Reviews

I loved this book as a kid, and I work with troubled kids who still love the book. I've seen this film a number of times over the years, and am still disappointed that, with such a FABULOUS cast, that it misses the grit and passion of the story.

Ya know what did it? The score. I understand that FFCoppola wants to make his films a family affair, but did he actually LISTEN to what his dad wrote? Sappy strings and a STEVIE WONDER BALLAD???? (ok, that part isn't her fault - what was FFC thinking???). What about some of the early rock songs of the time? I know that's been done a lot, and maybe they didn't want to "date" the film, but the fashion and language and cars and dress date it already; honestly, I've never heard a musical score that was so badly matched to a story. Heh, might as well get Danny Elfman (great score composer, btw) to write the scores for Star Wars.

Now, if you want to hear a terrific score that actually becomes a character of a story, see "The Shawshank Redemption"... the music in that amazing film, to me, is Andy's voice... listen for it, it expresses what's going on inside of Andy, and occasionally the other characters. THAT is what a film score is supposed to do.

I truly love this movie when I need to totally vanish from real life for a couple of hours. I wholeheartedly agree with the comments about how it goes from fun to serious almost seamlessly, but one part has been overlooked. The visit to Audrey's mother, Peaches, is almost abrupt in its quietude ("Don't call me Lulu, call me Audrey" changes everything), and it makes you wonder how Audrey became as free-spirited as she is. Peaches is no dummy, either... she reads right through Charlie with an air of a woman resigned to never really knowing her daughter. This little visit is the bridge between the fun and scary, the surreal and frighteningly real, and asks more questions than it answers... which works perfectly.

"Awakenings" is one of my favorite films, and I would like to point out that it was released in 1990, seven years before "Good Will Hunting." Those who think Robin Williams' performance is a rehash of "GWH," (and I notice that there are several) have it backwards.

"GWH" is enjoyable and worthwhile in its own right; but it seems to me that "Awakenings" takes time to breathe, and has a quiet charm and dignity that is far too scarce in our gotta-have-it-all, gotta-do-it-now existence.

It's official, the voice-over thing has been done to death. It worked great on American Beauty, as well as Fight Club once it got out of the monotone, and American Psycho, sortof. But voice-over nearly destroyed the end of SE7EN, one of my favorite movies, by being completely out of place... then there was The Virgin Suicides and now this, Fools of Attraction, in which voice-over was used instead of script and plot to advance the story. *I* could have filmed the ending bike ride without the voice over, depicting the ever-increasing speed that was narrated... and I've never even held a camcorder.

The only character I even remotely cared about was the food-service girl, because of how she passed by unnoticed until it was too late. And ok, Paul was funny, sortof...

Now, I went into this knowing absolutely nothing about this movie, the writer, nothing; they could have at least made more of the idea that Sean was American Psycho's brother... I was supposed to get that out of one "Patrick" reference, with "Bateman" being a relatively common name? One person commented that the dinner/bedroom scene was a riot... I just wondered why "Dick" was trying so hard to be Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden. The echoes of Fight Club were so crass I could hardly notice anything else. Lauren had a toned-down Marla Singer haircut, and even held her cigarette like Marla... The rest of these spoiled rich kids just bored me.

I can hear you now - you're right, I haven't read the book, but from other reviews I think I'm glad I wasn't able to be even more disappointed by the movie. Put all of this with a completely moronic soundtrack... which decade was this?... and there are 2 hours of my life I'll never get back.

I saw this on the Saturday night Creature Feature, which usually plays the WORST kind of dreck... I was pleasantly surprised that this film was as good as it was. Being from a family of musicians, and a flutist myself, I understood all too well the care that Vernon took of his hands, and the devastation he must have felt. The premise of the film wasn't really anything new, but there were enough twists to keep it interesting... :-)

I watched this film in the state of mind that I watch "City of Angels" or anything else that is more feeling than plot or action - taking a breath and letting the peace fill me up. Yes, Brad Pitt's, and all the rest of the European characters', accents were annoying, but overlook that to watch someone begin to find peace, only to have the horror of war revisited on him; and worse, on a people who haven't experienced it in modern history (I'm assuming, you never hear about Tibet in a war, but my knowledge of Asian history is woefully weak). And, because I didn't know what was coming, I felt the shock and invasion of the Chinese along with the peaceful Tibetans. This film has made me want to learn much more.

Edge of your seat, several doubletakes... but why was Reba wearing a watch? Ralph Fiennes is AMAZING... the only other thing they should have done was used those "young" cameras on the old characters, Lecter and Chilton... they've aged since Silence and those cameras do wonders - witness Richard Dreyfuss in "Mr. Holland's Opus".

Can't wait for a DVD box set!

What kind of pedantic, humorless piece of kelp is this? I heard the morning DJs on my local radio station bashing this when it came out, but figured nothing could be this bad... I was wrong. Full of holes, takes itself ENTIRELY too seriously, and M. Night Shyster needs to make his Hitchcockian appearances a little less obvious. It's really a shame too, since Willis and Jackson are 2 of my favorite actors, and were TERRIFIC in Die Hard 3 together. Even suspense needs a little levity to keep interest... and was there some reason they had to make Robin Wright Penn so dowdy? She's a lovely woman, but the dragged her down too.

Ok, I've spent enough energy on this... Don't waste your time.

...I don't think anyone who sees "The Wall" will be unmoved. My guess is that every person on the planet - rich and famous, third-world, or anywhere in between - has contemplated their life and the meaning of their existence. I will forever be amazed at the raw truth that IS this movie.