baring family. But he has a mother, the surprising Martha (Jessica Lange) of whom Helen always tries to please to the best since Jackson and his mom has some strong bonds between them and she wants to be part of this quite perfect family. Habitual to flicks of the same caliber, there's secrets, tension between both women and a certain disdain the old lady feels for the younger and it's up to Helen to discover what's the problem with the Baring family. Her only great ally is Jackson's grandmother (Nina Foch, excellent), father of Martha's late husband, and keeper of some family secrets that can storm a big mess in everyone's lives.
There isn't much to be said about "Hush" except that the cast is great, even though they're not at their greatest moment. Except Lange and Foch who are brilliant, and the memorable special appearance of Hal Holbrook as the doctor. But it's Lange who steals the show playing a pitiful villain, sometimes adorable, other times really cruel but most of the time always in control of the situation. The plot should include more characters to make this more tense and less concentrated in those three main characters. The relationship between Jackson and Martha could've go to more controversial ways, cause everything seems to indicate that (the scene where he's covered in mud and she cleans him, they're like pretending it's just a silly joke. There's something going on there).
I know Jonathan Darby has directed better films (like the criminally underrated and almost forgotten "The Enemy Within" with Forest Whitaker) but what he makes here is quite good, never cheap and at the most entertaining to watch for its cast and the beautiful cinematography. 8/10
A twisted and thrilling tale about acceptance and skeletons in the closet? You can say that. Gwyneth Paltrow plays the lovable Helen, a successful and beautiful woman, loved by a man who's also both of the fore-mentioned qualities, the great Jackson (Johnathon Schaech) of the powerful Baring family. But he has a mother, the surprising Martha (Jessica Lange) of whom Helen always tries to please to the best since Jackson and his mom has some strong bonds between them and she wants to be part of this quite perfect family. Habitual to flicks of the same caliber, there's secrets, tension between both women and a certain disdain the old lady feels for the younger and it's up to Helen to discover what's the problem with the Baring family. Her only great ally is Jackson's grandmother (Nina Foch, excellent), father of Martha's late husband, and keeper of some family secrets that can storm a big mess in everyone's lives.
There isn't much to be said about "Hush" except that the cast is great, even though they're not at their greatest moment. Except Lange and Foch who are brilliant, and the memorable special appearance of Hal Holbrook as the doctor. But it's Lange who steals the show playing a pitiful villain, sometimes adorable, other times really cruel but most of the time always in control of the situation. The plot should include more characters to make this more tense and less concentrated in those three main characters. The relationship between Jackson and Martha could've go to more controversial ways, cause everything seems to indicate that (the scene where he's covered in mud and she cleans him, they're like pretending it's just a silly joke. There's something going on there).
I know Jonathan Darby has directed better films (like the criminally underrated and almost forgotten "The Enemy Within" with Forest Whitaker) but what he makes here is quite good, never cheap and at the most entertaining to watch for its cast and the beautiful cinematography. 8/10
Lange is the best part
davispittman18 April 2018
Hush (1998) is a thriller about a new mother in law who's hiding a dark secret. It stars Jessica Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Johnathon Schaech.
I love thrillers and mysteries, especially when it features actors and actresses I like. I am a big Lange and Paltrow fan, they are both great actresses. They turn in fine performances here, to be honest Jessica Lange is the best part. If the cast had been different I'm not sure I would've liked this film at all. It does have flaws, the writing is average at best and it's not the most exciting thriller to watch.
I'm only giving Hush a 7/10 because of how much I enjoyed the performances. I was disappointed by the script, I thought it had a lot more potential. The potential wasn't completed wasted, but a good bit of it was and it could've been a lot better.
I love thrillers and mysteries, especially when it features actors and actresses I like. I am a big Lange and Paltrow fan, they are both great actresses. They turn in fine performances here, to be honest Jessica Lange is the best part. If the cast had been different I'm not sure I would've liked this film at all. It does have flaws, the writing is average at best and it's not the most exciting thriller to watch.
I'm only giving Hush a 7/10 because of how much I enjoyed the performances. I was disappointed by the script, I thought it had a lot more potential. The potential wasn't completed wasted, but a good bit of it was and it could've been a lot better.
bad movie
shuz1 October 1998
I just rented this last weekend and it is a bomb. I am so surprised to see Jessica Lange in something like this. This was totally predictable, but nothing really ever happens. The end is pretty evil, but why didn't they build up to it? Gwyneth Paltrow was so bland, and Jonathan Schaech, who smoldered in "The Doom Generation", was even duller(keep in mind, they have very little to work with). Would you believe a baby is born, yet no one bothers to call a doctor? HELLO, plot hole. Go weed the garden, watch a dog grooming contest, ANYTHING but suffer through this one.
Creepy but good quality
vchimpanzee16 August 2007
Jackson Baring takes his girlfriend Helen to his family's horse farm Kilronin. Jackson's mother Martha has been running the place but would like her son to take over. Jackson and Helen are living together in New York City and are reluctant to leave that life. But Helen somehow gets pregnant, even though she was using birth control, and the two get married and eventually do take over the farm.
Jackson blames himself for his father's death when he was 7. Martha knows the truth but won't tell him, and she seems to have an unnatural relationship with her son. It's almost as if she sees his father and wants to be with him in that way. And she sees the baby as a means of continuing the legacy, but not a child to be loved, at least not in the way most people would. Her treatment of Helen is strange, as if Helen is only useful until the baby is born, and then she will be in the way.
The ending is exciting and sort of creepy at the same time.
Jessica Lange does a fine job here as Jackson's overly controlling and demented mother. However, Nina Foch gives the standout performance as Jackson's grandmother, who is kept in a fancy nursing home because only she knows the truth about how her son died.
I think all the leading actors did a good job here. I usually can't stand Debi Mazar, who was a co-worker to Helen and possibly her boss, but I would like to have seen more of her here. But if Helen had to move out of New York, I guess keeping her job was out of the question.
I suppose my favorite scene was the one where Helen gets out of bed naked and meets her mother-in-law for the first time. That one was edited for TV in such a way it seemed kind of jerky and I didn't get to see much, but a lot depends on how one sees this movie.
It's not typical of what I like in a movie, but still entertaining.
Jackson blames himself for his father's death when he was 7. Martha knows the truth but won't tell him, and she seems to have an unnatural relationship with her son. It's almost as if she sees his father and wants to be with him in that way. And she sees the baby as a means of continuing the legacy, but not a child to be loved, at least not in the way most people would. Her treatment of Helen is strange, as if Helen is only useful until the baby is born, and then she will be in the way.
The ending is exciting and sort of creepy at the same time.
Jessica Lange does a fine job here as Jackson's overly controlling and demented mother. However, Nina Foch gives the standout performance as Jackson's grandmother, who is kept in a fancy nursing home because only she knows the truth about how her son died.
I think all the leading actors did a good job here. I usually can't stand Debi Mazar, who was a co-worker to Helen and possibly her boss, but I would like to have seen more of her here. But if Helen had to move out of New York, I guess keeping her job was out of the question.
I suppose my favorite scene was the one where Helen gets out of bed naked and meets her mother-in-law for the first time. That one was edited for TV in such a way it seemed kind of jerky and I didn't get to see much, but a lot depends on how one sees this movie.
It's not typical of what I like in a movie, but still entertaining.
predictable and boring and really bad ending
SnoopyStyle20 June 2014
Jackson Baring (Johnathon Schaech) brings his girlfriend Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) home to meet his mother Martha (Jessica Lange). They're a couple of New Yorkers and Martha is alone in the big family estate. She wants his son to be home and she has a devious plan. Soon after the visit, Helen finds herself pregnant. Jackson proposes to her and they have a wedding back at the family estate. After a masked intruder terrorizes Helen, they decide to leave NYC and go back to the horse farm to help his mother fix it up.
This starts off too slowly. It's a lot of fake interaction that telegraphs where the movie is inevitably going. It is both predictable and boring. It improves slightly after the very long setup and the couple starts living with the mother. Jessica Lange deteriorates into a caricature. The husband is a ridiculous fool. The last 15 minutes is badly written. It's begging to end with a bang, but the movie ends with a whimper. It's really silly to end it in that way. It's simply a weak effort from writer/director Jonathan Darby.
This starts off too slowly. It's a lot of fake interaction that telegraphs where the movie is inevitably going. It is both predictable and boring. It improves slightly after the very long setup and the couple starts living with the mother. Jessica Lange deteriorates into a caricature. The husband is a ridiculous fool. The last 15 minutes is badly written. It's begging to end with a bang, but the movie ends with a whimper. It's really silly to end it in that way. It's simply a weak effort from writer/director Jonathan Darby.
No "Rosemary's Baby", but not bad.
gridoon18 June 2003
Call her campy if you want to, but the fact remains that Jessica Lange, even in a bad day, still easily out-acts the ever-smug Paltrow and the lifeless Schaech; those two bring almost no personality to their roles, and their affair seems to be having nothing going for it besides sex. As for the film itself, it is rather slack for a thriller, with poor continuity and an awkward ending; certainly the fact that filmed scenes weren't included in the final cut didn't help matters at all. But it is smoothly directed and not quite as bad as its reputation suggests. (**1/2)
Ineffectual psycho-thriller with an evil mother-in-law
Leofwine_draca27 April 2015
Yeah, this is a late entry in that psycho-thriller sub-genre of the early 1990s, and the second you discover that the film sat on the shelf for two years before release you know it's going to be a stinker. When actress Jessica Lange herself described it in less than complimentary terms the instinct is to hurl it onto the fire and get as far away as possible.
Nevertheless, I sat through this in its entirety, glutton for punishment as I am. And it's a weak thriller for sure, in which the thrills are non-existent and the plot is even more laboured than Gwyneth Paltrow's character. Basically, she meets and falls for the perfect guy, falls pregnant and marries him, only to discover that her new mother-in-law holds more than a few dark secrets and is already obsessed with the unborn child.
The feel of the movie has more in common with a lukewarm TV movie of the era than a theatrical film and indeed there's very little of interest here. Most of the film relies on acting from a very average Paltrow to get by, and her protagonist is hardly a sympathetic one. Lange is better, channelling some of the energy of the grand old matriarch psychos (think Joan Crawford in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?), but her performance alone does not a good film make.
Nevertheless, I sat through this in its entirety, glutton for punishment as I am. And it's a weak thriller for sure, in which the thrills are non-existent and the plot is even more laboured than Gwyneth Paltrow's character. Basically, she meets and falls for the perfect guy, falls pregnant and marries him, only to discover that her new mother-in-law holds more than a few dark secrets and is already obsessed with the unborn child.
The feel of the movie has more in common with a lukewarm TV movie of the era than a theatrical film and indeed there's very little of interest here. Most of the film relies on acting from a very average Paltrow to get by, and her protagonist is hardly a sympathetic one. Lange is better, channelling some of the energy of the grand old matriarch psychos (think Joan Crawford in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?), but her performance alone does not a good film make.
Better than all these guys are saying!
Landona28 November 1998
True, the ending was lacking in continuity, and left one with a sense of disappointment, but my husband and I rather enjoyed this movie.Contrary to other comments below, Jessica Lange and Johnathon Schaech did fine jobs! Lange was very convincing as the mother-in-law from hell. There were times when it seemed like scenes had been cut because things didn't make sense, but it wasn't too hard to ignore that and fill in the blanks ourselves. Nothing great, but amusing to watch.
Below average...
Thanos_Alfie16 March 2020
"Hush" is a Drama - Thriller movie in which we watch a couple going to get married and live with the man's mother in a farm despite that they both have jobs and an apartment in NYC. They decide also to make some changes to the farm in order to sell it at a higher price but the man's mother acts weird and everything change when they start living all together.
I have to admit that I didn't have high expectations from this movie and that's the reason why I wasn't disappointed by it. It's an average to below average movie made with low budget and had very few good scenes, no suspense and mediocre interpretations made by its cast. I don't recommend anyone to watch this movie because I believe that you are going to waste your time watching it.
I have to admit that I didn't have high expectations from this movie and that's the reason why I wasn't disappointed by it. It's an average to below average movie made with low budget and had very few good scenes, no suspense and mediocre interpretations made by its cast. I don't recommend anyone to watch this movie because I believe that you are going to waste your time watching it.
Enjoyable edge of your seat thriller
lisafordeay9 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Hush is a 1998 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow as a young newlywed woman named Helen who is happily married to a good looking guy called Jackson.But when she and Jackson move from their apartment in New York to stay with Jackson's mother Martha(Jessica Lange from The Vow)as Helen is expecting her and Jackson's first child together,things take a sour turn as Jackson's mother is a very crazy woman who killed her husband and lost her unborn child many years ago and blames her son (brainwashing him saying that he pushed him down the stairs as she heard that he was having an affair with another woman or was he?) and she would do all in her power to prevent her son from leaving her again and would even go to great lengths to take Helen's baby even if she has to try and deliver it earlier than planned. So will Helen escape Jackson's crazy mother once and for all and learn more secrets about Martha's past, and convince Jackson that his mother is crazy and delusional?
Bottom line this happened to be on cable a few days ago and I have seen it before. To be honest I thought it was a pretty solid flick. It had me on the edge of my seat and I though Paltrow was very good in this movie. But the real star is Jessica Lange who plays the crazy delusional mother to Jackson as she does crazy things like using a thing for horses so that Helen could have her child early and deliver it at home herself(Martha)and later at the very end of the movie she even tries to kill Helen by giving her morphine.
Like I said give this movie a chance and ignore the critics. This is the kind of film you would have in your films I like that no one else like's list.
C+ 6/10
Bottom line this happened to be on cable a few days ago and I have seen it before. To be honest I thought it was a pretty solid flick. It had me on the edge of my seat and I though Paltrow was very good in this movie. But the real star is Jessica Lange who plays the crazy delusional mother to Jackson as she does crazy things like using a thing for horses so that Helen could have her child early and deliver it at home herself(Martha)and later at the very end of the movie she even tries to kill Helen by giving her morphine.
Like I said give this movie a chance and ignore the critics. This is the kind of film you would have in your films I like that no one else like's list.
C+ 6/10
Oedipal Mayhem
JasparLamarCrabb20 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Unbelievably bad. Writer/director Jonathan Darby concocts a ridiculous southern fried horror tale. Jessica Lange, channeling both Blanche Dubois AND Baby Jane Hudson, runs a horse farm and is visited by son Johnathon Schaech and new bride Gwyneth Paltrow. Oedipal mayhem ensues. Lange, unable to let Schaech go, terrorizes Paltrow. By the time Paltrow winds up in bed giving birth the film reaches a frenzied level of camp. It's always a curiosity how good actors end up in such dreck. It's a wonder if Lange, Schaech and Paltrow read the script, a half-baked amalgamation of Tennessee Williams and Tobe Hooper. While the supporting cast is populated with the dependable Hal Holbrook, Nina Foch, and Debi Mazer, they bring very little to the film. Foch is used merely to explain the motives of the deranged Lange. Lange's performance takes it's place next to Faye Dunaway's Joan Crawford in the pantheon of American Kabuki.
Underrated and unappreciated
perfectbond4 March 2003
I am quite frankly astonished by the low imdb average for this film. I thought it was a more than respectable suspense thriller. It definitely kept me riveted throughout. Gwenyth Paltrow, who was offered Kate Winslet's part in Titanic at the time she committed to this project, devles into her role as the unsuspecting fiancee with grace and down to earth affability. But this is clearly Jessica Lange's film. Her psychotic mother-in-law is one of the most disturbing characters I have come across in any film. In my opinion this film rates an 8/10.
Great for '90s thriller night
HotToastyRag3 October 2020
In the mood for a creepy thriller about an interfering mother-in-law? Those movies are always fun, aren't they? No one likes their mother-in-law!
In this one, Gwyneth Paltrow and Johnathon Schaech are living together in New York, happy and in love and reaching the stage of meeting the parents. It's an important stage, one that can often break couples up. You know the old adage of marrying a man's entire family! So, when the happy couple travel to his ranch and meet his mother, Jessica Lange, they just not find their happily ever after. Jessica appears to be sweet and nice, but she has an undercurrent of bad intentions towards Gwyneth. . .
If you liked this movie, the good news is both leading ladies made other thrillers for you to rent during next movie night. Love Gwyneth? Try A Perfect Murder next weekend. Love Jessica? Check out Cape Fear!
In this one, Gwyneth Paltrow and Johnathon Schaech are living together in New York, happy and in love and reaching the stage of meeting the parents. It's an important stage, one that can often break couples up. You know the old adage of marrying a man's entire family! So, when the happy couple travel to his ranch and meet his mother, Jessica Lange, they just not find their happily ever after. Jessica appears to be sweet and nice, but she has an undercurrent of bad intentions towards Gwyneth. . .
If you liked this movie, the good news is both leading ladies made other thrillers for you to rent during next movie night. Love Gwyneth? Try A Perfect Murder next weekend. Love Jessica? Check out Cape Fear!
It was fine
alastairmeiklejohn16 February 2020
Not a great film, not a terrible film either. Certainly not as bad as some of the reviews here would suggest.
"I couldn't see Paltrow's bottom set of teeth during the whole movie"
Yeah, because that's what ruins a movie.
"I couldn't see Paltrow's bottom set of teeth during the whole movie"
Yeah, because that's what ruins a movie.
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