The Lovely Bones

Just before Christmas 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Ronan) encounters neighbor George Harvey (Tucci) and is never seen alive again. Susie narrates from beyond the grave as she watches her mother (Weisz) and father (Wahlberg), her killer, and the police investigation. Eventually, Susie must decide whether to move on or continue observing what she can't change. Director Jackson chooses to give the Alice Sebold novel a fantasized, effects-heavy approach but in doing so drowns much of the quiet intimacy and nuance of the book. The end result is a movie that's shallow with too much style despite fine performances by the leads.