By Alan Samuel
Where there’s smoke there’s fire. This already famous line was immortalized in the classic James Bond thriller From Russia With Love back in 1964. Let’s go back in time further to 1929. Thrill to the great outdoors in those smoking hot Smoky Mountains to experience Serena, a saucy new flick from EOne Entertainment .
Be careful who you love and who you befriend. Charismatic entrepreneur George Pemberton seems to have it all. Given good looks and a burgeoning bank account Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) seems to have a lot in common with this rogue. To make things complete the dapper and dashing businessman wins the heart of scintillating Serena. Hot off her The Hunger Games success Jennifer Lawrence leaves the heroics behind to concentrate on this woman’s character.
Baggage and bad blood start to eat away at both this happy couple’s love affair and their mutual business interests. Director Susan Bier pays a nice homage to the frontier spirit of the era and successfully conveys the hardships of making a living under harsh conditions rife with corruption. Equal to the task of murky outliers to the woes of the Pembertons are British imports Toby Jones and Rhys Ifans.
Somewhat solemn Serena may well appeal to fans of Lawrence and Cooper who make their triactor appearance after their success in the more modern Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle and are thus still suitably matched
