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’20th Century Women’ an appealing star turn for Bening [trailer]

This image released by A24 shows Annette Bening and Billy Crudup in a scene from "20th Century Women." Bening is getting some of the best marks of her career for her portrayal of a 55-year-old single mother in 1979 Santa Barbara in Mike Mills' "20th Century Women." It marks a new stage for the actress who, even as an ingénue, conveyed a maturity and preternatural elegance beyond her years. Now, she's more comfortable with herself and just letting go. (Merrick Morton/A24 via AP)
This image released by A24 shows Annette Bening and Billy Crudup in a scene from "20th Century Women." Bening is getting some of the best marks of her career for her portrayal of a 55-year-old single mother in 1979 Santa Barbara in Mike Mills' "20th Century Women." It marks a new stage for the actress who, even as an ingénue, conveyed a maturity and preternatural elegance beyond her years. Now, she's more comfortable with herself and just letting go. (Merrick Morton/A24 via AP) This image released by A24 shows Annette Bening and Billy Crudup in a scene from "20th Century Women." Bening is getting some of the best marks of her career for her portrayal of a 55-year-old single mother in 1979 Santa Barbara in Mike Mills' "20th Century Women." It marks a new stage for the actress who, even as an ingénue, conveyed a maturity and preternatural elegance beyond her years. Now, she's more comfortable with herself and just letting go. (Merrick Morton/A24 via AP)

By Associated Press 5 min read

‘20TH CENTURY WOMEN’

Rating: R for sexual material, language, some nudity and brief drug use.Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes.

Way too many films out there are heavy on plot and exposition, light on atmosphere and character development. It’s safe to say “20th Century Women” isn’t one of them.

Indeed, this new film from Mike Mills, a loving nod to the director’s own 1970s California youth, is precisely the opposite: a thoughtful and detailed evocation of an era and especially of one complicated character, with little story to speak of.

Such atmospheric films, however expertly done, can either charm you or frustrate you to pieces. Luckily, even if it’s the latter, Annette Bening is there to pick those pieces up.

There should be no doubt by now that Bening, at 58 a four-time Oscar nominee, is one of our finest actresses. Her recent turn in husband Warren Beatty’s “Rules Don’t Apply” was brief, yet delightful. That was a mere cameo compared to her passionate and meticulous work in “20th Century Women,” a movie that truly revolves around her.