The plot does seem to meander, but the conflicts between Carter v. Lucy v. Sarah add enough drama to make the film interesting. Conclusions to the film are pretty quick, and there's just enough of a lead-up to make them seem likely. For instance, a guy who has a crush on Lucy is minimally stuck in to the movie, where eventually she realizes her own love for him. It happens fast and is miniscule, but there's enough glue to make it stick.
The best part of In the Land... is Carter's grandmother, who always complains about dying. She's humorous because of her morbidity, and at the end we get a twinge of guilt at laughing at her seemingly unimportant moaning, because we find that she really did feel the end coming after all.
In the Land of Women does mostly the same things as most other romantic com-drams, and basically on par with them, too. Ironically what sticks out most are the dramatic instances that have nothing to do with romance, and the lack of a substantial conclusion at the film's finale that shows that love cannot be forced, and is easily confused. This is what Carter really came seeking when he went to his grandmother's house — he wanted to find if his confusion about love was shared, and in the end, he finds solace in the notion that everyone is lost until love is found. He answers his own questions, because he has all the answers, even if he doesn't realize it.
Article comments
1 - Mary K. Williams
I pretty much agree with your take on the movie. Though, on paper it seems far-fetched, the film itself allowed these interactions to feel real.
Except though, for Sofia and Carter. I didn't really buy their relationship.