We found this movie nearly impossible to watch. With such a super cast, it's a shame that the writing and direction were so awful. The excruciating pace at which the story was told was maddening. The flash-backs were clumsy. The characters were one-dimensional. The heavy-handed metaphors -- the river, the cat -- were repeated way too often.
The movie Nobody's Fool, based on another novel by Russo, was infinitely better, probably because it was more tightly written and directed.
The photography in Empire Falls was lovely. Too bad it wasn't a travelogue.
I read the novel and enjoyed the writing style but had some quibbles with the novel itself. I would give the novel 4 out of 5 stars. Perhaps the screenwriters and director were so awed by the novel's reputation they felt they had to include every darn thing in their movie. This was supposed to be a television movie, guys, not Books on Tape.
The movie Nobody's Fool, based on another novel by Russo, was infinitely better, probably because it was more tightly written and directed.
The photography in Empire Falls was lovely. Too bad it wasn't a travelogue.
I read the novel and enjoyed the writing style but had some quibbles with the novel itself. I would give the novel 4 out of 5 stars. Perhaps the screenwriters and director were so awed by the novel's reputation they felt they had to include every darn thing in their movie. This was supposed to be a television movie, guys, not Books on Tape.