Teen Romance Movies

The Lake House (Widescreen Edition) List Price: $12.98 Sale Price: $6.49 You save: $6.49 (50%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

A lonely doctor (Sandra Bullock) who once occupied an unusual lakeside home begins exchanging love letters with its newest resident, a frustrated architect (Keanu Reeves). When they discover that they're actually living two years apart, they must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.

Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock pair up again in what could be described as the anti-Speed: The Lake House, a sweet, relaxed-paced, whimsical romance. When Alex Wyler (Reeves, The Matrix) moves into an unusual glass house on stilts over a lake, he discovers a note from the previous tenant in the mailbox--but no one's lived in the house for years. He replies and soon discovers that he's corresponding with a doctor named Kate Forster (Bullock, Miss Congeniality) who's writing from two years in the future. Their correspondence turns romantic and their paths cross in unexpected ways, but when they try to truly connect, danger looms. Though the plot of The Lake House sounds potentially static, the movie is skillfully structured and, despite some truly awful dialogue, will exert an emotional pull on anyone willing to embrace the device of the time-travelling mailbox. What the movie really demonstrates, though, is the genuine rapport between Bullock and Reeves; Reeves, though handsome, has a wooden presence--but in his few scenes with Bullock, his stiffness transforms into a palpable yearning. On-screen chemistry is slippery and hard to define, but these two have it. --Bret Fetzer

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: Warner Brothers
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Original Release Date: 2006-06-16
Actors:

• Keanu Reeves
• Sandra Bullock
• Christopher Plummer
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach
• Willeke van Ammelrooy

Reviews

Can the Future Change the Past?

by Tucker Andersen from Wall Street on 2006-06-18
If you enjoy love stories, then you should delight as much in this modern day fairy tale as my wife and I did. Sandra Bullock (one of my favorite actresses) as Dr. Kate Forster and Keanu Reeves as Alex Wyler complement each other extremely well and manage to develop a tangible chemistry despite the unique nature of their "long distance" (in time) relationship. However, you have to be prepared to suspend your usual conception of the relationship of time and place and accept unconditionally the truly unusual and scientifically fictional aspects of the storyline. This film is about emotions, interpersonal relationships and personal discovery, and needs to be engaged with your heart, not your mind. CAUTION: it was obvious from the comments of other moviegoers who watched the film with us that our enthusiasm was not universally shared. Perhaps understandably given several of Sandra's Bullock's previous films, some people obviously expected to see a typical romantic comedy, which this most definitely is not despite some truly funny sequences. Others seemed to be unable to let go of their attempt to rationally analyze the techniques which the story utilized to further the relationship between Kate and Alex; this trait led to their inability simply to accept the facts as the writer and producer chose to present them in furtherance of the story and thus distracted from the essence of the film, which is the development of the central characters' relationship and the mystery of how the story will conclude. And finally, a few seemed bewildered that anyone would find such a ridiculous story appealing and frustrated that they had wasted almost two hours of their time watching it. As the film begins, Kate and her female dog Jack are ending their tenancy at an architecturally unique LAKE HOUSE and moving into a modern new apartment in downtown Chicago near the hospital where she is on staff. She leaves a note in the mailbox for the next tenant, which Alex finds when he moves into the house. Thus, very early in the film, the four main actors in this drama have already been introduced - Kate, Alex, Jack, and THE LAKE HOUSE itself. However, the key plot twist of what briefly appears a rather conventional and undoubtedly otherwise pedestrian romance (which would simply be a showcase for the stars) is introduced. It is a concept familiar to science fiction fans but seldom used in other genres; specifically time shifting together with some aspects of parallel universes. Since what has happened is incidental to the story and never explained, it is not clear at any particular point in the story what rules will apply to the situations in which the characters find themselves. (N.B. This film should definitely not be included in the genre of science fiction, it involves neither time travel or futurism.) However, when Alex replies to Kate's note and a correspondence ensues, their initial misunderstandings soon turn to disbelief when she claims to be living in 2006 and he is in 2004. What! How could she move out and he then move in? Despite their incredulity, they eventually both become convinced that their lives really have been linked through some sort of time warp. Of course, since this is a love story they then both become increasingly attracted to each other (Remember, you can't expect to understand how the intermediary device of the magic mailbox operates, just enjoy the flag waving which results.) The story is incredibly cleverly constructed, with several threads gradually coming together and increasingly causing their lives to become intertwined. THE LAKE HOUSE, a memorable edifice built on stilts and reached by a walkway over the water is reminiscent of Phillip Johnson's signature Glass House. It not only unites Alex and Kate but plays a crucial role in Alex's family history and his strained relationship with his father, the noted architect Simon Wyler (Christopher Plummer). The enjoyment of the film is in fact heightened by its leisurely pace, the cast (and the supporting roles are uniformly well acted) has time to develop the story and let us get to know Kate and Alex as they get to know each other; thus we also experience their frustration that thyey may have to accept the fact that they will be resigned to living separate lives. The most difficult aspect of the film for me to follow was the fact that the sequence of the scenes as presented to the moviegoer was not always immediately clear. Not only are Alex and Kate simultaneously living in different years, but their individual experiences are not presented in chronological order. There are frequent flashbacks and the jumps forward to their individual present day selves, interspersed with one chance meeting of which only Alex is aware. Remember, concentrate on their story - not on trying to figure out how it is occurring. One incredibly deft touch is the use of a copy of Jane Austen's PERSUASION as both a very important point of contact in their relationship and also with the story as a metaphor for their situation. In conclusion, if you enjoy fantasy, then you should enjoy this unconventional love story. In addition, you also get as a bonus to try to figure out how an appealing dog such as Jack could somehow live with both Kate and Alex and maybe you will even receive a few insights about architecture. Just remember to pay attention to details, because at various times during the film events occur whose complete relevance only becomes clear much later. Interestingly enough, if you do pick up these clues, while they foreshadow some of the later events (in the sequence in which the movie unfolds), they in no way make the eventual outcome predictable and thus do not spoil the story. Fun, interesting, well acted, emotionally satisfying and unpredictable enough to keep your interest - certainly a more attractive set of attributes than most of today's film fare. Tucker Andersen

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When Love is Real, Nothing Else Matters

by Alejandra Vernon from Long Beach, California on 2006-06-18
"The Lake House" is a rare gem, the kind of film that Hollywood hasn't made for decades, and has more in common with the b&w classics and some foreign films (like the Korean "Il Mare" this one was based on) than any contemporary "date film." It is the well written script, and the mature and sensitive performances by its 2 leads that set it apart, as well as the many memorable, magical moments: The tree, the dance, the spray-painted inscription on the wall, to name a few. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock are superb as Alex and Kate, who try to conquer time and space with their love. I have no problem with time warps, other dimensions, the presence of angels, and that the world just might be a cosmic soup of whirling particles. Seeing is not believing, because we see through a glass darkly, and anything might be possible, even the premise of this plot, implausible as it might be. Director Alejandro Agresti deftly manages to make the complexities of the story flow, and the supporting cast is excellent, including Christopher Plummer (as Alex's famed architect father), Ebon Moss-Bacharach (Alex's brother), Willele von Ammelrooy (Kate's mother) and Shohreh Aghdashloo (Kate's workplace friend). And then there is Jack, a lovable mutt that is shared between time spaces. I cannot think of a living actor that has had a more diverse filmography than Keanu Reeves, and "The Lake House" is by far his finest performance, in its depth, and naturalness. This is a man who looks so comfortable in his skin, in being who he is, that he adds a dimension of reality to the character of Alex. Sandra Bullock is also excellent as Kate, and both actors exude super star wattage power, and have marvelous screen chemistry with each other. Watch this film with an open mind and a soft heart, and it will delight you. I wept through much of it, enjoyed every minute, and it is a film I will never tire of seeing.

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Reunited and It Feels So Good - 2 years too late for 2 people who found the one

by M. R. Estante from North America on 2006-05-18
A dozen years after "Speed" ... Reeves and Bullock reunite as two destined single professionals who meet through a lake house they both lived at. Turns out both are living in the same place but two years apart and exchange letters through a magical mailbox. An American adaptation of the South Korean film "Ill Mare" from 1999, the Lake House follows the mysterious events that bring a lonely female doctor (Kate) in Chicago with a frustrated architect (Alex)in the country. THEME: NEVER SETTLE! Only marry your true love because time is irrelevant when your twin soul is out there and you know it! The truth is ... you can physically leave your twin soul ... but they will always be a part of you. The story begins when Kate leaves a letter in the mailbox for the new tenant to her former lake house home before departing for Chicago. When she receives a reply from Alex he claims that no one has lived in the Lake House for years. The two begin corresponding only to discover that they are living two years apart, Alex in 2004 and Kate in 2006. The movie progresses and the two eventually decide to meet but its two weeks for Kate and two years for Alex. It's a heartbreaker because if time is not on your side it is not on your side. A series of coincidences bring keep bringing Kate and Alex together. The trick is that Kate wasn't always so open and had many missed moments with Alex. Over time they begin to share more about one another and decide to meet. Alex fails to show up at Ill Mare in Chicago and Kate forbids him to write to her again. That is until she almost marries her nice but not well suited match Morgan... and rushes to save her romance with Alex. The signs were all there... they even shared the same dog two years apart! Near misses, close encounters, and signposts to one another ... in the end it's worth the wait! It's a very Happy Valentine's Day. Unless you know that you could give your whole heart to that person despite another more suitable man or woman nearby ... don't sell out! Stay available for the one who truly makes you happy. One to watch ... and best with the "two of you" for all the couples who are together and happy and need a reminder of what they have.

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Tasty slice of magical realism...

by Joanna from Northfield, Minnesota, USA on 2006-06-17
*Note* Contains some mild spoilers "The Lake House", starring long time friends Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock - working together again for the first time since "Speed" (1994) - is a story of semi-magical connection between a man and a woman which spans the width of two years. You see, Kate (Bullock) and Alex (Reeves) have both lived in the same gorgeous house made entirely of glass. Kate is moving out and leaves a letter in the mailbox wishing the next tenant good luck and enjoyment in the house, as well as a forwarding address for her mail. Through movie magic (and possibly fate), Alex - who just purchased the house - receives this letter and the two begin to correspond. Confused at first, they soon realize they are living two years apart, Alex in 2004 and Kate in 2006. While an odd set of circumstances (and theoretically impossible), they continue to write. Both are failures when it comes to relationships and they find the letters a great chance to talk to someone of the opposite sex and not have to face rejection. Soon they fall in love but are not sure how they could ever meet to make a relationship work because of the time issues. They share a dog (too complicated to explain here) and their hearts. Attempts to meet do not work and they begin to lose hope. Can they find a way to be together? Or will this simply be another failed relationship to add to their lists? Despite what people have been saying, I thoroughly enjoyed "The Lake House." Complex, sci-fi plot aside, it comes down to a story about how two peoples lives change when they allow themselves to connect. It's honest. Its cinematography is gorgeous and the performances are good. Keanu and Sandra have an amazing on-screen chemistry as we have witnessed before (in Speed), but here it is more mature. Sandra delivers a performance closer to her character in "Crash" (2005) and less like that of "Miss Congeniality." Kate is a charming but self-conscious and lonely woman. Keanu gives what I believe is his best performance in a movie yet! His famous slightly "wooden" acting style is perfect for the character of lonely architect Alex, and he can really become someone quite believable and open in the moments when his character is happy. While the two do not share much direct on-screen time, that serves to make the moments they do share it SO desirable. The viewer longs to see Alex and Kate meet face to face and for this relationship to work out for them. Especially delightful, were the voiceovers (of the letter reading and writing) which filled the movie as other things happened. It was a clever way to keep them from always sitting at a desk and brightened the tone of the film overall. Forget thinking about how all the time travel works, that's not the important part. The important point of this movie is the relationship between these two people. The magic of the time transcending mailbox only serves to bring them together, but so do many other things in their lives (as we come to find out). It gives the viewer hope that maybe they are destined for love like this - maybe not with the assistance of a post office receptacle - but fated in some way to meet that one person for them. "The Lake House" is a touching film, free of all the hustle and bustle of modern American cinema and culture in general. There's no emailing, just good old-fashioned letter writing. It's a throwback to the real movies - before we forgot how to make them - before we forgot that a movie is about the people in it and not about sex, drugs and rock and roll. "The Lake House" is a beautiful film and you should really go see it. Don't go in expecting it to all make sense, but go in with an open heart and open eyes and let it win you over. Critics have gone to theatres with their arms crossed and their minds made up already. Take a lesson from Alex and Kate, open your heart and see what happens. Ebert said he enjoyed the film quite a lot despite it's complicating plot and Roeper called it one of his favorite movies of 2006! Ebert and Roeper (two of the most respected movie critics in the biz) can't both be wrong!

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Wicked tear-jerker ending!

by Tahra Kohl from Rio Rancho, NM on 2006-09-15
I loved watching this movie! Couldn't believe that Hollywood could actually make an entertaining PG movie anymore, though... I was thoroughly impressed with the sweet romance and-although the time travel aspect was a bit funny at times-I thought it was a very clever way to portray the book. By the end, the tears were flowing freely and I didn't even bother to wipe them away. It was soo good! I think it hit me wicked hard because I am waiting for my boyfriend to come back from his 2 year mission and the idea of loving someone enough to wait for them is so touching. Especially in this classy movie. :) It sure is a keeper and will be a staple in my DVD collection as soon as I can get my hands on it!!

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P.S. I Love You List Price: $14.98 Sale Price: $9.49 You save: $5.49 (37%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

Buy a new outfit. Be a disco diva. Learn to fish. Take a chance. Travel. Laugh. Love. Sometimes all you need to start really living is a little shove in the right direction – and that’s just what Holly Kennedy gets. From the handsome, big-hearted love of her life. From a series of mysterious letters. And from gal pals who know that a friend in need is a friend in need of some laughs! Based on Cecelia Ahern’s joyful bestseller and boasting a top cast led by two-time Academy Award® winner* Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler (300), P.S. I Love You is your very own message full of fun, love, triumph and romance. Open it now. (P.S. You’ll love it!)

For those who believe true love lasts beyond this physical plane, P.S. I Love You is a jewel in the romantic-movie crown. With elements of Ghost, Heaven Can Wait, and My Life, the film is an unabashed valentine to the notion of lasting (everlasting?) love. Hilary Swank is Holly, a deeply happy lass married to the most impossibly adorable Irishman on the planet, Gerry (Gerard Butler). When an illness takes him from her, Holly spirals into depression. Then, as if from beyond the grave, communications, gifts, and remembrances from Gerry begin to appear--gestures he'd planned knowing his death was coming. The "communications" with her dead husband could threatened to keep Holly in past, yet they begin to pave a path into her future. Swank, not a traditional romantic actress, is quite moving as Holly, whose grief and confusion is palpable. Butler will win new continents of fans, largely female, as the yummiest honey one could wish for. Special kudos to the supporting cast, including Lisa Kudrow as a Holly pal, and James Marsters and Kathy Bates, always breaths of fresh air onscreen. Under the sure hand of director-writer Richard LaGravenese, P.S. I Love You is touching, sad (have tissues on hand), and heartbreakingly lovely. --A.T. Hurley

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: Warner Brothers
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Original Release Date: 2007-12-21
Actors:

• Hilary Swank
• Gerard Butler
• Harry Connick Jr.
• Lisa Kudrow
• Gina Gershon

Reviews

A Nice Little Surprise Film

by Grady Harp from Los Angeles, CA United States on 2008-05-11
Marketing P.S. I LOVE YOU was a hit/miss situation. The general trailer and the billboards seem to set the audience up for a sappy tearjerker. But happily what happens in this film is not the expected 'widowed person communicating with the dead love out of failure to get on with life' tale, but instead a look into the importance of friendship, family, and adjusting to the incomparable loss. Credit the original novel by Cecelia Ahern as adapted for the screen by Steven Rogers writer/director Richard LaGravenese for making what so easily have been a sappy, maudlin, whining tale into a touching one of human emotions with a sense of reality mixed with a mildly implausible situation, and a series of character studies that emphasize the importance of support in the time of grief. Holly (Hilary Swank) and Gerry (Gerard Butler) Kennedy are a married couple with goals and frustrations and a huge dollop of passionate love, surrounded by friends and family. The tragedy happens just as the movie starts: Gerry has died of a brain tumor leaving the copeless Holly alone with her memories and self-inflicted regrets. But Gerry, knowing he was a terminal patient, devised his own plan to help Holly through that first year of grief: he left letters in various forms and places, advising Holly how to learn about his family and how to get on with life. Holly's mother (Kathy Bates) owns a bar and has supported her little family since Holly's father deserted his family years ago. In the bar is another injured soul named Daniel (Harry Connick Jr.) who fancies Holly but realizes she is far from ready to think about dating. Holly's friends Denise (Lisa Kudrow) and Sharon (Gina Gershon) accompany Holly to Gerry's pre-planned trip to his home in Ireland to meet the in-laws Holly never knew. While in Ireland Holly reminisces on the magic of first meeting Gerry, meets Gerry's parents as well as Gerry's best friend William (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and through it all manages to appreciate the gift of PS I Love You letters and reminders Gerry has left for her. And she ultimately finds closure to her loss. The cast is strong and makes these at times strained characters into lovable people: Hilary Swank has made a successful entrance into the feminine lead role and is balanced to perfection by Butler, Morgan, Connick, Bates, Kudrow and Gershon. They make the implausible plausible and deliver a love story that goes beyond the level of superficial to join the ranks of warm and tender memorable slices of life. It is surprisingly good! Grady Harp, May 08

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PS I will always love you

by R. Kyle from USA on 2008-01-05
The story begins with a fight. Holly (Swank) is running up a seemingly endless flight of stairs with Gerry (Butler) in hot pursuit. He's apologizing, but like a typical male, he's really not quite sure what he did wrong--he just wants to make up and not sleep in the bathtub. Nine years' marriage and they don't have a lot to show--no kids, no careers, and only a five flight walkup. But, it's obvious that Holly and Gerry love each other very much. The next scene is Gerry's wake. It's a bittersweet affair--and I confess to laughing when I heard the ironic "Fairytale of New York" (Gerry's favorite song) played and sung to by his priest. A few weeks' later, the letters begin. While the film only shows Gerry's life and Holly's impressions of his 'ghost', we realize he'd understood his cancer would take him and planned to help Holly get through it past the grave. His letters encourage her to get out, sing Karaoke, even go to Ireland. Those missives literally help her find her dreams and go on with her life. "PS I love you" is what I expected--and more. The cast, scenery, and especially the music all fit well together to elicit tears--and yes, occasional laughter. Gerard Butler is fabulous as always. He's one of the best new actors around and I hope to see him for many years to come. I didn't expect that he could sing--and he does an excellent job on "Galway Girls." In my opinion, Hillary Swank is the best part of the film. She's not your typical Hollywood ingenue. She's sometimes awkward, she doesn't always look perfect, and yet her ability to convey emotions from the highs to the lows very impressive. When she comes home from the funeral alone, picks up her cell phone and just keeps calling her home phone to hear Gerry's voice over and over on the answering machine literally brought me to tears. Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the big teddy bear Billy Gallagher was also great. You've seen him before if you watched "Grey's Anatomy" playing Denny Duquette. I'm very glad to see him getting silver screen roles. If you like him, look for him in 2008 in "The Accidental Husband." Only one warning--take some tissues with you. This film will make you cry--and occasionally laugh so hard you'll have tears in your eyes, too.

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A nice romantic film

by Bennet Pomerantz from Seabrook, Maryland on 2008-08-18
PS I Love You is a bitersweet love story. It is one of those films which you watch with a tear in your eyes and a wisp of a smile on your face. Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank0 has lost her husband (300's Gerald Butler). As she is in mourning over his loss, she recieves letters from her dead husband. From these letters, she starts to break out of her shell of widowhood. With the help of her Girlfriends (Gina Gersion and Lisa Kudrow) and her mom (Kathy Bates), Holly starts to live again. It is one of those nice romantic film to share with those you love. It is a throwback to the older 1950's type films where words and images are more important than car chases and curse words. The Cast blends together so well you could believe this story is true. Swank's Holly is so on the money, you feel her pain and joy This is not just another chick flix, it is a well done romantic comedy. It will tug on your heart strings..if it does, check with your doctor to make sure you have a working heart. I only wish there was a director or actor commentary, which there isnt. I would have enjoyed hearing someone insights on how they made this film..but it is not needed with a film this good Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

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She Gets Letters, She Gets Letters

by Chris Pandolfi from Los Angeles, CA on 2007-12-25
As hopelessly contrived and predictable as "P.S. I Love You" is, it's still a charming, touching romantic comedy. The most surprising thing about it is Hilary Swank, whose resume of serious films has made a humorous role seem an unlikely choice. She makes full use of her softer, sillier side, playing a character that's loveable and irritating at the same time. I say this in spite of the fact that serious undertones run through the film, as they always do in romantic comedies; after losing her husband to cancer, Swank's character spends the rest of the film trying to find herself (for lack of a non-clichéd term). The twist is that her husband is posthumously guiding her with a series of handwritten letters, all of which were so strategically located that only a well-executed plan could see it through. A sweet but nonetheless baffling idea: How could a terminally ill man carry off something this elaborate in such a short period of time? Never mind--I was still moved by the light-hearted sentimentality of the story, so I have to give credit where credit is due. The film opens in wintertime New York City with Holly Kennedy (Swank) storming home, absolutely furious. Right behind her is her Irish husband, Jerry (Gerard Butler), who knows he's said something to offend Holly but doesn't know what. It isn't until they enter their apartment that they really let loose: Holly is offended because Jerry commented on her waiting to have children. Now back in their apartment, everything he says gets misconstrued in some way, and a full-blown fight ensues. It isn't long before they make up, however, and by the time they do, Jerry promises his wife that he isn't going anywhere, despite their financial troubles, despite their current job situations. After nine years, he still loves her. He'll always love her, no matter what. Naturally, the very next scene takes place at his memorial service. The audience is thankfully spared the unnecessary melodrama of his failing health and eventual death; no such scenes are included in this film. The filmmakers wisely chose to focus on what happens afterwards with Holly, who--as you might have guessed--is so grief-stricken that she shuts herself off and lets herself go. It isn't until her thirtieth birthday that things begin to change; as her worried family and friends sit by her side, a birthday cake is delivered with a mini cassette recorder taped to the inside of the box. Holly presses the Play button and hears Jerry's voice explaining that he wrote her a series of letters as he was dying. Holly will receive them all over a period of time, and each one will instruct her to do something bold and adventurous. Basically, his words will push her into living her life without focusing so much on his death. The rest of the film is all about Holly fulfilling her husband's last requests, from singing in a karaoke bar to meeting his parents back in his native Ireland (where--you guessed it--another letter waits). Her friends and family offer as much support as they can, all while engaged in their own minor subplots. Her best friend, Denise (Lisa Kudrow), is desperate to find Mr. Right, so desperate that she openly asks potential dates about their relationship status, their financial status, and their sexual orientation. Holly's mother, Patricia (Kathy Bates), loves her daughter but has trouble accepting Jerry's postmortem plan. She was never fully accepting of him to begin with; he and Holly married at young ages, meaning that a lot could have gone wrong. And Patricia definitely understands the pain of losing a husband (albeit under much different circumstances). The most interesting side character is Daniel (Harry Connick, Jr.), who works for Holly's mother at a local bar. He claims to have a syndrome: his social filter is defective, meaning he'll say anything to anyone at anytime. He openly tells Holly that she's hot, that she's a terrible singer, and that he's getting sick of hearing about Jerry all the time. Part of the truth is obvious--he has feelings for Holly. The rest of the truth is not so clear-cut--he, too, has been deeply wounded by a past relationship. From this alone, the two are emotional matches. That doesn't necessarily mean that they would work as a couple, especially with the inclusion of William (Jeffery Dean Morgan), the man Holly meets on her trip to Ireland. So the question is raised: Will Holly and Daniel find romance in the midst of tragedy? Will Holly allow herself to love again, or even to let her life go in a new direction? As fresh and exciting as I'm making this sound, the reality is that "P.S. I Love You" is a fairly routine story of love, loss, and emotional rebirth. That doesn't make it a bad movie by any means; in all honesty, I found it quite satisfying. Most of this has to do with Hilary Swank, who impressed me with her ability to transcend the heavy-handed, solemn movie roles she's known for. But the rest of the cast does a decent job, as well, doing justice to a well-established cinematic formula. I also appreciated the letter-writing plot point, simply because it was cleverly (if strangely) executed. Some may feel that Jerry's letter writing is a method of control, but do you honestly think that a romantic comedy would go that far? It's not control so much as it's a way to nudge Holly in the right direction--I believe that, were it not for his letters, she would mourn the rest of her life. And is it any coincidence that he ends every letter with the film's title?

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A gem of a movie

by W. Kohorst from Silver Spring, MD USA on 2008-01-13
I had actually been dragging my feet because the movie itself was not an exact copy of the book which was wonderful. However, that said, did it matter???? No, to me, in the end, not one bit. I laughed, sighed and cried throughout the entire movie. It blew me away. I cannot wait to own this gem. there was only one man in our theater. The rest were Gerry Butler fans (yes, I can spot them a mile away) and teenage girls, who did their own share of crying and hugging after the movie. This movie hits home on many different levels. It is not just about the death of a beloved spouse, it is about the uncertainty of life and how to go on living when things do not go as you planned, how to forgive yourself if you didn't get around to doing certain things (having children). It shows us that though marriage never goes as you planned it (or fantasized it would), that it is your life and you are in the middle of it. It's about loving yourself and your spouse during those not so perfect times. In the end, the most important thing is how to find yourself and keep the faith after the worst possible thing has happened. Love, anger, fear, loss, and abandoment- it is all there. Everyone was great. Gerry brought so much energy and soul to his role! He is so damn handsome and sexy!! Oh, and to hear him sing again was an extra added bonus! Hilary was terrific and very believable- she did great playing against type. I really wasn't sure before the movie if I would warm to Harry Connick's character, but his off-beat Daniel was very likable and cute. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was great, too. His roles is small but important. He was very charming and has a very cute arse!!!! I cannot say anything negative. I loved this movie and can't wait to see it again!! wendy k

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The Blue Lagoon (Special Edition) List Price: $14.94 Sale Price: $10.99 You save: $3.95 (26%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

When the ship that they are travelling on wrecks, two small children must find safety, and deal with the physical and emotional changes that they are

The cinematography by Néstor Almendros garnered him an Oscar nomination. Unfortunately, the performance by then child star Brooke Shields garnered her a nomination, too--for a Razzie Award. She won, he didn't. This 1980 remake of a much classier, 1949 British version features Shields and Christopher Atkins as children shipwrecked on a lush tropical island. They grow to maturity and fall in love, with the script paying special attention to their burgeoning sexuality. Should you desire more trite dialogue, there is an even less satisfying sequel, 1991's Return to the Blue Lagoon. --Rochelle O'Gorman

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Brand: Sony
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Original Release Date: 1980-07-05
Actors:

• Brooke Shields
• Christopher Atkins
• Leo McKern
• William Daniels
• Elva Josephson

Reviews

A sweet love story

by K. M. Talha from Malaysia on 2004-12-24
In 1980, when this film was released, there was quite a bit of controversy, most of it ill-founded. There were complaints about incest, but the two children are not brother and sister: Emmeline clearly addresses Arthur Lestrange as Uncle, while Richard calls him Father, so the closest they could be is cousins, and the use of Uncle may have been conventional (indicating guardianship) rather than literal. There were complaints about showing a 14-year-old actress nude, but they used body doubles for all of the nude scenes (Brooke Shields spends some of the commentary pointing which body double was used for which scene). I'd guess that opinion about this film polarises into about three camps. There are those who are shocked / scandalised (let's hope they don't buy the DVD and be shocked and scandalised all over again). There are those who are titillated by the nudity (such a shock for them to learn that they are looking at a 30-year-old woman, rather than a 14-year-old!). And then there are those who can see past all that to the sweet, innocent love story that the film is really all about. The plot is fairly straightforward. A man, Arthur Lestrange (William Daniels), is taking two children, Emmeline (Elva Josephson) and Richard (Glenn Kohan), from Boston to San Francisco by sailing ship around the turn of the century (the date is not specified). Because the Panama Canal doesn't exist yet, they must travel right down to the bottom of South America to get around. After rounding the bottom, there's a fire aboard - something that is a serious concern, but in this case it is worse, because it is in a hold containing blasting powder, so the passengers are rowed away from the ship. In the confusion, the children are separated from Arthur Lestrange; they end up in a boat with Paddy, the ship's cook (Leo McKern). To make things worse, a heavy fog rolls in, the ship blows up, and they are adrift by themselves. Luck (and the scriptwriter) is with them, and they awaken within sight of an island. They are very fortunate to discover that this island has fresh water, ample fruit (bananas, papayas, and coconuts, amongst others), and is generally a tropical paradise. Paddy shows them various useful skills, including the construction of a hut, and collection of food, before dying. Now two fairly young children (I'm guessing they are under ten years) are alone. Years pass, and Richard (now Christopher Atkins) and Emmeline (now Brooke Shields) are coping fairly well with the basics of feeding themselves, but they are going through a variety of traumas as their bodies change. Matters like Emmeline's first period are not glossed over - it's easy to see how terrifying that could be for a young girl with no idea of what is happening to her. Emotionally, the pair are still children, and they squabble and tease one another just as children do. There are a series of events (nope, I'm not saying what) that split them apart, then bring them back together. Yes, they do learn about sex, and that is also handled sensitively - it could have come across as pornographic, but it doesn't, it comes across as tender and caring. The consequences are handled well, too. Bear in mind that these children, back on the ship, were still at the "cabbage patch" stage of sex education... Providing you have a broad enough mind not to be scandalised by the nudity (which is utterly appropriate to the setting), this is a sweet love story set in a tropical paradise, a study of innocence, with enough drama to add seasoning. Recommended.

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Calvin Klein Jeans

by Gunner from Bethlehem,Georgia on 2008-01-30
The Blue Lagoon DVD In 1980, when this film was released, there was quite a bit of controversy, most of it ill-founded. There were complaints about incest, but the two children are not brother and sister: Emmeline clearly addresses Arthur Lestrange as Uncle, while Richard calls him Father, so the closest they could be is cousins, and the use of Uncle may have been conventional (indicating guardianship) rather than literal. There were complaints about showing a 14-year-old actress nude, but they used body doubles for all of the nude scenes (Brooke Shields spends some of the commentary pointing which body double was used for which scene). The plot is fairly straightforward. A man, Arthur Lestrange (William Daniels), is taking two children, Emmeline (Elva Josephson) and Richard (Glenn Kohan), from Boston to San Francisco by sailing ship around the turn of the century (the date is not specified). Because the Panama Canal doesn't exist yet, they must travel right down to the bottom of South America to get around. After rounding the bottom, there's a fire aboard - something that is a serious concern, but in this case it is worse, because it is in a hold containing blasting powder, so the passengers are rowed away from the ship. In the confusion, the children are separated from Arthur Lestrange; they end up in a boat with Paddy, the ship's cook (Leo McKern). To make things worse, a heavy fog rolls in, the ship blows up, and they are adrift by themselves. Luck (and the scriptwriter) is with them, and they awaken within sight of an island. They are very fortunate to discover that this island has fresh water, ample fruit (bananas, papayas, and coconuts, amongst others), and is generally a tropical paradise. Paddy shows them various useful skills, including the construction of a hut, and collection of food, before dying. Now two fairly young children (I'm guessing they are under ten years) are alone. Years pass, and Richard (now Christopher Atkins) and Emmeline (now Brooke Shields) are coping fairly well with the basics of feeding themselves, but they are going through a variety of traumas as their bodies change. Matters like Emmeline's first period are not glossed over - it's easy to see how terrifying that could be for a young girl with no idea of what is happening to her. Emotionally, the pair are still children, and they squabble and tease one another just as children do. There are a series of events (nope, I'm not saying what) that split them apart, then bring them back together. Yes, they do learn about sex, and that is also handled sensitively - it could have come across as pornographic, but it doesn't, it comes across as tender and caring. The consequences are handled well, too. Bear in mind that these children, back on the ship, were still at the "cabbage patch" stage of sex education... Providing you have a broad enough mind not to be scandalized by the nudity (which is utterly appropriate to the setting), this is a sweet love story set in a tropical paradise, a study of innocence, with enough drama to add seasoning. Recommended For fans OF Brooke Shields(of Calvin Klein blue jeans fame) and love stories. Gunner January, 2008

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The Blue Lagoon

by Carrie McCord from Atlanta, Georgia on 2004-09-27
This movie is innocent, romantic, and sexy all combined in one great movie. Some may find it cheesy but I find it to be very endearing. If you are looking for a great Saturday afternoon, lazy day kind of movie then the Blue Lagoo is one movie you should definitly purchase.

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A Tale of Natual Love-Brooke Shields finest

by justine ryan from Melbourne, Australia on 2003-02-23
The Blue Lagoon is a true classic, never have I seen a film shot as beautifully as this one. It is a true story about natual love, the discovery of one's self, their bodies, their confusing feelings for one another as they hit man and womanhood. This film deals with a lot of issues- growing up on their own on a deserted island, their sexuality, masterbation, menstration, sex,parenthood. This film is wonderful. Never have I really seen a film that's not set in civillisation but is so entertaining for one but the story is just beautiful, and Brooke Shields as Emmeline and Christopher Atkins as Richard are fantastic. The musical score is truely beautiful and makes me feel a range of emotions. The first time I saw this film I was so fasinated by it, and was about the same age as the characters so I could relate to some of the emotions they were going through, the confusion of everything. Anyone thinking about buying this film-Go for it- You woun't regret it. As for the fans who have loved this film throught out the years, it was worth the wait. The Extras on the DVD are excellent. The two commentaries are very informative and I love listening to the Brooke Shields track and hearing her insight about the film and that time the film came out. It's also interesting looking at her own personal photo album and the featurette from 1980 is very interesting.This film will always be one of my favourites.-Brooke Shields is just beautiful and is one of the best actress' of her generation.

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There's nothing more beautiful than Nature itself.

by Michael Jones from Stroudsburg, Pa United States on 2003-02-07
There couldn't be a more beautiful movie than this one. It completely shows the way of human nature. When discussing philosophy and how some things work in this world, I refer to this movie so much. What is so true about the movie is that everything that happens in it is natural, innocent, and pure. Some might disagree with the content of the movie, well if someone can't handle nudity, they shouldn't be watching it.(that includes children) If you feel that it is appropriate for a child then let them see it. I first saw this movie at the age of 12 and thought it was a touching story. Some people might say that it's a dirty movie with it's sex scenes, but the beauty of the movie is that it was a natural experience where they weren�t having sex to "do it", but because they loved each other, and that's more beautiful than anything.

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Far and Away List Price: $9.99 Sale Price: $7.49 You save: $2.50 (25%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

A stubborn Irish farmer and a fiesty landowner's daughter emigrate to America in 1892 to make a new life for themselves. Includes notes, bios, highlights, and trailer.

Filmed in the widescreen splendor of "Panavision Super 70" and blessed with the finest production values that Hollywood clout can buy, this tale of spunky Irish immigrants forgot one crucial ingredient: a decent screenplay. The film is entertaining enough, and director Ron Howard brings his technical proficiency to the simple plot, culminating in a dynamic, breathtaking depiction of the Oklahoma land rush of 1893. But the movie is really just a vacuous vehicle for married stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as (respectively) the poor tenant farmer and rich landlord's daughter who flee Ireland to be American pioneers. The scenery and the stars are never less than stunning, but Howard falls short of the mark in his attempt to match the epic sweep of films by David Lean. On the other hand, this movie is certainly never boring even if it rarely makes sense, and Lean's own Irish epic, Ryan's Daughter, is a snoozer by comparison. --Jeff Shannon

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Original Release Date: 1992-05-22
Actors:

• Tom Cruise
• Nicole Kidman
• Thomas Gibson
• Robert Prosky
• Barbara Babcock

Reviews

"I have no wish to fight you (Leonard Maltin)" BAMM!

by Rory Jobst from Chicago, IL on 2000-07-11
When I first viewed this film when I was 10 years old on May 23, 1992, when fell in love with it from the very start. It was so rare a feeling at that age to actually feel good in a very human way, not just as a spectator. The movie's theme seems to be a very trite one: Always follow your dreams. Many films have tried to exercise this theme and failed miserably. They will pump a lot of cheesy moments into one finale, without any kind of supporting events to show that it is an earned pay off. FAR AND AWAY succeeds where these other films fail. The journey starts at point A and goes straight to point B without any pishposh in between. You are with Joseph and Shannon through their fortunes and misfortunes and see almost every step they take from getting to rural Ireland to Boston and finally to Oklahoma. What also makes it work is the onscreen chemistry between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The two had only done one movie together (DAYS OF THUNDER) before teaming up for this one. At the time, they had only been married for a year, so their new found love for each other was fresh in their minds and ready to be shared. The advantage Cruise has for playing a scrappy Irish boxer is his star status and the amount of time he spends with a personal trainer. His bulging muscles in the boxing scenes show that he's no longer the little bugger in RISKY BUSINESS. It also doesn't hurt that the film is beautifully shot, taking adavantage of the rich Irish coast and the vast farmland of Oklahoma. This beautifully illustrates the long journey of the films location and plot. How exceedingly different the images feel and how far must one travel to get to each! Perhaps another reason this film is so special to me is the complete and utter romantic feel it has. The beautiful scenery, the love between the two lead characters and actors, and the gorgeous music. The score is one of John Williams' best setting all the right moods in all the right places. He starts with traditional Irish folk sounds and moves into Coplandesque America. Watching this film, my heart always goes a flutter, thinking about how I want to achieve my dreams and ambitions. One of my dreams is true love. The way Joseph and Shannon find love is striving for their dream, not knowing it was there all along. I am madly in love with a girl right now. In my fantasies, I always picture myself as Joseph and her as Shannon, kissing on an open wheatfield, our land. Whenever I hear Enya's book of days played at the ending credits, I almost weep with joy thinking about holding her and sharing my love with her. Watching FAR AND AWAY is the closest I get to fulfilling my dreams at this point. Leonard Maltin complains of no story. If there was no story, there'd be no kind of journey and I would be completly detatched. I give FAR AND AWAY 5 stars because it has stirred almost every emotion in me for over 8 years. A movie like this deserves no less.

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I can't believe this is only a 2-star movie.

by from on 2004-04-11
I might I have only been intrigued by this movie because I was bored (first saw it at 12:00 at night on TV when I couldn't sleep), but I was shocked at what a MIRACULOUS film this is. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. For critics to say there was no story, WHERE WERE YOU DURING THIS MOVIE? All the twists and turns kept me guessing until the end. It was in no way predictable. All throughout the movie, I thought Shannon and Joseph would kiss and live happily ever after, but something would tear them apart. Films like this come few and far between. I highly recommend this epic!!!

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No day, no night ,no moment can hold them back from trying

by Robin Orlowski from United States on 2004-12-11
Then-husband and wife Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman headlined this 1992 Ron Howard release. Joseph Donnelly (Cruise) is the headstrong brother of a family of tenant farmers, who finds himself on the boat to America after he originally went to his landlord's mannor to avenge his father's death. Donnelly does not initially realize that Mr. Christie is actually a likeable (if absent minded) fellow, and it is his family associates who are responsible for the murder and the home burning. These Protestants look down upon the Catholic Donnellys (among many other families) as being beneath them. While there, he meets their daughter Shannon, a firebrand self-described modern woman who would do ANYTHING to avoid ending up like her mother's stuffy Victorian friends. From ridding fast to wearing free clothes, Shannon wants much more out of life than what she originally had. When she teams up with Joseph, she gets it. After her spoons are convieniently stolen upon arrival in America, Shannon comes to the painful realization that she does not know what to do. She is now in the position of having to learn survival skills from Joseph (who poses as her brother) if she is going to make it out to Oklahoma. Sure, improbabilities abound in this film (Cruise hangs out with brothel girls in an age before the ready availability of condoms, but never gets venereal disease, Shannon and her family are magically reunited in Boston even after she wanted nothing to do with them and did not appear to know their new address, and Mr. Christie himself has no problems pulling his own weight in America while the rest of his family had not known how to do these things). An excellent camera panning, a generally good script, and the hit 'book of days' by Enya easily compensate for any flaws. You become so involved in this film that the screenplay length ultimately does not matter. Well-crafted suprises maintain interest in the entire story. Cruise and Kidman's off-screen romance is by now a distant memory, but this film will keep your own passions burning brightly.

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Irish accents?

by Randy from Kingston Springs, TN United States on 2004-01-04
I really liked this movie but the reviews here are even more entertaining. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman had bad Irish accents? Vivian Leigh's Scarlet O'Hara had the worst southern American accent imaginable. Her movie (...."Gone with something?... wasn't it called?) managed to survive it.No story in Far and Away? Let's see... Spoiled rich Irish Protestant girl meets poor Catholic Irish boy and romantic sparks fly as surface insults are traded. Both dream of a new life in America but for different reasons. The parents of the girl are each magnificently portrayed by fine actors. The manager of the wealthy father's holdings, and Shannon's would-be suitor, is a man you love to hate thanks to the fine acting of this character.The cinematography is magnificent. The story varies from epic to tragic to comic to Western in the way a true Irish immigrant's life would unfold in the period. There's action and humor. There's an underlying dream driving the entire movie. There is a beautiful young woman and a handsome young man who both have the kind of drive an Irish immigrant would need to survive the rough and tumble life in America in the late 1800's.The costumes and sets are great. The land rush scenes are magnificent and accurately portray what has been captured in still photos of the real Oklahoma land rushes.There are no gratuitous sex scenes though the bawdiness of life in an Irish Boston whorehouse is honestly portrayed.There is a triumphant scene at the end where love does prevail over the desire for material wealth through land ownership.For the life of me, I cannot see what is missing from this movie. I liked it. I bought it. I'm glad I'm not married to some of these reviewers who would complain the luxury car I just bought them as a gift did not have enough lighting around the visor vanity mirror.Shannon Christie, the spoiled rich girl in this movie, has nothing on some of these reviewers.

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An overlooked gem.

by Owain Wilson from South Wales, UK on 2000-05-24
This is easily the most underrated film of the last decade. So ujust was its nasty reception, I sometimes wonder if everyone else saw the same film I did. I think the problem may be that it simply came at a time when no one wanted a film of this kind. A closer look at Far And Away reveals it has all the hallmarks of a glittering success. Here's the story: A century ago, a rich girl escapes from her suffocating fiancee, setting off to a new life across the Atlantic and falls for a poor boy who shows her a love she's never known. Sounds like a certain £1.8 billion grossing epic historical romance, right? Well, Ron Howard beat James Cameron to it but got the timing wrong. Charming, funny, exciting, and eventually awe-inspiring, Far And Away has everything you could hope for in a movie. As for the disc - picture and sound are dandy, but decent extras are sorely missing.

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Hope Floats List Price: $9.98 Sale Price: $5.99 You save: $3.99 (40%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

Birdee Pruitt (Bullock) has a life most people would envy. But when her cheating husband reveals infidelity to her on a national TV talk show, her perfect life comes crashing down. Devastated, Birdee and her young daughter head home to the small town she left behind. As mother and daughter struggle to adjust to their new lives, Birdee slowly gains the strength to open her heart and find hope again.

Cute-as-a-button Sandra Bullock is a homemaker who learns that her husband and best friend are having an affair. The so-called best friend reveals this information on a national chat show, leaving Bullock devastated and disgraced. Heading back to her small hometown in Texas, she seeks refuge with her eccentric mother. Laconic Harry Connick Jr., a former high-school classmate, attempts to bring Bullock out of her depression and win her heart. He has, you see, been carrying a torch for her since they were kids. You will not need a crystal ball to see where this is going. It works as a middling romance, but is an annoying waste of potential. The script has much to say about finding your true identity, but does so with all the sentimentality and depth of a Hallmark card. --Rochelle O'Gorman

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: TCFHE
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Original Release Date: 1998-05-29
Actors:

• Sandra Bullock
• Harry Connick Jr.
• Gena Rowlands
• Mae Whitman
• Michael Paré

Reviews

You CAN Go Home Again.....

by L. Shirley from fountain valley, ca United States on 2003-09-13
This review refers to the 20th Century Fox DVD edition of "Hope Floats"..... Forest Whitaker gives us a nice taste of his behind the camera talents with his direction of this touching and romantic feel good film. He has assembled a terrific cast including the charming Sandra Bullock,the irresistable Harry Connick Jr.,and the always wonderful Gena Rowlands. Add to that a story that will touch you with it's character's strength, humor and loving bonds of family by Steven Rogers, a soundtrack you'll want to hear over and over and terrific photogrpahy and you've got yourself a great recipe for a delightful movie break. Birdie Pruitt(Bullock)was the sweetheart of her hometown, Smithville, Texas. She had it all..beauty queen, cheerleader,married to her high school sweetheart,a daughter who is the apple of her eye, and living the good life now in Chicago. But Birdie's perfect life is about to unravel. After appearing on one of those afternoon talk shows for what she thinks will be a make-over, she is hit with the awful truth that her best friend and husband are having an affair. Devasted, humiliated on national T.V., and feeling all is lost, she packs up herself and her daughter and beats a retreat back to Smithville. The road back to self-esteem is a long one for Birdie, as she shuts herself off from life and love and must deal with readjusting to a new life. Sandra Bullock will warm your heart as she learns to open hers again. Harry Connick Jr. will keep you smiling, as the childhood friend who has always loved her, and tries to breakdown Birdie's walls. And Gena Rowlands is perfect as the mother who won't let her child give up. Bernice, Birdie's young daughter is played brillantly by the young Mae Whitman and will evoke a lump in your throat as the child of divorce. Lots of great music including songs by Sheryl Crow, Bryan Adams and a beautiful rendition of "Smile" by Charles Chaplin, added to a moving score by Dave Grusin,are all just the right touches to this heartwarming story. The DVD is an excellent presentation. The picture in widescreen(1.85:1)is very good with nice colors.The Sound in Dolby Dig 5.1 surrounds the room nicely.It may be viewed in French(stereo) and has subtitles in English and Spanish for those needing them. There are no other special features though. If you're in need of a little pick-me-up, this is the film to do it. A feel good movie that's romantic, poignant and humorous, will leave you appreciating all that you already have, and with a smile as well. enjoy.....Laurie also recommended: Diamonds Meet Joe Black

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Hope Floats

by Kelly from Littleton, Colorado on 2008-03-19
What an excellent movie about how difficult it is to go home. Birdie Pruitt was what every girl dreams of being in high school - the cheerleader, beauty queen, and married to her sweetheart. When her husband leaves her for none other than her best friend, Birdie comes home to start her life again. For some, it is nice to have her home, but for others, they love throwing her failures in her face.

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My Cup Runneth Over..............

by Psboston7 from Upland, CA United States on 2003-04-14
This has to be one of my very favorite movies and the soundtrack is THE BEST COUNTRY music I have ever heard, and I don't even listen to Country Music LOL in fact I liked the music (and the movie) so much I have purchased both for friends at least twice!!! On to my review.....Gena Rowlands is Fantastic as the Momma, Harry Connick Jr. is simply charming as the "wanna be" Beau, the actor that played "Travis" was adorable and heartwarming, Bernice (the daughter of Sandra Bullock in the movie) was casted very well she was perfect as a stubborn, hurt and confused little girl trying to deal with the divorce of her Beloved Daddy and her (now seen as the enemy) Momma. Of course I can not leave out Sandra Bullock I was impressed with her ability to portray the hurt and the recovery of a women who has sunk to depression after her husband has found another, a mother that is struggling to keep it together for her child and a daughter that comes home to a town and a Mother that remembers her in a certain light.Forrest Whitaker did a tremendous job In my Honest Opinion with selecting this cast, creating scenes that make you feel all of what the characters are going through. From the Gena Rowlands character all the way to the children. I can not recommend this movie enough for anyone. Caution.... It's not light, there are some funny moments and there are some very sad moments. It deals with death, infidelity and parents neglecting their children.I watched this with my 12 year old, she loved it!!! The soundtrack maybe hard to find but do yourself a favor FIND IT!! it is definately worth it. I had to finally find mine on auction sites and it can come pretty pricy brand new/sealed but still if I ever heard something worth the ticket price the soundtrack for this movie is one of them.Also if you like this type of movie (with pretty much the same subject matter) check out "Something to Talk About" which stars Gena Rowland as the Momma as well. Respectfully Reviewed

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The best romance ever made

by from on 1999-09-09
The first time I saw this movie, was one night at my best friends house. We were expecting a sizzling romance with a lot of love scenes. Instead we got a straight forward movie about life, love and hard choices. We both fell in love with the characters. It's so real because as soon as Birdee comes back, she doesn't immediately fall for Justin, she's still hurt, and she still has feelings for Bill. Gradually she lets him inside her world of hurt feelings and broken hearts and realizes she does love him, but she wants things to work out with Bill, so she leaves him in the dust. After the funeral, she realizes that Justin's not going to give up on her, no matter what. It's so realistic, her pain is so real. The feelings between her and Bernice are so real because not every mother and daughter are as close as they could be. Tissues are a must, I've seen this movie so many times, I know all the lines, but I still cry. For those that have never been through this sort of pain, this movie can be incredibly long and boring, just wait until a bad breakup to watch it. You'll change your mind.

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Hope Floats

by from on 2005-09-15
Title: Hope Floats Producer: Lynda Obst Released: 1998 Length: 114 min. Rating: pg 13 "Sandra Bullock gives her most critically acclaimed performance in this touching and heart warming story about following your heart and finding yourself. Birdee Pruitt {Bullock} has a life most people would envy. But when her cheating husband infidelity to her on a national television show, then her perfect life comes crashing down. Devastated Birdee, and her young daughter head home to the small town she left behind. As mother, and daughter struggle to adjust to their new lives, Birdee slowly gains strength to open up her heart, and find hope again. "Hope Floats" is just like my life. My dad cheats on my mom, we move in with our grandma and grandpa, and then we struggle to fit into our new environment. For instance, I think it is a good movie because it is sad, and it is just like my life. Like when my Barents split, my mom went on a date and I didn't like the guy she was with, and I didn't want her to talk to him. In the movie the little girl felt the same way I did when my parents broke up. Next, I thought it was very sad, because of what the little girl had to go through, and how she always felt. Finally, I can tell you that I thought it was funny. If you're the type that likes a mixture of things, like humor, sad, witty, etc... Than this is your kind of movie. It is such a realistic movie. Everything that happens in real life happens in the movie. I highly recommend this movie for the ages 11-99 should see this movie. I'm not telling you what happens in the end of the movie. So if you want to know what happens, than go rent it. By: Shelby Selig

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The English Patient (Miramax Collector's Edition) List Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $12.99 You save: $7.00 (35%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

Winner of 9 Academy Awards(R) in 1996, including Best Picture, Best Director (Anthony Minghella) and Best Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche), this powerful motion picture is an experience you will never forget. During World War II, a mysterious stranger (Ralph Fiennes) is cared for by American allies unaware of his dangerous past. Yet, as the mystery of his identity is revealed, an incredible tale of passion, intrigue, and adventure unfolds. Also starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, and Willem Dafoe.

Winner of nine Academy Awards and almost every critic's heart, The English Patient (based on Michael Ondaatje's prizewinning novel of love and loss during World War II) is one of the most acclaimed films of modern times. Hana, a nurse (Juliette Binoche), tends to an archaeologist (Ralph Fiennes) who has been burnt to a crisp in a plane crash. As their relationship intensifies, he flashes back to his overwhelming passion for a married woman (Kristin Scott Thomas). Meanwhile, Hana begins a new romance with a man who defuses bombs (Naveen Andrews) and Willem Dafoe almost steals the show as the thumbless thief Caravaggio. The intricately layered flashback narrative, sounding the depths of the lovers' hearts, improves with repeated viewings.

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
Original Release Date: 1996-11-15
Actors:

• Ralph Fiennes
• Juliette Binoche
• Willem Dafoe
• Kristin Scott Thomas
• Naveen Andrews

Reviews

A Beautiful Painting

by Bobby Underwood from Manly NSW, Australia on 2005-09-05
This rare and beautiful film, based on a book that is felt as much as read, transcends the medium to become art. Painted on a vast desert canvas with deep rich oils, its beauty is felt as much as seen. This film will find your heart and remain there forever. If love had a face, it would look like this. Director Anthony Minghella's screenplay shifts the center of Michael Ondaatje's story slightly in order to capture on film the essence of his beautiful prose. Ondaatje's novel is one of poetic beauty, a potrait of a rose beneath the water's surface. The film brings that beautiful rose out of the water and into the sunlight. The book and the film are so deeply intertwined you can not watch this film without wanting to read the book, nor can you read the book without wanting to see the film. The story itself centers around three people either in love with, or haunted by ghosts they have loved and lost to war. Juliette Binoche gives an Oscar winning performance as Hana, a kind nurse with a gentle spirit but a damaged heart. She latches onto the burned and charred body of a man known only as the English patient, and ends up caring for him in a shell ravaged Italian villa in Tuscany where she feeds him plums and reads to him. When a man named Caravaggio with scars of his own arrives, the mystery of who the English patient really is begins to unfold via flashbacks. In the present, Hana begins to let her heart heal when she falls in love with a Sikh who disarms bombs left by the Germans. It is the memories of the English patient, however, which are at the heart of this film. Ralph Fiennes gives a subtle performance as the introspective Almasy, part of an international expedition mapping an unending desert with both the romance, and the danger of the sea. Kristin Scott Thomas is wonderful as Katherine Clifton, the stunningly beautiful and enigmatic wife of a fellow mapper. An instant but unspoken attraction between she and Almasy finally becomes too unbearable to ignore and the affair that holds the key to the mystery surrounding the English patient begins. This is one of the most romantic films ever made and is filled with the joy and anguish of love and war. It shows that while war may create logistical lines that can not be crossed, the heart has no boundaries. Anyone who has ever experienced a love of such emotional intensity and physical longing that love and need became one will understand the love affair of Katherine and Almasy. Cinematographer John Seale has given this film a grace and beauty seldom seen on film. A haunting score full of mystery and romance from Gabriel Yard accompany scenes never to be forgotten, and will not be described here in case you have not yet seen them. Director Anthony Minghella explores the mystery of the desert, and the heart, which according to the "The Histories" by Herodotus, a book the English patient clings to, is an organ of fire. If there is but one ounce of romance in your soul, you will love "The English Patient." It is a well charted and romantic map of the human heart, as wide and treacherous as the unending desert. This will be one of your favorite films once you see it. I promise.

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Ownership, belonging and an earth without maps.

by Themis-Athena from from somewhere between California and Germany on 2004-05-15
After the publication of Michael Ondaatje's Booker-Prize-winning "English Patient," conventional wisdom soon held that the novel, while a masterpiece of fiction, was entirely untransferable to any other medium: too intricately layered seemed its narrative structure; too significant its protagonists' inner life; too rich its symbolism. Then along came Anthony Minghella, who reportedly read it in a single sitting and was so disoriented afterwards that he didn't even remember where he was - but who called producer Paul Zaentz the very next morning and talked him into bringing the novel to the screen. Two major studios and several fights over the casting of key roles later, the result were an astonishing nine Oscars (Best Picture, Director - Anthony Minghella -, Supporting Actress - Juliette Binoche -, Cinematography, Editing, Art Direction, Costume Design, Original Score and Sound), as well as scores of other awards. "The English Patient" is an epic tale of love and loss; of ownership, belonging and the bars erected thereto. It unites the stories of five people: Hungarian count Laszlo de Almasy (Ralph Fiennes), mistaken as English by a British Army medical unit in Italy after professing to have forgotten his identity; Hana (Juliette Binoche), Almasy's Canadian nurse; Katherine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas), his erstwhile lover; Kip (Naveen Andrews), a Sikh sapper and Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), an ex-spy and thief. All outsiders, they are struggling to come to terms with their lives: Almasy, on his deathbed, reflects back to his life as a North African explorer and his affair with Katherine; Hana believes herself cursed because everybody she cares for dies (in the movie her fiance and her best friend; in the novel her fiance, her father and her unborn baby), Katherine is taken to an all-male company of explorers in Cairo by her husband Geoffrey (Colin Firth), Kip, like Hana, is far away from home (the only Indian in an otherwise British and Italian environment) and Caravaggio lost his livelihood after his thumbs were cut off in captivity by the Germans, on a sadistic officer (Juergen Prochnow)'s orders. Like the novel, the movie's story largely unfolds in flashbacks: After Hana convinces her superiors to let her stay and nurse Almasy in an abandoned Tuscan villa, she and new arrival Caravaggio, who holds Almasy responsible for his fate, extract the details of his life in Africa and the truth about Katherine, Geoffrey and the events uniting him with the Cliftons and Caravaggio from Almasy in a series of conversations. But at the same time, the story is anchored in the present by Hana's growing attachment to Kip, which shines a different light on the themes also driving Almasy and his relationship with Katherine. The film's outstanding cast, which in key roles also includes Julian Wadham as Almasy's friend Madox and Kevin Whately as Kip's sergeant Hardy carries the story marvelously: Probably their biggest award loss(besides Fiennes's and Scott Thomas's Oscar and other "best lead" nominations and Minghella's screenplay Oscar nomination) was the 1997 SAG ensemble award, which instead went to "The Birdcage." In his screenplay Minghella made several changes vis-a-vis the novel; the biggest of these doubtlessly a shift in focus from Hana, Caravaggio and Kip to Almasy and Katherine, and the fact that the film is much more explicit about Almasy's identity than the novel. Both were wise choices: Hana's inner demons in the novel are largely exactly that - *inner* demons, moreover, substantially grounded in the past and thus even more difficult to portray than Almasy's and Katherine's. Similarly, once the focus had moved to the latter couple, Kip's back story would have extended the movie without significantly advancing it; and the same is true for the intersections between Caravaggio's path and that of Hana's father. Secondly, mistaken *national* identity is overall more central to Almasy's character than identity as such; so the novel's intricate mystery about his persona might well have proven unnecessarily distracting in the movie's context. Indeed, once Almasy had become the story's greatest focus, much of its symbolism virtually even required that there be no real doubt about his identity. But in all core respects, Minghella remained faithful to Ondaatje's novel; particularly regarding its profoundly impressionistic imagery, as shown, for example, in the curves formed by the Northern African desert's endless sand dunes, which in John Seale's magnificent and justly awardwinning cinematography resemble those of a woman's body as much as they do in Ondaatje's language, thus uniting Almasy's two greatest loves in a single symbol. Doubtlessly the most important image is that of maps: Guides to unknown places like those drawn by Almasy and his friends during their explorations, but also tools of ownership like the cartography of Northern Africa made possible by Geoffrey Clifton's photos, and ultimately symbols of betrayal, as Almasy surrenders his maps to the Germans in exchange for a plane after he feels deserted by the British. And while Kip, who spends all day searching for bombs but wants to be found at night, guides Hana to himself by a series of tiny signposts in the form of oil lamps - but still never tries to expect her, in order not to get too much attached to her - Almasy, the perpetual loner who declares that he hates ownership more than anything else, gets so attached to Katherine that he claims her suprasternal notch as his exclusive property and later refers to her as his wife, which due to her marriage to Geoffrey she couldn't truly be in life and could only symbolically become in death. - The final word on maps, belonging and ownership, however, is part of Katherine's legacy to Almasy (and I still prefer the novel's language here): "I believe in such cartography - to be marked by nature, not just label ourselves on a map like the names of rich men and women on buildings. We are communal histories, communal books. ... All I desired was to walk upon such an earth that had no maps." Also recommended: The English Patient Secret Life of Laszlo Almasy Wind, Sand and Stars Night Flight Anil's Ghost: A Novel The End of the Affair Up at the Villa Chocolat (Miramax Collector's Series) The Histories (Penguin Classics)

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Brilliant

by J. Blilie from Twin Cities, MN on 2005-02-02
I love this movie. In fact, it was the first movie I ever purchased (VHS) many moons ago. I first saw it in a theater with a hard-bitten financial-analyst friend of mine (male, straight). I'm an engineer (male, straight). We are not weepy types. We were both moved very much by this movie. I don't agree at all that this is a chick-flick. This is a movie aimed at adults. If you want: constant action, simplistic plot, black-and-white relationships, car crashes, shoot outs (OK, it does have some crashes and shooting), then you probably want to look elsewhere. Casablanca, to which this movie has been contrasted, (though a good movie) could fall into the category of propaganda: produced during WWII, everyone conformed to the main line. Real people had real lives going on during WWII. I find that the negative reviews of this movie fall into two categories: 1) those who are (terribly) morally offended by extra-marital affairs, and 2) those that can't follow a complex plot and set of characters. If you can see beyond those issues, and you like a good, complex tragedy, you should enjoy this movie. The first type of critic needs to grow up an realize that people are more complex than black and white caricatures. John Wayne was realistic?!? The fact that both lovers die, painfully, in the end isn't enough tragic retribution for you? Some folks will never be satisfied until everyone agrees with them and conforms. For the second type of critic: best to stick with action movies. This is a wonderful movie. The cinematography is gorgeous, music is fantastic, story is complex and compelling, the characters diverse and engaging. Everyone I know liked this movie a lot. Two love stories, plenty of tragedy and twists. Great actors and acting. The story is revealed slowly through flashbacks, it's a great dramatic device and works very well. I am a voracious reader and I have read the book as well: I prefer the movie (I can only say this about one other novel/movie: Dr. Zhivago). Like I said, everyone I know liked it very much. Enjoy.

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Old School Passion & Filmmaking

by The JuRK from Our Vast, Cultural Desert on 2005-01-02
I'm one of the people who was completely taken with THE ENGLISH PATIENT when I saw it in theatres, but was also amused when Elaine Benis on "Seinfeld" goofed on it later. Or, should I say, goofed on everyone who loved it. The non-linear story structure, the superb acting, the gorgeous photography, the unfolding mystery of what happened to the doomed couple--all of it hit me just right. While other people complained at the film's slow pace, I was soaking up the period details and authentic locations. I played the soundtrack CD for months afterward (and still do sometimes), finding myself lost in the distant and sometimes-haunting music. There were so many terrible movies in the 1990s, just mere product crafted by committee and focus groups, that the intimate--though tragic--feel of this story felt very personal and real. You know the couple played by Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas are in BIG trouble from the moment they meet. Just watch their eyes and expressions. Allowing a passion to spread like that has major implications on everyone around them and, in this case, also has major implicactions on a world on the brink of war. (One footnote: the church I attend put out a list of Top Ten Reasons to Boycott Disney shortly after the film came out. Perhaps scraping for a reason to fill out the list, number 10 was "Boycott Disney because it funds Miramax, which produced THE ENGLISH PATIENT, a film that glorifies adultery." Huh? How anyone can watch this film and believe that these characters, tormented by guilt and confusion, indulging in a passion that not only kills them all but also contributes to Nazi victories in Africa, completely escapes me.)

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Beautiful, Absolutely Beautiful

by kz. from on 2002-06-19
I'm not really sure why this movie's being panned as severely as it is. Maybe the dense plot put off those looking for an action epic. Maybe the passionate but ultimately destructive relationship put off those looking for a formulaic happy-ending fluff romance. Maybe these people just don't like thinking during movies, because this movie doesn't lay everything out for you and you have to work to figure out character motivations, plot, symbolism, etc. But to me, all those things that this movie isn't only adds to its richness and beauty.The story is told half in flashbacks, half in present tense, with the beginning a sort of bridge between the two: Story A, Juliette Binoche's nurse caring for the mysterious English Patient, begins at the end of Story B, where Ralph Fiennes (on an expedition in the desert) falls madly in love with a married woman (Thomas). Later, Story C also interweaves with A and B, telling of Willem Dafoe's bitter thief and his connection with the English Patient. This storytelling device is probably what makes the movie brilliant (although the acting, romance and cinematography are hardly to be treated lightly). Despite technical brilliance, it is The English Patient's examination of emotions that gives it its heart; the sheer passion of the movie makes me cry every time I see it. And the characters are fascinating, much like Anthony Minghella's later work, The Talented Mr Ripley. No one here can be called a caricature, with the possible exception of Katherine; while you may not understand everything they do, part of the fun is piecing together their actions into complex individuals.You should be warned that you do see a bit more of both Thomas and Binoche than you perhaps would like to, and Almasy and Katherine DO engage in adultery, but if you can overcome any objections to either of those issues and keep your mind open, you may be as moved as I was. The English Patient is a heart-breaking, passionate, powerful, dense, confusing, mesmerizing, extraordinary, and simply beautiful movie.

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Meet Joe Black Sale Price: $9.99   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black (Brad Pitt), who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan (Claire Forlani).

Meet Joe Black seemed almost fated to fail when it was released in 1998, but this romantic fantasy--a remake of 1934's Death Takes a Holiday--deserves a chance at life after box-office death. Although many moviegoers were turned off by director Martin Brest's overindulgent three-hour running time, those who gear into its deliberate pace will find that Meet Joe Black offers ample reward for your attention. Brad Pitt plays Death with a capital D, enjoying some time on Earth by inhabiting the body of a young man who'd been killed in a shockingly sudden pedestrian-auto impact. Before long, Death has ingratiated himself with a wealthy industrialist (Anthony Hopkins) and pursues romance with the man's beautiful daughter (newcomer Claire Forlani), whom he'd briefly encountered while still an earthbound human. Under the assumed identity of "Joe Black," he samples all the pleasures that corporeal life has to offer--power, romance, sex, and such enticing pleasures as peanut butter by the spoonful. But Death has a job to do, and Meet Joe Black addresses the heart-wrenching dilemma that arises when either father or daughter (the plot keeps us guessing) must confront his or her inevitable demise. The film takes its own sweet time to establish this emotional crisis and the love that binds Hopkins's semidysfunctional family so closely together. But if you've stuck with the story this far, you may find yourself surprisingly affected. And if Meet Joe Black has really won you over, you'll more than appreciate the care and affection that gives the film a depth and richness that so many critics chose to ignore. --Jeff Shannon

Meet Joe Black seemed almost fated to fail when it was released in 1998, but this romantic fantasy--a remake of 1934's Death Takes a Holiday--deserves a chance at life after box-office death. Although many moviegoers were turned off by director Martin Brest's overindulgent three-hour running time, those who gear into its deliberate pace will find that Meet Joe Black offers ample reward for your attention. Brad Pitt plays Death with a capital D, enjoying some time on Earth by inhabiting the body of a young man who'd been killed in a shockingly sudden pedestrian-auto impact. Before long, Death has ingratiated himself with a wealthy industrialist (Anthony Hopkins) and pursues romance with the man's beautiful daughter (newcomer Claire Forlani), whom he'd briefly encountered while still an earthbound human. Under the assumed identity of "Joe Black," he samples all the pleasures that corporeal life has to offer--power, romance, sex, and such enticing pleasures as peanut butter by the spoonful. But Death has a job to do, and Meet Joe Black addresses the heart-wrenching dilemma that arises when either father or daughter (the plot keeps us guessing) must confront his or her inevitable demise. The film takes its own sweet time to establish this emotional crisis and the love that binds Hopkins's semidysfunctional family so closely together. But if you've stuck with the story this far, you may find yourself surprisingly affected. And if Meet Joe Black has really won you over, you'll more than appreciate the care and affection that gives the film a depth and richness that so many critics chose to ignore. --Jeff Shannon

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Original Release Date: 1998-11-13
Actors:

• Brad Pitt
• Anthony Hopkins
• Claire Forlani
• Jake Weber
• Marcia Gay Harden

Reviews

Subtle...like a feather from Heaven

by Janice Sims from Central Florida on 1999-04-18
I'm not a Brad Pitt fan. His physical attributes don't astound and thrill me! But, I've got to give it to him: He was convincing in his dual roles as the coffee shop sweetie and Mr. Death. Claire Forlani, whom I've never seen in a film before was simply luminous. She's the perfect Susan in this parable of one man's last days on earth. Anthony Hopkins as Bill Parrish is remarkable, as always. He truly makes you feel as though he's a man with little time left and has to spend the rest of his alloted time cleaning up his act, making amends with his loved ones, assuring his daughters that he loves them and has always loved them. Also, Marcia Gay Hardin and Jeffrey Tambor are both extremely good as the number two daughter (in her father's heart) and her slightly inept (business wise) husband. They're both touching. I wasn't put off by the length of the film. I think we should take the time to savor some things in life. Slow down, relax and enjoy this beautiful offering from Martin Brest. You did a good job, Marty!

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Anthony Hopkin's Oscar worthy performance

by Reine des Coeurs from New York, NY USA on 2003-12-18
I'll admit that only morbid curiosity led me to watch this movie upon it's initial release. The premise of this remake sounded interesting, but the over the top costs and production problems had been tabloid fodder for months. When it didn't do blockbuster business, not many people were surprised.It's a shame that this movie didn't do better than mediocre reviews and lukewarm boxoffice receipts. There I sat in the audience marveling at the gorgeous design and antiques, not to mention the exquisite costume design. So many films these days go for established designers, but this movie used a studio designer much like the days of the old Hollywood system. The attention to detail is exquisite.As for the acting, it all boiled down to one scene for me. Anthony Hopkins describing the first time he'd ever had a lamb sandwich to Brad Pitt. It turns into one of the most beautiful remembrance speeches of a widower for the wife he still grieves. Needless to say even this heartless cynic got a bit misty. To have a man express such love without sounding condescending or corny is quite a feat. It's enough to make you believe in the power of a good actor.Brad Pitt also deserves kudos for this role. Despite living through a personal hell and sustaining an injury, he does a great job in his double role. I thought the scene in which Death says good bye to Claire Forlani's character was some of his best acting.

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A Really Classy Film

by Emily Davis from on 2000-01-03
This film has something that most flicks today can only dream of: class. It doesn't spoon-feed the plot to you, and it doesn't have useless dialogue crammed into every nook and cranny. Those who say this film drags should stick to children's cartoons. There is so much happening beneath the surface. Some just tune out the gaps in dialogue, and that's a real tragedy, because that's when the most happens, and the film really shines. Pitt, Hopkins, and Forlani are tremendous. Pitt's combination of power and innocence is flawless. This film is the most sophisticated to come out in a while, and the fact that the critics don't like it doesn't phase me one bit, nor does it surprise me. Meet Joe Black is a breath of fresh air: a truly elegant film.

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Uplifting and enlightening

by from on 1999-11-22
After reviewing all 206 reviews for this movie, I've come to the realization there is still a majority of intelligent people who watch movies, not just teenagers who want action and adventure. I admit that when my sister gave me this movie to watch, I almost gave it back to her without seeing it because I didn't think I would care for it. Was I wrong! I've seen it three times in a week and I can't believe it was three hours long -- it seemed to carry me away and I didn't want it to stop. I must admit that when the accident scene occurred after the coffee shop, I was so shocked that I thought I'd hate the rest of the movie. I almost turned it off, but I'm so grateful I didn't. By the end of the movie I felt such elation and satisfaction. By the second viewing, I wasn't so shocked by the accident so I was better able to absorb the emotions and interactions of the characters. Since I'm a recent widow (December '98) and then my mother died on my birthday in May of '99, I couldn't imagine ever watching another romantic movie. But the absorbing story just draws you in, and by the time Anthony Hopkins says, "it's hard to say good-bye, isn't it?" I knew exactly how Joe must have felt saying good-bye to Susan. This is a feel-good movie by the end and a roller coaster ride of emotions for three hours Don't listen to the dribble of teenagers who would rather watch movies such as Animal House or Something About Mary -- they probably watch all those stupid sit-coms, too.

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In the top 5 of my favorites

by Caprica from Maryland on 2005-05-30
Every frame of this film is beautiful. It has the look and feel of a Merchant/Ivory film. The musical score is by Thomas Newman. He is my favorite modern composer. I can hear his reverence for the piano. I can't watch this film without crying no matter how many times I see it. I agree with another reviewer: a favorite scene is when Anthony Hopkins describes how he came to like cold lamb sandwiches. It took great care for this film to take something so simple and give it such depth and richness. If you like love stories, you'll like this film. If you like fantasy, you'll like this film. Because sadly, love and fantasy are so often synonymous.

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A Walk in the Clouds List Price: $14.98 Sale Price: $14.49 You save: $0.49 (3%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

After returning from World War II, a young G.I. (Keanu Reeves) finds he has little in common with the wife he left behind. Disillusioned, he heads north to work as a travelling salesman where he meets the daughter (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) of a wealthy vineyard owner (Giancarlo Giannini). On her way home, she is unmarried and pregnant. The young man gallantly offers to help by posing as her husband for one night, unaware that doing so will change both of their lives forever.

Keanu Reeves is completely wooden in this romantic misfire by Alfonso Arau (Like Water for Chocolate). Reeves plays a World War II vet who hits the road as a traveling salesman and agrees to help a desperate, pregnant woman (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon)--who is afraid to let her father (Giancarlo Giannini) see her condition--by pretending to be her husband. Most of the story takes place in the old man's vineyard, and Arau makes a life of swollen fruit, grape-stomping, sunlight, and tan flesh that looks amazingly erotic. But there are plenty of sillier distractions, such as the sight of farm hands chasing insects with flapping gossamer wings attached to their arms. Reeves is terribly self-conscious, while stalwart Anthony Quinn is memorable as the damsel's benevolent grandfather. --Tom Keogh

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Original Release Date: 1995-08-11
Actors:

• Keanu Reeves
• Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
• Anthony Quinn
• Giancarlo Giannini
• Angélica Aragón

Reviews

So what's so wrong with this movie?

by Richard J. Teasdale from Grand Blanc, MI USA on 2000-06-14
I read all the other reviews for this movie, and I was amazed at the negative comments the guys made about it. Well, I'm a guy and I loved this movie. Okay, so Keanu Reeves doesn't get the award for best dramatic actor of the century, but he's a lot better than, say, Jim Carey. I didn't perceive him as "woody" or "stoic," but rather I saw him portraying a polite and shy young man who helps out a young woman in distress at his own personal inconvenience. That's a trait you don't see very often these days. It's a pleasant and refreshing change to see a young soldier who is actually moral and decent and willing to help, even at personal loss to himself. Yes, it's a huge chick flick. So what? A lot of chick flicks are great movies, and this is one of them. Buy it and watch it with someone you love. You'll have a great time. The photography is spectacular. The music is great. The story is predictable, but then, so are the plots of most of the action movies. It's a rare movie that is completely unpredictable. This is one you won't forget. Thanks to those who produced it for giving us a good example of the way real men act around women, particularly women in need. This is one movie you can watch with anyone... your spouse, your kids, your date. It's a good, clean, moral tale of shivalry that warms your heart and restores your faith in humanity. It's a totally enjoyable experience.

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I love this movie !

by Alejandra Vernon from Long Beach, California on 2000-06-11
This is an incredibly beautiful film. It is gentle, sweet, and full of love. With gorgeous cinematography and a wonderful cast, it will transport you to another era. Keanu Reeves is marvelous in it, as is Anthony Quinn. Their drinking/singing scene is priceless. It's a one of a kind gem and if you want some warmth and humanity in your entertainment, this is the one to watch.

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An excellent old-fashioned love story.

by Erik Olson from Ridgefield, WA United States on 2005-03-06
I've enjoyed a number of Keanu Reeves' movies, from "Bill and Ted" and "The Matrix" to the more recent "Constantine." "A Walk in the Clouds" is one of his forays into the romance genre, and it's a favorite of mine in that category. The story begins during the waning days of WWII, where Army veteran Paul (Reeves) arrives in San Francisco after four years of combat. He makes his way home and surprises a wife he barely knows. After an awkward reunion, she practically shoves him out the door the next day with an admonition to start raking in the bucks by selling chocolates. The life of a traveling salesman is not what he had in mind, but he decides to make a go of it for her sake. On a train bound for Sacramento, Paul literally bumps into Victoria, a mysterious, attractive Latino woman (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) who immediately vomits on him. After a couple more odd encounters, they wind up together on the side of a country road. She tearfully informs Paul that her grad school professor-slash-lover impregnated and then dumped her. She fears that her ultra-conservative, autocratic father Alberto (Giancarlo Giannini) will kill her for soiling the Aragon family name by returning home an unwed mother. A scheme is hatched where Paul agrees to pose as Victoria's husband for a day, and then abandon her so she can save face. Of course, things don't quite work out so easily, especially when Paul and Victoria begin to have feelings for each other. "A Walk in the Clouds" is a visual and relational treat. The scenery of the Aragon estate and surrounding vineyard is almost otherworldly in its lush beauty (hence the movie's title), and made me want to book the next flight to California wine country (even more than "Sideways" did). More impressive was the close-knit traditional Latino family atmosphere, dramatically embodied in the sensual winemaking ceremony, where the married women dance the newly harvested grapes into juice. However, all is not perfect in paradise. Alberto is threatened by his non-traditional daughter and Stanford educated son, who wants to apply modern business theory to the old-world winery. "Gringo" Paul becomes the focal point for his insecurities, and their conflict escalates towards an uncertain and traumatic resolution. Some have criticized Keanu Reeves for having a "wooden" demeanor. True, he's not the most expressive performer in cinema. But his low-key acting style perfectly fits the character of Paul, a man of the stoic WWII generation dealing with PTSD and his status as an orphan. I was able to sympathize with and root for Paul throughout his journey, and I commend Mr. Reeves for enabling me to do that. The other actors also turn in excellent performances, especially the late Anthony Quinn as Don Pedro, the chocolate loving, brandy drinking sage patriarch who takes Paul under his wing. He provides a good contrast to Giannini's driven Alberto, so concerned about preserving his family that he's forgotten how to love them. And I can't leave out the lovely Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, whose passionate and intelligent Victoria is the thinking man's movie-character catch. "A Walk in the Clouds" is one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen, and it holds up well under repeated viewings. Highly recommended. WARNING: The next paragraph has some SPOILER content, but for those concerned with moral content I want to comment on Paul's character and must do so within the context of a choice he makes. I was surprised and gladdened that Paul was an honorable man who valued family relationships and put the needs of others before his own desires. He doesn't take the easy way out from his albatross wife, even after finding the woman and family he's always longed for. Paul perseveres through sexual temptation, not because of dogma, but because he cares about Victoria and doesn't want to hurt her. Despite his feelings for Victoria, he demonstrates loyalty to his shallow, materialistic wife and tries to work things out. That kind of virtue is somewhat rare in a Hollywood production these days, and lends a welcome old-fashioned, family-friendly air to the movie (END OF SPOILER).

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His Head in the Clouds?

by Curtis M. Harrell, Jr. from Chicago, Illinois USA on 2005-09-18
Just viewed this movie for the third or fourth time since seeing it at the show ten years ago, and still find it an amazing film, for light entertainment-slash-sentimental love story. (Note to all would-be movie reviewers: Learn how to review a movie for what it is, on its own terms, and not for what it is not.) Its a period piece, with stunningly gorgeous cinematography and locales, and a pretty good turn at story-telling, craftsmanship and acting - yes - even on Keanu Reeves' part. (There seems to be a trend amongst male movie reviewers to give `de facto bad reviews' to such actors as Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves, 'just because'. Its a sad testament to the frailty of the male ego that some of us feel threatened, challenged, and even competitive with a guy we probably don't even know, and will most likely never meet.) Anyway, I don't really know what movie the Amazon reviewer saw, because, frankly, he was blatantly wrong on all the salient points about this film. First off, its a good movie, for its genre and the story it tells. Next, Keanu Reeves is completely plausible, and likable in his role as a war Veteran who saw, and endured many terrible things during his time of service, attempted to forget it all, then tried to come back to a normal life with a wife he married on a spur of the moment, as many soldiers do, hoping to make it work. (There was even a pivotal scene between Keanu and Giancarlo Giannini, where he explains why and how he had to `close himself off' emotionally, to do what he had to do to survive the horrors of war, hence, his stoicism, which the Amazon reviewer somewhat shallowly dismisses as `wooden'.) He shows real emotion when he needs to - and where it is required - mainly, in his scenes with Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, for whom he has real affection, and not Debra Messing, his `impulse' bride. Which would explain (to those who were paying attention) why he really didn't care that she was `cheating on him' with Armistead. Or, for that matter, the vineyard fire at the end, which, to him, must have been much like the scorched battlefields he experienced during the war. (What type of war hero runs and screams with everyone else when such an event occurs?) What the Amazon reviewer calls `wooden', others would label `grace under fire' (no pun intended), or just keeping a level head. Guess what, reviewer: The farmhands were not chasing insects with their `gossamer wings', but actually try to divert heat onto the vines during a night of killing frost. To this viewer, Keanu Reeves didn't seem `terribly self-conscious', but more like a man who was genuinely and hopelessly in love with someone he barely knew, and trying desperately to impress that upon both her, and her unrelentingly suspicious and un-welcoming father. In his defense, the Amazon reviewer was actually talking about the `VHS Tape edition', so, its possible he may have seen a completely different movie all together, one other than what most of the viewers here saw. But this reviewer, for one, loved this movie, the ensemble of actors, the locales, the soundtrack, and the quiet, easy way it creeps into the sentimental heart of most people who see it - even us guys. Except, of course, for those who had their heads in the clouds, while it was playing.

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Wonderful old fashioned romance

by from on 2000-09-19
Why are all the professional critics so harsh with this movie? Are they so cynical they can't appreciate a good old fashioned story that is well told, beautifully photographed, and featuring wonderful performances, especially by Anthony Quinn and Giancarlo Giannini. And let's not forget the stunningly beautiful Aitana Sanchez-Gijon as the heroine! Even the much maligned acting of Keanu Reeves gets a break in this one: he does a fine job of portraying a decent, caring young man who finds himself falling in love and not knowing what to do about an impossible situation. His scene in the moonlight as he serenades his lady love is pure poetry, and the same must be said for the scene in the vinyard as the workers, including Keanu and Aitana, wield "butterfly wings" to ward off the killing frost. Sure, there are "corny" elements in the story, at least by today's standards, but the charm of the entire movie transends its faults. Let's stop being cynics for a while and enjoy a movie about decent, caring people. Seldom has any romantic movie looked this good! Now, get this gem on DVD and soon (and please: WIDESCREEN with stereo to show off the luscious cinematography and beaufiful music score)!

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Message in a Bottle (Snap Case) List Price: $14.96 Sale Price: $12.49 You save: $2.47 (17%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

A grieving widower and a lonely divorcee come together when she finds a message in a bottle on a Cape Cod beach that she knows was written by him.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: PG13Release Date: 8-FEB-2005Media Type: DVD

If, as they say, you're in a certain mood, Message in a Bottle can be just the ticket. Based on Nicholas Sparks's bestselling novel, this handsome but overly calculated romance tale stars Robin Wright Penn as Theresa, a Chicago Tribune researcher who finds a note encased in a green bottle that has floated onto a Cape Cod shore. The message within is a heartfelt, yearning declaration of love to a woman named Catherine, but the author is unknown until Theresa (rather improbably) tracks him down in North Carolina. He's Garret Blake (Kevin Costner), a taciturn builder of sailboats and a grieving widower whose late wife, poetically speaking, was the intended recipient of the seafaring note Theresa found. Theresa, a divorcée with a son, decides to meet Garret, only to find him as bottled-up as his message. Nevertheless, a romance blooms on the strength of quality time in a sailboat and lots of cuddling, though the script tosses in bits of conflict to keep their relationship spicy. Directed by Luis Mandoki (When a Man Loves a Woman), this love story is entirely by the numbers, with Costner inhabiting (rather than performing) a stock fantasy of a man perfect in every way save his broken heart. Penn brings more vibrancy to her equally predictable part, but fortunately for all, Paul Newman, John Savage, Robbie Coltrane, and Illeana Douglas are on hand in nicely textured character parts. Sometimes predictability is exactly what one wants when settling in for an evening of home video, and this movie fits the bill nicely. The appealing cinematography is by ace cameraman Caleb Deschanel. --Tom Keogh

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: COSTNER,KEVIN
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Original Release Date: 1999-02-12
Actors:

• Kevin Costner
• Robin Wright
• Paul Newman
• John Savage
• Illeana Douglas

Reviews

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

by from AUSTRALIA on 2000-01-15
I found this movie absolutely fascinating;the story was a typical romance. It explored the human emotion and curiosity that we all feel when we find an insight into another person's relationship. Kevin Costner was your typical man of the sea and portrayed a man not ready to move on with his life after the tragic loss of his partner. It took someone like Robyn Penn Wright to stir the deeply hidden emotions but even then she could not compare to his lost love. She gave him inspiration and made him dig deep to find his true self. Paul Newman was superb as the crusty kindly father and without his inclusion in the film, be it as a supporting role, a lot of the emotion would hasve been lost. The pain suffered by the inlaws at the loss of their daughter was so true to life when someone they love dies so tragically. All in all the scenery was superb and the DVD is recommended

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A Treat For Romantics...and... Paul Newman As A Bonus!

by L. Shirley from fountain valley, ca United States on 2005-11-26
This review refers to the DVD widescreen edition of "Message in a Bottle(Warner Bros)... "Dear Catherine....You Are My True North...." Sigh...Who wouldn't want to hear those words? The story is touching, romantic and spellbinding.Teresa is a single mother, doing her best to raise her son, still stinging form the infidelities of her ex-husband. She has a promising career as a journalist and her days are filled with work, and her young son. She isn't trying to find the love her her life, but perhaps it has found her. While jogging on a beach in Cape Cod, Teresa discovers..yes..a message in a bottle. She is so touched by the beautiful words of the sender, that she can't help but to try and locate him.(It helps being a journalist, and having lots of resources at your fingertips).Little did she know that finding the author of this beautiful letter would change her life forever. "Message In A Bottle" is not only a beautiful story of real love, but one that is also a journey of self awareness, of opening up to the possibilities that life has to offer.It is one that you will probably need a hanky or two as well.It is for the lover of really romantic stories. It may be a little tough, for someone who is not into tear jerkers to sit through. It's Great film for a girl's night together... and some, like me, may enjoy it for the beckoning scenes of the sea and the sail. A fabulous cast of course. Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn have a wonderful on screen chemistry. Illeana Douglas and Robbie Coltrane add their talents, and can you ever go wrong when Paul Newman Shows up in any film? He, has always been and still is my True North, and was the bonus feature for me! Warner has made a very nice presentation on DVD. Sharp, clear, excellent colors. The water looks very inviting. It is presented in widescreen, and has great sound in dol Dig 5.1. Surround.Features include commentary by Director Mandoki,and if you navigate around the features menu, every once in a while, a bottle will pop up, click on , these are 5 "Easter Eggs", hidden special features about the making of the film. Enjoy....Laurie also recommended - for a long drive the audio book:Message in a Bottle or curl up with:Love Story

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"Jackets like that don't come along every week, you know..."

by L Gontzes from Athens, Greece on 2005-04-21
Message in a Bottle, brings to the screen the love story between a recently widowed man from a small fishing village in North Carolina and a divorced journalist out of Chicago. It is a film about human relations, hope and second chances, but most importantly about trust, love, and inner strength. Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn, Paul Newman, and the rest of the cast, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are exceptional to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Very well written and very well presented, the movie is without a doubt guaranteed to provide a few laughs, not to mention a few tears. The film is simple enough, but does a great job of describing people's every day lives and the problems they face. It just goes to show that simplicity is often far better than complexity, when trying to present issues of a human nature. The only setbacks are in relation to some weak lines that Robbie Coltrane's character has to say, and also in relation to the little boy; is there really any reason why the boy has to look like a girl??? The setting, the plot, the dialogues and the music are all wonderful! In short, Message in a Bottle is a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection! 4½ Stars

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A Beautiful, Haunting Film

by Sharon Y. Towner from Little Rock, AR USA on 2000-04-07
Right from the very first scene, the viewer senses something extraordinary is about to take place...and it does. Unlike most films today, this one centers upon genuine love - not lust - between two lonely people. Kevin Costner portrays Garrett Blake, a seagoing boat renovator and a widower of two years who cannot let go of the past. Robin Wright-Penn plays Theresa, a research specialists for the Chicago Tribune and a divorcee with a young son. While taking a few days holiday she discovers Garrett's message of love to his deceased wife in a bottle that washed up to shore. Haunted by the letter, she uses her research skills, along with the help of the Chicago newspaper staff, to track Garrett down. The shy awkwardness the two characters exhibit when they're together is refreshingly charming and very realistic. In spite of their lack of finesse, a sensitive, beautiful love story begins to take hold that is destined to pierce the viewer's heart. With the memory of his late wife, Catherine, constantly overshadowing their relationship, Garrett and Theresa continue to draw closer to one another and fall deeper in love. Their story concludes, however, with a surprising twist. Paul Newman, who portrays Garrett's father (Dodge), remains a master of his trade. Coarse, and brutally honest, Dodge's love for his son, and approval of the new woman on the scene, is heartwarming. Newman's character proves to be a necessary anchor for the two lovers. With an exceptional supporting cast who enhance the tale, and beautifully filmed on the coast of Maine, "Message In A Bottle" is a sad love story, but it sends a powerful message to us all. May we never forget it.

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It's possible to love a person (or a movie) with flaws

by from on 1999-09-16
I first saw this movie on an airplane a few months ago. The usual interruptions occurred throughout -- my neighbour lifted the blind to see if it was still daylight at 2 pm, an infant a couple of seats away started squalling, and so on. However, when the pilot asked us to fasten our seatbelt (in two languages), a lot of people groaned audibly. Later on, when he interrupted a crucial moment in the movie to advise us that on our right you could see some town or other of 32,000 people, several passengers actually yelled for him to shut up. Tellingly, when the film was over, a lot of people including myself were wiping their eyes.I love films, see a lot of them, and think I know good ones from bad. A lot of this film's flaws have been discussed here and elsewhere, and I agree with much that was said, but somehow, in spite of the weaknesses, Message still refuses to leave my consciousness. There is something about it that rings true, at least to this unabashed 61-year-old romantic.I rented it a second time recently and liked it even more. It was on that occasion that the close connection with the novel Wuthering Heights came into focus. (The novel is specifically mentioned in the movie, the first wife is named Catherine, and most importantly, she and Theresa are identified with opposing external worlds. Even more than Catherine, Garret is a part of the sea, not Chicago, and must ultimately be claimed by it (or Catherine, if you will) when his ties with the ocean begin to be loosened. Far from being gratuitous, the ending is absolutely necessary to the film's structure.If Garret had been allowed to follow his father's advice and move on, we all would have felt better when it was over. It undoubtedly would have done better at the box office. But in the process, it would have lost most, if not all, of its deeper meaning, and remained a medocre feel-good movie. As of this writing, Kostner is involved in a quarrel with his latest film's distributors over the movie's final form. He apparantly has lost that battle. Thank goodness Hollywood sometimes does the right thing.

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The Time Traveler's Wife List Price: $19.98 Sale Price: $11.49 You save: $8.49 (42%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Description

Lose yourself in timeless love with this gloriously romantic story of the journey of two hearts. Artist Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams of The Notebook) shares a deep emotional bond with Henry De Tamble (Eric Bana of The Other Boleyn Girl), a handsome librarian who travels involuntarily through time. Knowing they can be separated without warning, Clare and Henry treasure the moments they have together, imbuing them with the yearning and passion of two people imprisoned by time…and set free by love. Based on the #1 bestseller, The Time Traveler's Wife weaves together destiny and devotion, past and future to turn an extraordinary love into an extraordinary love story.

A genuinely old-fashioned Hollywood romance with a science fiction angle, The Time Traveler's Wife stars Eric Bana as Henry DeTamble, a Chicago librarian with a genetic disorder causing him to travel through time involuntarily. The screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin (My Life), based on a novel by Audrey Niffenegger, incorporates some of those crazy paradoxes that are a part of time-travel fiction, but without beating one over the head. Take Henry's introduction to his future wife, Clare (Rachel McAdams), who tells him they've already met even though they haven't actually met. Brain teasers, however, are not what The Time Traveler's Wife is about. In a quite haunting way, the story really concerns what it means to know and love someone at every phase of his or her life. The fact that Henry's life, from Clare's perspective, is hardly linear--he can disappear and turn back up again at different ages--means that she must cherish what is essential about him. Which doesn't mean the couple is immune to periods of unhappiness, including a painful sequence about trying to bear a child--perhaps a child that might also carry the time-traveling gene. While there is nothing particularly exciting stylistically about The Time Traveler's Wife, in many ways it has the simple charms and clear emotions of a 1940s weepie assigned by a studio to one of its journeyman, contract directors. (The film was directed by Flightplan's Robert Schwentke.) A couple of supporting players, Arliss Howard (as Henry's father) and Ron Livingston (as Henry's friend), provide even more reason to recommend this movie as a satisfying experience. --Tom Keogh

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: Warner
Manufacturer: New Line
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Rachel McAdams
• Eric Bana
• Arliss Howard
• Ron Livingston

Reviews

Great movie!

by Stephen Ashley from Florida, USA on 2009-09-20
Review from my wife: It was so compelling and well done, and both my husband and I enjoyed this movie tremendously. The story line was intersting, the characters were really well developed and you really care about them. The acting was excellent, and we found ourselves really pulled in throughout the entire movie. Contrary to some of the reviews I read, this movie was easy to follow. I don't understand what the problem was. I had never read the book, yet it was completely clear what was going on. I don't get why anyone would have had a problem. Also, there was nothing strange or wrong about the traveller visiting the younger version of his love interest. It was very innocent. One reviewer's mention that there was no plausible explanation for the lead's time travel abilities doesn't make sense to me. There was a very sufficient and even detailed explanation given in the movie. Keep in mind that we're dealing with a fiction scifi story here, and it was plenty adequate. I found I was able to buy into the concept and really immerse myself, and ultimately I enjoyed the story very much. This is a really fine movie, and I'd recommend that anyone who enjoys scifi, time travel or romance view this.

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Here You Leave Today and Enter a World of Yesterday and Tomorrow

by Chris Pandolfi from Los Angeles, CA on 2009-08-15
While the story for "The Time Traveler's Wife" is not at all interested in plausibility or logic, it is interested in making an emotional connection with the audience, and so it does. Make no mistake--this adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's novel is about as preposterous as it gets, telling the story of a man who can go back and forth through time but lacks the ability to control when he goes and for how long he'll be gone. There's no adequate explanation for his condition, and maybe it's for the best; this a love story, after all, not a supernatural commentary on evolution or expanded consciousness. Besides, if you were to stop for a moment and really think about the idea, the inevitable questions will eventually be so numerous that you'll end up with a headache. For this particular story, you'll be much better off just blindly buying into the premise. Only then will it be possible to appreciate the more engaging aspects of the story, the most obvious being the romance between the time traveler, Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana), and his wife, Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams). Actually, it would be more accurate to say that sometimes she's his wife--it all depends at what point in time the movie shifts to, and there are many of them. They meet back when she was only six years old and playing alone on her family's vast meadow. From out of nowhere comes a man from the future without any clothes on, and after she gives him his blanket, he tells her that he will officially meet her years later, at which point she will be a college student in a library looking for an art book. You see, during that first encounter, he was older, nearly forty; in the library, he will be younger, say twenty-five or so. Anyway, as time goes on for Clare, Henry will repeatedly come into and shift out of her life, and they will fall deeply in love and get married. Imagine what this must be like for Clare, never knowing when her husband will appear and disappear out of thin air like a ghost. One second, he's there carrying dishes to the table for dinner, and the next second he's gone, leaving Clare behind to sweep up broken pieces of ceramic. A marriage like this really gives new meaning to the vow, "To have and to hold for all time." One of the unfortunate side effects of his time travelling is that none of his clothes travel with him, so wherever he goes (whenever, rather), he's forced to steal some by breaking into a store or someone else's home. And at what age will he be when he gets back? One of the film's more clever segments incorporates a fair amount of humor and takes place on their wedding day; a younger version of Henry is getting ready for the ceremony, only to disappear in the bathroom. Fortunately, an older version of Henry arrives just in time, albeit with graying hair. This man disappears after the ceremony, right as Clare's father (Philip Craig) invites them to the dance floor. Fortunately, that's when the younger Henry returns, and even though he was technically there, he apologizes for missing the wedding. I told you this time travel gimmick was better left unquestioned. Attached to it, however, are emotional issues that are genuinely touching, and this definitely includes Henry and Clare's attempts to have a baby. I will refrain from going into detail here, but here are some questions to think about. Is it reasonable to assume that Henry's condition can be passed along to his child? If so, then is it fair for that child to even be born? There comes a point when he seeks the help of David Kendrick (Steven Tobolowsky), a geneticist, and while the results of his various tests do little to shed light on why Henry is the way he is, he does play a pivotal role in helping him and Clare conceive. Henry, by the way, tells Dr. Kendrick that his condition is known as chronoimpairment, a term Kendrick has not yet coined. One other emotional issue that serves the story well is the broken relationship between Henry and his father, Richard (Arliss Howard), who hasn't been himself since his wife's untimely death. Henry was only six at the time, but as a time traveler, he continuously goes back to the days before her death and holds brief conversations with her as a stranger. This naturally begs the question of why he can't simply prevent her from dying. This itself begs the question of why, "I've tried, but there's nothing I can do," is the best explanation he has. Deep human drama runs through this movie, and that's what I found the most compelling. Henry's ability to time travel, however, is conveniently left unexplained. We're only meant to pay attention to the relationship between Henry and Clare, and indeed, we do. The concept is inherently absurd, but the chemistry between the main characters is not; we able to see them up on screen and actually believe that they're in love. That's what's so fascinating about "The Time Traveler's Wife": It's an absorbing drama based on a premise that's impossible to take seriously. How did it achieve this? Much like Henry's condition, it's probably better to not question it and just accept it for what it is.

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a fitting adaptation of a superb novel

by AIROLF from USA on 2009-08-26
A good adaptation of one of the best books of our time. This was a hard act to do and the movie did a rather faithful and strong capturing of the spirit of the book if not a play-by-play retelling of it. Having said that, it's also worth commending the filmmakers on the smoothness with which they handled the disappearance and reappearance of the main character and the CGI that was involved with him dissipating into thin air during his time travels. Eric Bana does justice to Henry, whereas Ron Livingston is perfectly cast in the role of Gomez, Henry's friend and Claire's "protector" (in the book Gomez is obsessed with Claire and wished to spend the rest of his life with her, whereas in the movie his relationship isn't as clearly defined - he is mostly a concerned friend). It's sad that this movie was shelved for so long and it's very reassuring to see it do well at the box office (so far the movie has grossed about $30 million domestically and the theater I went to tonight was sold out for the 8 pm showing - always a good sign for a film). Disclamer: It's also worth noting that as a huge fan of the book, my opinion about this movie is rather skewed - I tend to fill in the gaps and care about the characters because the book had done a great job of developing the characters. The movie, however, hardly makes the characters relateable, and someone who sees the movie without having the book as the plot background, might find the Claire-Henry relationship a bit offputting.

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Heartfelt, Touching Adaptation of The Best-Selling Novel

by Terence Allen from Atlanta, GA USA on 2009-09-07
"The Time Traveler's Wife," based on the best-seller novel by Audrey Niffenegger, is a beautifully realized, poignant romance that makes the viewer thing a lot about love, time, space, devotion, and many other lofty topics. Eric Bana plays, Henry, a librarian who has a genetic disorder that causes him to randomly travel in time without any notice. He arrives and returns from his travels naked, and has no control over when he leaves and returns. His travels find him at various ages, reliving events like the death of his opera-singer mother in a car accident, or experiencing events for the first time, like getting to know a young girl name Clair. When he is in his late twenties, Clair, who is exactly twenty(played by Rachel McAdams),finds him. At this point, he doesn't know her, but she has known him since she was a little girl. The rest of film details a relationship fraught with the unknown. Henry leaves and returns without any warning, takes a few close friend into his confidence regarding his secret, struggles to maintain a romance, then a marriage with Clair, and struggles to start a family and remain hopeful, knowing that the future is uncertain and likely to remain unstable. Bana and McAdams are wonderful in the roles of Henry and Clair. This movie wouldn't work at all unless the characters were perfectly played, had chemistry, and were able to make you focus on the struggle of their relationship rather than the fantasy element of their problem. But the skill of the story is that time traveler ends up being such a perfect metaphor for the uncertainty and difficulties of romantic relationships. This movie is wonderfully moving in ways that have to be experienced rather than described.

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'Knowing about the future isn't always that great.'

by Grady Harp from Los Angeles, CA United States on 2010-02-12
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE is a diversion. At times what works well in a novel doesn't translate to the screen: the magic of the reader's imagination can be more powerful than the visualization of a screenwriter and director. Such is the case of Audrey Niffenegger's novel - an escape into a world of the unknown (time traveling) that played well on the page largely due to the writing skill of the author. Bruce Joel Rubin's screenplay makes a mighty attempt to make visual the imaginary magic of the novel and thanks to CGI it pulls off the rather strange effects of appearing and disappearing of a time traveler. Robert Schwentke directs with a hefty dose of saccharine though, making what could have been a delicate story somewhat lugubrious. Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana) has the genetic code that allows him to travel backward and forward in time - a trait that requires a certain degree of acceptance on the part of the audience. We see Henry as a child, as a young man who meets a girl who will on a different 'trip' be a woman Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams), and witness a bizarre courtship between a couple whose match seems made in heaven.... Along the way Clare's friends (Jane McLean as Charisse and Ron Livingston as a vastly different Gomez than in the novel) figure into the quasi-normal relationship/marriage that takes place. The tale can be confusing if the viewer is not willing to enter the realm of 'possible' and the main guide of the film seems to focus on the fact that whenever Henry time travels, he ends up in his new destination naked (there are many scenes of Eric Bana just searching for clothes). Of course the film can't have a logical ending, but the ending selected, corny though it is, fits the story. Lots of sugar to swallow here, but if you're in a Valentine mood it is a pleasant diversion. Grady Harp, February 10

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