Overwrought exercise in culture-clash, though worth-seeing for Chris Menges' distinguished, sometimes showoff-y cinematography and for Barbara Hershey's gritty portrayal of a backwoods matriarch living with her clan in the bayous of Louisiana. New York journalist Jill Clayburgh, researching her family origins, takes hell-raising daughter Martha Plimpton with her down South, meeting cousins they never knew about--and a way of life far removed from their own. Co-written by Gérard Brach, Marjorie David, and director Andrei Konchalovsky, the film has bravura individual moments, bits and pieces which fail to parlay into a strong, cohesive whole. Nevertheless, an interesting shot at something different, although the usually-strong Clayburgh never gets her chance at a good scene. ** from ****

Barbara Hershey gives a great performance as the deeply repressed backwoods woman -- it could have been caricature work, but it's passionate, dedicated and determined yet restrained. Her character is so dedicated to code and rigid beliefs that after a while we surprise ourselves by starting to wonder if there's some truth, or sense, or admirable strength, to her punishing way of living.The city woman, played by Jill Clayburgh, is our way into the story, and yet she is depicted as somewhat silly and sheltered; her modern, idealistic comments and questions get across thoughts we agree with, and yet they aren't intended as powerful speeches, so our balance of skepticism and interest in Hershey is retained."Shy People" is full of powerful melodrama, strange and specific characters, striking settings, extreme dramatic implications and turning points. The material penetrates the mind and refuses to settle down in the form of cosy conclusions. An oddly powerful movie.

This is standard hokum that pits a couple of city folk vs. some backwoods bayou dwellers.This film reminded me alot of "American Gothic",except this isn't supposed to be a horror film.Mare Winningham and Pruitt Taylor Vince have alot of fun portraying a couple of the hillbillies,and are the best part of the film.Jill Clayburgh turns in another in a string of lousy performances.Every performance she gives just seems to have a "TV movie" aura to it.There's also some great cinematography,which makes the film more interesting to watch than it deserves.

Well-photographed but purposeless film moves at a snail's pace and only occasionally manages to be compelling. Barbara Hershey convincingly changes her image but Jill Clayburgh is rather flat. The fresh-faced, talented Martha Plimpton, as Clayburgh's restless daughter, is by far the best thing in this film. (**)