no longer ground-breaking
Added 10/13/2009
In 1989, this movie might've been way ahead of its time, but in 2009. the film hardly stands out among movies dealing with relationship crisis. The movie has good. solid performances from the cast, particularly Andie MacDowell, but no one performance is extraordinary.
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Provocative and intense film about intimacy
Added 7/20/2009
This is not really a film about sex. It's about intimacy, which can be physically sexual or not. It's about the possibility of connection, of making contact, and of taking responsibility for the impact of one's life upon another. Mere "sex" becomes a surrogate for intimacy, what we search for when we are unable to be honest with ourselves and our significant others and acknowledge that our self is bound up with these others. Mere "sex" - as in the "casual" fling John carries on with his wife Ann's sister - is then a lie, in a double sense: it has him cheating on his wife, and it manifests his refusal to admit the manifest truth that his desires, his needs, are bound up with those of others.
Graham (in a brilliant performance by James Spader), has organized his life precisely to avoid the lie that John embraces. He is brutally honest with others, but to avoid any hint of deception he also refuses to be intimate with anyone. He uses the video camera as a distancing technique, creating an objective filter between himself and the women in his life - pitting them as objects of study rather than subjects in a dynamic relationship, whose parameters he could not ultimately control. Of course, his little experiment doesn't work out as he plans, and everyone in his life is affected. The story is simple and direct, the dialogue pitch perfect, the acting top notch, and the direction quite appropriate. One of my favorite films, and certainly deserving of its status as one of the most important American independent films. I also found the commentary track, in which Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men) interviews director Steven Soderbergh, to be quite fascinating. Highly recommended.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Brief yet thought-provoking story
Added 7/19/2009
The running time isn't too long on this, yet it conveys a great deal of material involving two men and two women--specifically, one married couple, the wife's sister (who is having an affair with her brother in law), and the man's friend who comes around for a visit and decides to stay. His presence becomes disruptive, even though he is not aggressive. His hobby is making tapes of women talking about sex and related issues and then watching the tapes.
The mousy wife becomes more aggressive herself when she turns the tables on the tape-maker and forces him to face himself and his motivations. She also discovers more about herself and her husband and sister in the process.
This is a quiet film with a lot of talking, so it will not appeal to those looking for a sex romp or lots of action. This is more of a thought-provoking film.
I just wondered at the end if the wife confronted her sister, and if the husband would continue to spiral down.
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Strangely Curious
Added 4/24/2009
I was glad to finally see this film (on HDNet), but like most everyone I found it very strange. Yes it's about sex, but more the psychogical diversity each of us has when it comes to sex. Some want it more than others, some have to have it in certain circumstances, some don't really care for it, and some achieve it in perverted ways.
The storyline is not too abstarct so it's easy to follow, but throughout the movie I was constantly trying to re-figure each character. My perception of each changed as the movie went along, paricualry Graham, who seemed less creepy as the movie went along as we begin to understand the underlying reasons for his problem.
There is certainly a dark under-tone to this movie and much suspense, so it was rather engaging. However, I did find the ending to be abrupt, but I guess we're meant to be left to figure out what exactly happned between Ann and Graham. I figure there ending is happier than that of John's, who seems to get everything he deserves for his infidelity.
Overall this was a very good film, however I don't think it's worth adding to my "elite" collection ;-)
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2.5 stars out of 4
Added 2/3/2009
The Bottom Line:
Spader's lethargy robs the film of any momentum and the conclusion seems a bit pat: it might have been the film that launched independant cinema and put Sundance on the map, but it's a mediocre film that's only occasionally interesting and too often slow.
1 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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Bummed about lack of special features. I would be in them!!
Added 6/13/2009
After reading the first several reviews and skimming the remaining ones, I am sad to say that it is a drag that there are no special features. I was an extra in the last scene that was reshot. I am so many years older and married and a mom and it would be so cool for my kids to see me on film. I am in the Middle East now and would be ordering and paying the hefty fees to ship it over but it is not worth it as the movie is not suitable for my kids. I hope one day it includes them and that I am indeed in there!!!
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Underrated "Cougar" Love Story
Added 6/9/2009
This is a delightful love story about an older woman/younger man who meet by fate and are drawn to each other because of similar tragedies that befall them both. It's a little predictable in the romantic movie formula it follows, but I believe it will enjoy a resurgence in popularity since "Cougar" romance seems to be so trendy now.
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Romantic character study
Added 12/5/2008
I can think of hundreds of reasons why I like this film, but most of all I simply enjoy it. Couple bones with some other reviews, though. First of all, Jason Alexander has a comfortable, charismatic presence in this movie just as he has in every other vehicle he's been in, from Pretty Woman to Seinfeld. Secondly, I guess I'm one of the few people to conclude that DVDs are ultimately better with NO SPECIAL FEATURES whatsoever. Nothing seems to detract from, denude or uncharm a movie more than vanity projects like director's commentaries or promotional featurettes (and everything else under the sun). After the overkill that was Lord of the Rings, I've simply had it. So I'm quite thankful for this packaging, and as you see, it thus comes with a great low price. Finally, though, I'm not that crazy about the restaurant scene--it's a little too much. It could have worked better. But up to that point, it's all hook, line and sinker. There's no dust in her dustbuster, yes. But actually, if it were me and my woman acted up like Nora on Thanksgiving, I'd let the relationship go and seriously consider dating Heidi Solomon. I mean come on, she is ALL that. What was he thinking. Anyway, it's a great film by Luis Mandoki (director) and Sydney Pollack (executive producer), who has now passed. Thanks buddy.
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