Reviews

Not many films get as much right as this one does. The writing is excellent, intelligent; the performances absolutely brilliant and effective all around, particularly from Crowe and Pacino. The filming and editing are works of art. The music fits marvelously. I am totally absorbed and engaged every time I watch this, to the point of tears at times. Crowe should have gotten the Oscar for this rather than for "Gladiator," but alas, "Insider" came up against the devastating "American Beauty" and no one knew what to do...The film as a whole is a work of art, a true dramatic beauty, a tribute to the struggle of an ordinary, flawed man to do the right thing despite personal cost. Or of two ordinary, flawed men. A standing ovation to Michael Mann and everyone who brought this movie into being.

but it doesn't come that close. Hugh Laurie's Dr. House is the only reason I can sit through this thing. The other characters are annoying, especially Cameron and except for Foreman. I wish the shows weren't getting into so much personal stuff; the medical mysteries are more interesting and they are starting to take a back seat. The characters get too invasively personal with each other and don't maintain enough professional distance. The writing is barely tolerable sometimes. Though perhaps the show's creators intended to make this a show that irritates and exasperates without leaving much satisfaction. They certainly succeeded.

Despite what the trailer says, this film is not an Oscar contender at all. It was a great idea that seemed to have been ill thought out by committee, with little consistent logic. The ending wholly undid any cohesiveness the plot had. The pace was slow; the story unfolded disjointedly and left you with a number of loose ends and questions. A lot of potential not explored, ending pointlessly.

Nonetheless, Kevin Spacey was wonderful; Haley Joel Osment could have been if he'd been given anything to do but scowl, pout and cry. I felt sorriest for Helen Hunt, whose character was trashy and two-dimensional. The entire script was choppy and full of undeveloped ideas and characters, alas.

I don't mean sweet or warm & fuzzy; I simply can't think of a better over-all word for this film. Canny, funny, heart-wrenching, without schmaltz or over-romanticism. Applause to Cameron Crowe and his lead Patrick Fugit. Left the theater humming and smiling.

The movie looks very beautiful and romantic but Gere wasn't convincing, nor did he and Ryder make a convincing couple. Interesting story with the added twist of an abandoned daughter, but it just didn't evoke or inspire much response, sorry to say.

Points to this movie's creators for the rich, sometimes breathtaking look of the film, but I don't know where to begin listing all the things about the story that I found annoying. This is NOT a movie for small children; my 8-year-old niece would have found it emotionally rough going. It's harsh and violent. So is nature, yes, but this is supposed to be entertainment, not a documentary. I came away feeling disappointed.

It wasn't even particularly erotic, despite all the nudity. Made its point rather heavy-handedly and didn't give much enjoyment. Cruise and Kidman are too lightweight for the statement(s) Kubrick was attempting to make. Garish and disappointing, after all I'd read about it.

I hate to say anything negative about this movie because I enjoyed it so much (characters, dialog, story--cast), but I have to say I thought the ending a little wooden, and it didn't seem true that Bob would react the way he did to Grace's secret. But I laughed & cried and wanted to be part of Grace's family, if not Grace herself. Kudos to Bonnie Hunt (you go, girl!), and may she write & direct more movies.

Not awful but not great. The excellent, talented cast (particularly Sinise and Robbins) deserved better writing; sometimes the script is annoyingly shallow. The logic of the denouement has holes in it but you kind of like it anyway (but that sappy music in the ending scenes should be scrapped). An adventurous feast for the eyes that made me think of "Contact" and "Close Encounters"; despite its flaws I went to see it a second time.

One of the best movies I've seen in a while. Edge-of-the-seat story full of twists and tragic irony, excellent cast, unusual but interesting music. The one disappointment was that Kevin Spacey wasn't in this himself, but his cast was marvelous. I picked it up in the video store because I saw his name and Gary Sinise's and ignored the odd title--was well rewarded.