ongoing

"Georgia Rule" is the kind of movie sure to get overlooked in the summer deluge of blockbuster binges, sequels and flights of fantasy. The fact that Lindsay Lohan (in photo) has a central role didn't exactly make us race to the theater - although that "she sure was cast agains type" joke made us smile slightly. Then, news came on Memorial Day weekend that Lohan had crashed her car and picked up another DUI charge, In the movie, Lohan plays a messed-up teen who is exiled by her mother, played by Felicity Huffman, to Idaho, to stay with her grandmother, played by Jane Fonda. Everyone's got trouble here. The town vet's wife and child were killed in a car crash a few years back - how can he love again? Lohan's dad may have had sex with her when she was an even younger girl; yet, she's a druggie and the kind of girl who likes to make good on her teases. She talks the talk, walks the walk, does the nasty. Why is she this way? Could it be that Huffman's character is an alcoholic and at odds with her mother? Could it be Fonda's strict regimented way of life, totally at odds with any idea of fun? This is a film that doesn't unfold according to expectations, and all of the prime characters have shades of gray. Watch this play out and your alliances will shift continuously. It's not done in a manipulative fashion. It's just that all these folks have problems. Some will get resolved (sort of), some won't at all. Oh, and there's no way to come away with anything with but respect for the 20-year-old Lohan as an actress,  no matter what you think of her personal life or her place in the Britney-Paris world of fast-and-loose celebrity-dom '07. If this hasn't convinced you, don't forget it's directed by Garry Marshall and the man has long done a lot of quality work. It's moved away from the city cinemas, but don't let this get lost in the summer shuffle. The movie is at the Hollywood Hits in Danvers at 12:15, 3:10, 5:35 and 8 p.m. We'd suggest you see it now, because we're realists. This barely stands a chance against the rest, and there's more big-bam-bang movies to come. This isn't quite an art film, but it verges on that territory. Tickets: $8.75.

7 Hutchinston Dr., Danvers, 978-777-4000. hollywoodhitstheatre.com