Reviews

This was a very well made movie about an incredible story . The film itself was written well , paced well and had great character development even within a very short period of time . The special effects were quality and helped the viewer feel and see the scope of this tragedy . The casting was spot on and you were drawn in .

Heroism was present throughout and this testifies to the power of the human spirit and desire to live and survive and those willing to help others . It also reminds us how dangerous greed is and the stewardship and power we have over this earth we live in .

Worth the time .

So much material here for a great story - but it got lost in a lot of nothing . Driver and Hyek both great as usual . The movie just didn't pull you in , there was very little character development and you almost needed to know the story going in with some background or you spent most of the time confused . It was extremely slow and tedious.

My very biggest pet peeve here though is making movies with people speaking English in fake Italian accents . WHY do they keep making these ? Either make the movie in Italian ( as it should be ) or drop the accents ! They sound ridiculous and the occasional use of an Italian word is just then trying way too hard .

The acting and source material ( although weak ) was enough to make it watchable - just not good .

Read Wikipedia about Enzo and watch something else :

I have been wanting to watch this for months - the trailer was promising , the cast is amazing and the film itself looked promising . It was right on the line of idiocy and genius and unfortunately in the end - fell solidly ion the idiocy side .

Positives first as a 5 isn't a total bomb - the sound editing and sound track actually were a great edition. The techno background music through the film was a great touch and it did help set the mood for what the director was going for . It was well placed and over used but in a kind of way that was on purpose . The filming of the tennis scenes was admittedly pretty cool and different - especially the under the floor shots . Tashi as a young player could pass for the real deal . It kept you drawn in ( ish ) for the whole movie and you at least wanted to see where it went.

Now the idiocy side . It was far too long , much of it was fairly boring and dragged on and on . There was absolutely no character development and a complete lack of maturity and any redeeming qualities of any character . The entire plot in the end actually makes no sense - what exactly is the motivation here ? Why are they acting this way ? What does Tashi actually want ? These could have been set up in a way that made the viewer curious and leaves you thinking and drawing your own conclusions - but instead it leaves you wondering why you spent 2 hours watching this nonsense to come to a good idea that was very poorly executed and in the end did not achieve what it was trying to at all .

Not worth it .

I saw this when it first came out . I was still in high school and LQBTQ stories were simply not around and represented like they are now . Back then it was the first movie I had watched where the main characters were gay and it was presented as the central plot point of the movie - this is why it was groundbreaking and this is why it garnered so much popularity and attention . I liked it back then - but I think I was too young to appreciate the impact , too removed from the LQBTQ community and too uneducated in cinema to appreciate it for what it is .

Fast forward to recently and I decided to rewatch . I am older , more mature , have friends who are gay , and have watched thousands more movies between high school and now . I was blown away by this movie the second time through .

First of all it is aesthetically amazing , the scenery and the camera work was incredible . The soundtrack was touching and fitting , and both actors are incredible in their roles . The entire cast is incredible . Kate Mara was Alma jr was an absolute perfect cast .

The story itself - it's so tragic - you feel it . You feel the love , you feel the injustice and you feel the heartbreak . The ending is almost perfection and this movie needs to be on the list of groundbreaking film for all time . I love both Ledger and Gyllenhall and always will !

Honestly I loved this movie . It is certainly not a great film or a groundbreaking piece of cinema - but it's powerful and poignant and makes you want to be better - more present and more willing to help others and empower those around you .

The main cast was AMAZING!!! They were selected so well and really had great chemistry . The "spirals " were presented in a way where , at least as someone who has friends with OCD , from the outside perspective seemed very authentic.

You were drawn in and the development in the writing and arc of each character and of their relationships to each other was very good .

Honestly the movie is full of great points , messages and one liners that can serve as mottos for life - but the whole thing really comes together with the speech from Daisy at the end and the montage of possible future happenings. The movie leaves you hopeful and sad- leaves you with a more acute understanding of the human condition as a whole , of mental illness and of compassion and effort .

Absolutely would reccomend!

This really could have been SO good . He was an incredible musician with a great and inspiring story. He practiced what he preached and has been an icon for so long , not only in music but in the fight for justice and equality and peace and love and for the oppressed nations and people of the world .

I felt like the music was tied in really well - it all flowed and made you feel connected to him and the story . The representation and explanations of Rastafarian beliefs were important and relevant to the story . The acting was unreal and many individual scenes were very powerful and moving .

The issue comes in that each of these scenes felt disconnected from the others , the movie didn't have a ton of flow and without some background knowledge on Marley , on his family and on the politics of Jamaica - it would have been very disjointed and confusing . The movie itself felt very boring at times because it was just one random scene after another .

Major respect for the film as it presents an important man in a great light and will help get a good message about about someone who changed music and the world- but I hope another film gets made at some point - because it has potential to be great.

Watch it , read about him , listen to some of the music and realize that you are watching history be told and it's so relevant and important in today's world .

This really was extremely enjoyable, thought provoking and intense . I was in it start to finish - it really brought you in , in a way that made your hairs stand up and feel nervous for every character . You could feel something wrong happening , you could feel the bad vibe but could never quite put a finger on what .

The character development was incredible . Considering the entire movie took place in the school and you basically had no details or information about the outside life of any of the characters - you still felt connected to each one and that you knew so much about them from the writing and development . The acting was superb and the writing , camera work and sound editing all worked together to make a really quality film .

I am a teacher in America , and the themes and issues in the movie were extremely relatable. The idea of a "teachers lounge " both literally and metaphorically was done in a very real and authentic way . The teacher was a great main character and she really did show love and care for the students but was getting hit from all sides - teaching is frustrating and difficult and can feel so isolating , even when trying to do everything right .

This was a quality film , and I would really reccomend it .

This really had it all - an incredible story , great cinematography, fantastic writing and first class acting .

The movie carried a very important message and it told it in a way that kept you absolutely riveted . It felt real and authentic , the character development was so good and deep even in characters with very little screen time and very few lines .

The back and forth between inspiration and reality , happiness and fear and a very authentic look at culture , at idealism , at burn out , at corruption and at desperation felt real to you if you let yourself really immerse yourself in the story .

I absolutely loved the contrast at the ending - it was an incredible way to show two very different outcomes and how sometimes circumstances do dictate our reality and crush potential - but sometimes we can get out , and maybe more important for the potential viewers of this film , you can help someone get out .

This was absolutely worth every single min - kudos to the writers , editors , actors ( especially the young part of the cast ) and directors and the story that inspired this .

There were several very touching scenes but the one that resonated with me was when Sergio monologues about the education system and how life has changed , kids have changed - but teachers and the system have not . I am a teacher and I absolutely cling to those obsolete ideals that can no longer exist in a world where everything is different . The circumstances I teach in are vastly different than those in the movie - but this is a good reminder for teachers anywhere - you teach students not subjects !

This is an exceptionally slow burn ( only in the allegorical sense , as they don't actually burn any of the food )

The aesthetics are mesmerizing and the presentation of the food was enough to make me hungry, even never having eaten French food in my life and being extremely picky . It was a love letter to food , to cooking , to art , to patience and to a lifestyle that no longer exists .

The natural feeling was amazing as well , these were good people , trustworthy people , people you want happiness for and want to win and that was all developed in the first scene , with no dialogue which is amazing filmmaking .

Another major shout out goes to the sound editing / track . The sound of the garden and the kitchen felt so real and added to your closeness so the characters , their lives and the food itself .

It's very very slow , it's very foreign , it's an art film and it's meant to develop at a snails pace . Appreciate that . Be ready for that and you'll love it. .

The book was solid , not great , but solid . Coming in with the extra character development in mind I think really helped in the enjoyment of the movie . The story itself was good and it for sure was entertaining. You wanted to finish , you felt nervous at the appropriate parts and you were cheering for the right people . It fits into the Hunger Games world well , the same feel , same cinematography, and an appropriate number of references to make it all work and for fans to get excited about. I liked it - if you don't think too hard about it - you like it .

Rachel Zegler is so talented , she really does have an incredible voice and a natural charisma. The singing at times felt a bit forced , but she is good enough to make it worth it .

My main complaints here come in with the chemistry and relationship development between not only Gray and Snow , but between everyone . The first third did a good job of helping the audience see and understand people's actions and relationships to each other , but come the second part and all the sudden it's all very murky - and not in a "people are complicated " type of way , but in a way where things seem to happens only to move a plot along and not for any other seemingly good reason . You are confused by motivations and romanticism and you go from point A to Z but missed at least L-P.

It's fine , they did a fine job and I did enjoy it , just not great writing.

Honestly this is just brilliant film making . It's slow , its eerie , it's disturbing and thought provoking . It's amazing that a movie that shows explicitly very little pain and suffering is able to make you feel so deeply that it is there , it's palpable .

The cast was incredible - the reality of the issues within the marriage and humanization of the Hoss family in many ways was in stark contrast to their utter disregard for what was happening on the other side of the wall , what they were doing and how that enabled them to live a "dream" life. The complete disinterest on the part of the wife and children and the interest of the father in simply killing for the pleasure was so well presented in a way that helps you remember just how evil this really was , and that evil was carried about by everyday people .

This is honestly such an important film always - but specifically now . I am Jewish by heritage , all my grandparents escaped Europe in WW2 . Many times this time period of genocide is used to excuse anything the Israeli state does , but this is such a good reminder that the Germans were not monsters - they were ordinary humans , called on to do atrocious acts in the name of self defense and self improvement from a nation that had struggled since ww1. Now the world is enabling the same thing to happen in Gaza , as we in America attend our parties and swim in our pools , watch sports and take no interest in what is happening . A genocide is occurring , it's not on the other side of the wall , it's on the other side of the world , don't let that allow you to ignore it .

I am a sucker for a good sports movie and this story is pretty incredible . It is one that deserves to be told and undoubtedly I left feeling inspired . It sticks to mostly facts and it's very visually pleasing . The acting was decent and the movie had a good flow to it in terms of speed .

The main issue is with the writing - it felt very amateur and juvenile . There was basically no character development and all and when there was it felt extremely forced and rushed . You had to have way too much background knowledge of the collegiate sports system of the 1930s , the Olympic rules , political background of the times , about crew as a sport and the list goes on .

I really felt like the quality of the writing and dialogue was bad enough it took away from a great story .

Worth watching ? Yes - absolutely. Great film ? No . Watch it over and over ? No - too slow and without any emotional investment into the characters.

The entire first time through I was mostly just confused . The timeline is very hard to follow , it's difficult to understand what genre it is and you feel lost in the story ( or lack of ) and I felt very frustrated . I love Mescal and so pushed through , the ending was powerful - even with my confusion . I then spent 20 min looking up "explained " articles about the movie - and by the time I understood what had happened ( at least sort of ) I liked it vastly more than when I had finished .

With my new found understanding and knowledge I watched it a second time and it was remarkably better . The themes are powerful and relatable , the film is incredibly well done allowing you to come to your own conclusions about how or if or why any of this even happened at all . The apartment building was an amazing setting , all 4 main characters were well developed and well acted , the sound editing was on point and it leaves you feeling raw, leaves you thinking , leaves you remembering how important connection is .

My suggestion would be - forget spoilers - go read an article that explains it to you first and then dive in and love it the first time .

I have been excited to see this for months - finally out on MAX so I went for it - and the first hour was fantastic . They were both very good in their roles and the chemistry( or lack of ) was very well presented . It took the story of the two of them meeting and made it come to life , the filming was interesting and the general vibe felt spot on . The development in this first part for the characters was great and you really felt like you were being set up to be taken somewhere

And then ....

Then all the sudden the second half it's like the character development just stopped , very little connected together or made sense without background knowledge into the story as a whole , and then the last 20 min it was like "oh shoot we have 20 min better finish it " and no one could figure out exactly how .

The jump from being in an abusive relationship to being her own woman was instant and it all felt very juvenile and hallmark in the end .

Worth watching ? Yes for sure . Not great film but really could have been which made it more disappointing.

Very enjoyable and entertaining- and it framed some ethical issues very well and really does make you think . It keeps you drawn in , you like the characters you are supposed to in the timeline you are supposed to. It does draw an emotional response in the way the creators ( pun intended ) want you to .

First of all it was too long , too much chasing , too much fighting , it was hide and seek for 1.5 hours - the good stuff was packed into 45 min , you need another 30-40 of fighting and the movie drastically improves.

Something about the dialogue and writing felt very juvenile and I can't quite put my finger on what - but it was almost really good and then just fell short .

It's worth the watch but not a great film .

First of all , I LOVE both of them as actors , I am a little bit in love with him and she is just amazing. They have both done fantastic work and I was amped to see them in a movie together . That is pretty much where the enjoyment ended - that these two were in a movie together.

The plot is SLOW and it is slow for no reason - there is very little character development , you feel marginally confused most of the movie , important plot points of interest are never elaborated on or explained . It was honestly just boring. You did not like any of the characters, the mixed tech was perplexing - they can live in space but don't have cell phones ? . The dialogue and writing was atrocious and just when you feel that something is becoming clear with Junior or Hen - they do something to completely belittle the point . One could say that is showing human nature - but no - in this case it was just bad filmmaking .

I haven't read the book - and this movie did not make me want to . Watch something else and let's all keep our fingers crossed these two get another chance together .

First of all - what a story - "A tragedy and a miracle " just the story alone could have carried this movie - a take of true heroism , of the human condition, of the drive to survive, of friendship , of sacrifice, of grief and trauma and of miracles and the goodness of true love . This is the sort of thing that needs to be told and recounted over and over and it never loses power - truth is power .

The story however was presented incredibly well in this film - the writing was superb- the narration was an amazing way to tie the story together , to help point the viewer in the direction it was supposed to go and help to feel the love and emotion between everyone involved . Numa was a fantastic narrator and the dialogue from him was so potent and thought provoking.

The cinematic elements here were strong . The sound editing was on point , the crash scene was so powerful and intense , the setting itself was beautiful and terrifying and it was all tied together in a way that kept you drawn in , kept you invested and held you accountable for your emotions .

This is a rare 10/10 for me - well deserved in memory of the survivors and those who brought it alive today .

Watch it - you will not regret it and you will come out wanting to do better and be better and sacrifice more .

I am not even sure what it was . It was artistic and unique - it was not enjoyable at all and borders right on downright stupidity.

This film was set up for shock value , but the shock value became so high that it just leaves you uncomfortable and feeling slightly disgusted . Not in a good way where you want to ponder on the predicament that is human nature , but instead in a way that makes you want to fast forward the movie . Overall that is my take - I hated the story and I hated the characters and I was , frankly , shocked. Which for me is honestly very rare .

This gets a 4 instead of a 1 for a few reasons . I love a good mixed genre . I love knowing very little about a movie , having it start one way and making some assumptions to only be confused 30 min later, and then surprise it's something else entirely . I respect that in a film and this killed it in that are .

The second thing which was very positive was I felt the character development ( at least in a satirical way ) was fantastic - well developed , good acting and writing to get you to view each character in a very specific way to set the climax up correctly .

Lastly - it did keep you drawn in .

It was overly artistic , completely pretentious and pretty nasty . It was different , and it's one lots of people will be talking about for a long time - so maybe worth watching just for that . You decide .

This movie was amazingly well done. Although the story itself is not true - it takes elements of many interpreters stories and puts them together to send a potent message about the American treatment of interpreters and the country of Afghanistan as a whole . The feeling , emotion, consequences, tragedy and heroism was there.

The character development was very well done . Neither man was made out to be a saint - one having been a former drug dealer but still a good family man who did things for the right reasons and the second an average man trying to do what was right who had mistrusted the interpreter in the beginning and felt some prejudice against the Afghani people .

The idea of a debt being repaid was very powerful and made it less altruistic , instead the power of human connection , of a commitment of a need to repay what we are given .

The cinematography and acting were both spot and and it kept you engaged start to finish .

Ritchie sends the message he wants home with this one - in a war time masterpiece which is what film should be about - bringing attention and emotion to issues that make us human and make us want to be better and do better .

Overall quality of this film was very high - the acting was superb . Every single character was complex and interesting and was able to seem authentic while at the same time showing the personal motive through everything they did . Bonus points for how cute the "snoop" the dog was .

The story line was engaging and gave you a chill throughout . The complexity of marriage was represented incredible well , along with the emotions of guilt , frustration , dissatisfaction, disappointment and condition .

The opening scene ( music choice included ) was absolutely brilliant and really set the movie up very well .

The courtroom scenes felt so long , both lawyers ( the prosecution especially ) was given far too much screen time and way too many lines - it was not necessary- the audience is capable of drawing conclusions without the need for them being constantly ( and annoyingly ) pointed out .

My other beef was that when they spoke French you has access to the subtitles - but when they spoke English with heavy accents it was often very difficult to understand and there was no option for captioning - this took away from the enjoyment factor .

The conclusion is as also brilliant and powerful - any movie that can open well and close well is worth praise .

Good option for best picture and worth the watch .

The buildup of the chemistry between all the characters was a master class in development . The story line was interesting and felt authentic , both main characters were likable in their own ways and you rooted for them and for their success together and to remain close in spite of trials and everything that happened .

My main complaint were the soccer scenes were almost unwatchable because the camera angles were so bad and moving all over the place it looked like a "kung-fu" scene - and it was honestly hard to follow what was going on .

There were some great lines throughout the movie but one was "bother - the best times of my life are playing this game with you " that really summed up the feel and central point of the film .

The ending was honestly totally devastating and leaves you feeling sad , somewhat betrayed and hopeless - but a good reminder the mistakes you make as a youth can stay with you forever .

Worth the watch .

This wasn't a great film . The chemistry was believable enough and the plot line fairly predictable with some interesting side characters and decent dialogue. The cinematic effects were pretty weak - ie in one scene it's raining on the windows and it's a bright blue sky outside .

The mom of David was perplexing , not a good character and difficult to understand her motivations .

My main beef is probably that it felt like a copy of "call me by your name " although this is a book so maybe the other was actually the copy - either way - this was worth the watch one time and it was tragic and hopeful and somewhat slow all at the same time .