SPOILER WARNING:
Characters: -Lonely coke-head woman (Melora Walters) who was possibly molested as a child. Sits in her dark, depressing, apartment and chain-snorts lines to Aimee Mann tunes at high-volume.
-Bumbling, tender-hearted cop (John C. Reilly) just wants to help folks out. Most of all, he wants that special, equally-dorky woman to love.
-Crusty old game-show host (Phillip Baker Hall) facing his mortality while dealing with Cancer. He's consumed with the guilt of his infidelity and secret past with coke-head daughter.
-Child genius competes on aging game-show host's quiz show. The kid has an over-bearing and uncompassionate prick of a father, hell-bent on the kid winning on the quiz-show.
-Former child-star (William H. Macy) is an all-around mess, struggling with life after quiz-show fame. He's got love to give and no one to give it to.
-Male chauvanist pig sex-guru (Tom Cruise) has the world and every woman at his feet. Or does he? Not after a prying reporter confronts him with his hidden past and painful family ties.
These are the main characters, and most of the drama revolves around them. Julianne Moore and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are thrown in to round things out, as the grieving soon-to-be widow and teary-eyed caretaker, respectively. Moore gets some great over-the-top lines to sink her teeth into, while Hoffman delivers a reserved, low-key performance.
MUCH of the movie could have been chopped out (what was with the rapping boy anyway?), but P.T. earned his final-cut authority after the BRILLIANT work he did on "Boogie Nights". This film is nowhere near as engaging, but still towers over most of the other Hollywod-schlock passing itself off as thought-provoking drama.
Characters: -Lonely coke-head woman (Melora Walters) who was possibly molested as a child. Sits in her dark, depressing, apartment and chain-snorts lines to Aimee Mann tunes at high-volume.
-Bumbling, tender-hearted cop (John C. Reilly) just wants to help folks out. Most of all, he wants that special, equally-dorky woman to love.
-Crusty old game-show host (Phillip Baker Hall) facing his mortality while dealing with Cancer. He's consumed with the guilt of his infidelity and secret past with coke-head daughter.
-Child genius competes on aging game-show host's quiz show. The kid has an over-bearing and uncompassionate prick of a father, hell-bent on the kid winning on the quiz-show.
-Former child-star (William H. Macy) is an all-around mess, struggling with life after quiz-show fame. He's got love to give and no one to give it to.
-Male chauvanist pig sex-guru (Tom Cruise) has the world and every woman at his feet. Or does he? Not after a prying reporter confronts him with his hidden past and painful family ties.
These are the main characters, and most of the drama revolves around them. Julianne Moore and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are thrown in to round things out, as the grieving soon-to-be widow and teary-eyed caretaker, respectively. Moore gets some great over-the-top lines to sink her teeth into, while Hoffman delivers a reserved, low-key performance.
MUCH of the movie could have been chopped out (what was with the rapping boy anyway?), but P.T. earned his final-cut authority after the BRILLIANT work he did on "Boogie Nights". This film is nowhere near as engaging, but still towers over most of the other Hollywod-schlock passing itself off as thought-provoking drama.