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The Beach (2000)
Released By: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment   Rating: R   In Theaters: N/A
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Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Danny Boyle
Language: English
Official Website: N/A
Theatrical Release: N/A
Home Video Release: N/A
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Victoria Smurfit
Published ID: 304959
UPC: 024543001768,
Plot: For his first major project after the overwhelming success of Titanic, Leonardo Di Caprio took a risky path in this adaptation of Alex Garland's acclaimed novel, directed by Danny Boyle. Richard (Di Caprio) is an American backpacking through Asia with a handful of friends from Europe. While in Bangkok, he meets a mad Scotsman who calls himself Daffy Duck (Robert Carlyle). Shortly before Mr. Duck kills himself, he gives Richard a crude map to a place in Thailand that he claims is paradise on earth: beautiful, unspoiled, and uninhabited. For lack of anything better to do, Richard and his companions try to locate the spot, which, after a dangerous and taxing journey, takes them to a beach as beautiful as Duck said it would be. Richard and his friends settle in, but before long they discover that they are not alone; a large group of fellow travelers has already dug themselves in, and they have established a community with the same social evils that Richard was hoping to leave behind. Just as important, there is an army of natives who grow marijuana in the nearby hills and do not appreciate the presence of these visitors. The Beach proved controversial during production, partly due to production delays and shifting release dates, partly due to environmental concerns after crew members bulldozed parts of the Thai island of Phi Phi Le for the planting of non-native trees. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
IDDateTimeTitleReviewHelpfulVotesTotalVotes
Weak
Added 11/15/2009

After 1/2 hour of watching I turned it off. It just wasn't my idea of interesting. Plus the fact that I'm NOT a pot smoker, so I couldn't relate.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Good!
Added 5/29/2009

good effort here. It's an interesting view of a uptopian effort and how it can go seriously wrong.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Life's a Beach.
Added 5/25/2009

Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) is back packer traveling Thailand. A tourist that hates tourism. He loathes the fact that people travel to new places, to do exactly what they do at home. Live in a nice place, go to regular restaurants, and watch TV. When he finds a crummy run down hotel room, he's unexpectedly visited by a man, by the name of Daffy, that seems a tad crazy and is talking about an island that is the meaning of perfection. The island has a beach inside of it that is closed off, mainly, from the ocean. White sands, crystal clear waters, the peacefulness people say they'll make their 3rd Genie wish on, and all the weed a man can smoke for the rest of his life. Of course Richard doesn't completely believe him, but Daffy make him a map, and Richard decides to stop doing the normal thing, and to go and find this island. But who wants to die alone right? So he grabs a French couple that he said hi to earlier, and off they go to find the island. When they finally find the island, it's almost everything they dreamed of, with a twist. The island is inhabited with farmers that are very protective of their weed operation, but they allow a very small community of people to live by the secluded beach, so long as they don't tell people about the island. Richard and the two Frenchies are accepted into the community with the promise that they told no one where they were going. Life is good. Lounging, smoking, playing games, fishing, screwing, and the daily chores of island living. Until one day, when some other travelers decide to come to the island. Travelers that Richard forgot to tell the inhabitants that he gave a map too. The peaceful life is about to change.

The Beach is a trip, no pun intended. What draws me to this movie is the fact that I love traveling, and I love tropical islands. To live this life would be almost perfect for me, sans the drug farmers. While some might say the story is lacking or that the movie is slow, well, what do you think beach life is? It's exactly that. I thought the story was great, up to a point. Close to the end, Richard is made to stay in one spot to watch the newcomers who haven't swam over to the island yet, because it was his fault they were there. Well while he is waiting, he begins to go a little crazy. Ok... maybe more than a little crazy. And this is where I think the movie begins to crash. Watching him run down a path like a video game with 3 lives and a score board was just... so out of place it just totally takes me out of the movie. While some parts of it were good (like when he sneaks into the farmers sleeping area), most of it was just really dumb. But then the movie picks back up when the newcomers are welcomed with a hail of gunfire and the older inhabitants are now threatened.

Definitely a cool movie. Give it a rent though if you are thinking about watching it, because I don't think it's for everyone. I like it a lot though.

P.S. - Man I love traveling alone like the character Richard. It's crazy the amount of new people you can meet when you have no one else to talk to. I met a lot of new people when I went to Jordan to visit the Dead Sea. I'm planning a trip for Sydney, Australia in 2010. Can't wait!

0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
The Beach Review.
Added 3/20/2009

When I bought this DVD I was so excited because I hadn't seen it for years. But when it finally came in the mail, I was disappointed. It was very scratched up. When I watched it, it skipped some parts and had to pause and play several times to get it to play correctly. But it's okay, it was only $3!
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
Very Hard to Find Movie
Added 2/17/2009

I purchased this movie as a gift for my daughter who absolutely loved the movie and really wanted a copy for her home collection. I searched the internet literally for hours and although I could find every other movie DiCaprio had been in, I was unable to find this one. Then I found a link to Amazon and there it was. The price was excellent and I received the movie very quickly. From now on I will look in Amazon first. I am a very pleased customer.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
Weak
Added 11/15/2009

After 1/2 hour of watching I turned it off. It just wasn't my idea of interesting. Plus the fact that I'm NOT a pot smoker, so I couldn't relate.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Good!
Added 5/29/2009

good effort here. It's an interesting view of a uptopian effort and how it can go seriously wrong.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Life's a Beach.
Added 5/25/2009

Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) is back packer traveling Thailand. A tourist that hates tourism. He loathes the fact that people travel to new places, to do exactly what they do at home. Live in a nice place, go to regular restaurants, and watch TV. When he finds a crummy run down hotel room, he's unexpectedly visited by a man, by the name of Daffy, that seems a tad crazy and is talking about an island that is the meaning of perfection. The island has a beach inside of it that is closed off, mainly, from the ocean. White sands, crystal clear waters, the peacefulness people say they'll make their 3rd Genie wish on, and all the weed a man can smoke for the rest of his life. Of course Richard doesn't completely believe him, but Daffy make him a map, and Richard decides to stop doing the normal thing, and to go and find this island. But who wants to die alone right? So he grabs a French couple that he said hi to earlier, and off they go to find the island. When they finally find the island, it's almost everything they dreamed of, with a twist. The island is inhabited with farmers that are very protective of their weed operation, but they allow a very small community of people to live by the secluded beach, so long as they don't tell people about the island. Richard and the two Frenchies are accepted into the community with the promise that they told no one where they were going. Life is good. Lounging, smoking, playing games, fishing, screwing, and the daily chores of island living. Until one day, when some other travelers decide to come to the island. Travelers that Richard forgot to tell the inhabitants that he gave a map too. The peaceful life is about to change.

The Beach is a trip, no pun intended. What draws me to this movie is the fact that I love traveling, and I love tropical islands. To live this life would be almost perfect for me, sans the drug farmers. While some might say the story is lacking or that the movie is slow, well, what do you think beach life is? It's exactly that. I thought the story was great, up to a point. Close to the end, Richard is made to stay in one spot to watch the newcomers who haven't swam over to the island yet, because it was his fault they were there. Well while he is waiting, he begins to go a little crazy. Ok... maybe more than a little crazy. And this is where I think the movie begins to crash. Watching him run down a path like a video game with 3 lives and a score board was just... so out of place it just totally takes me out of the movie. While some parts of it were good (like when he sneaks into the farmers sleeping area), most of it was just really dumb. But then the movie picks back up when the newcomers are welcomed with a hail of gunfire and the older inhabitants are now threatened.

Definitely a cool movie. Give it a rent though if you are thinking about watching it, because I don't think it's for everyone. I like it a lot though.

P.S. - Man I love traveling alone like the character Richard. It's crazy the amount of new people you can meet when you have no one else to talk to. I met a lot of new people when I went to Jordan to visit the Dead Sea. I'm planning a trip for Sydney, Australia in 2010. Can't wait!

0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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