The best picture is the big picture

Never judge a movie based on the video of that movie. I learned that lesson in 1994 when I was sent a VHS review screener of “Heavenly Creatures.” I hated it. But for some reason, I didn’t trust myself. So I waited until I saw the film in the theater. Bingo. I loved it. Everything that didn’t work on the small screen came alive on the big one.

This comes to mind because today I went to see the Brooke Adams /Tony Shalhoub film in the theater. I’d watched it last week, and I liked it. But I appreciated it more than I liked it. Then this morning I watched it again, at the AMC River Park Square Cinemas in downtown Spokane. And as with “Heavenly Creatures” nine years ago, everything worked. The humor. The chemistry between Brooke Adams and her sister, screenwriter/producer Lynne Adams. The commentary about women and their feelings about their bodies . Everything.

The movie opens Friday in Spokane, and the Adams sisters and director Shalhoub are trying to find a way to get it shown across the rest of the country. It’s worth seeing. But don’t wait until it comes out on video. See it the way it plays the best: in the theater.