AN ADULT MOVIE WITHOUT CRASHES AND GUNS!!!
Added 10/6/2009
I was pleasantly surprised by this not well-known gem. Couldn't sleep so I began watching on cable about 2:AM and couldn't turn it off. Was totally enrapt by this story of two pretensious and carefree snobs who don't have enough sense to secure a valuable sculpture by Henry Moore. She (Andie) needed to be reminded at every turn that assets and money were her entire world, so the statue was left on a hotel dresser as her safety blanket, but when the object of beauty was thought to be forever lost she actually began to show feelings for her lover of two years. She was more than her persona. These two seemingly diehard capitalistic work-horses actually did care about more than $$$. The acting was outstanding and the anti-hero deaf-mute maid and her brothers entourage added a needed contrast, a raw edge of delight.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Clever and somewhat satisfying
Added 4/24/2005
Here's a real clever little comedy about vacuous people and a stolen piece of art that turns into a morality tale.
John Malkovich and Andi McDowell -- who both bare their backsides as well as their souls in this flick -- are a couple escaping something and living in London far beyond their means. As a way to resolve this they hatch a plan to swindle an art dealer with an expensive trinket that looks like a Hurst shifter from the 1970s.
The little mystery about deceit, swindling and lost souls becomes much more than this when an attendant at the hotel where the pair live decides she is in love with the piece of art -- and takes it home. What follows is conundrum after conundrum for a half-dozen people, including all the principals, told in a very witty and funny style.
Lolita Davidovitch steals scene after scene as the deaf mute that makes up rooms in the hotel and makes off with the object of beauty, which she says speaks to her. Everyone gets theirs in the end, as the small diversion of a movie concludes with its characters exiting with less than they arrived.
This movie is good fun that delivers rewards to attentive viewers far bigger than its ideas.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Still a great movie, inspite of the DVD edition
Added 9/14/2003
I was totally frustrated sharing one of my all time favorites with my husband and not being able to hear the dialog that makes this movie so unique. This movie has a depth, rich use of language, passionate characters, a plot and the classic American happy ending. I still learn something every time I watch it, but was surprised to find it in the Comedy section. And I love that I still cry when the deaf girl explains why she stole the piece. Great Art moves you. And for art lovers who want the real Henry Moore experience, go to the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto.
6 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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Good movie, bad DVD
Added 8/18/2003
This little gem of a movie is one of those rare movies for grownups. The characters are real, imperfect people, not cardboard cutouts. Unfortunately, the full-frame DVD doesn't do the movie justice. The sound is horrible, the picture is not especially good, and there are no extras whatsoever. Too bad. This movie deserves an audience, but this DVD will not help it get one.
13 out of 13 people found this helpful.
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Good Movie, Bad DVD
Added 5/25/2003
This is a really good film for people who appreciate subtlety and somewhat offbeat character development. This will not impress people who tend to gravitate more towards action or overt drama. Malkovich and MacDowell turn in understated, nicely done performances as the films antiheroes, and they accomplish the somewhat difficult task of making us feel for these self-involved characters. All the other characters are played well and the different plots mesh nicely.The only complaint I have is with the DVD itself. The audio was abysmal on my system, and I am not really the pickiest of audiophiles. In fact, this is the only time that I've been disappointed in or even noticed a DVD's lack of sound quality. My player has a special feature that brings dialogue to the center speaker, and for some reason it would not work with this DVD. The dialogue was difficult to understand throughout, and I often had to adjust the volume and replay bits of scenes to figure out what had been said. Also, there are zero special features on this DVD... no trailers, no commentary, nada. I would wait for a better transfer rather than buying this DVD version of the film. It's definitely worth a rent, however, for those who can appreciate what it has to offer.
5 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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AN ADULT MOVIE WITHOUT CRASHES AND GUNS!!!
Added 10/6/2009
I was pleasantly surprised by this not well-known gem. Couldn't sleep so I began watching on cable about 2:AM and couldn't turn it off. Was totally enrapt by this story of two pretensious and carefree snobs who don't have enough sense to secure a valuable sculpture by Henry Moore. She (Andie) needed to be reminded at every turn that assets and money were her entire world, so the statue was left on a hotel dresser as her safety blanket, but when the object of beauty was thought to be forever lost she actually began to show feelings for her lover of two years. She was more than her persona. These two seemingly diehard capitalistic work-horses actually did care about more than $$$. The acting was outstanding and the anti-hero deaf-mute maid and her brothers entourage added a needed contrast, a raw edge of delight.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Clever and somewhat satisfying
Added 4/24/2005
Here's a real clever little comedy about vacuous people and a stolen piece of art that turns into a morality tale.
John Malkovich and Andi McDowell -- who both bare their backsides as well as their souls in this flick -- are a couple escaping something and living in London far beyond their means. As a way to resolve this they hatch a plan to swindle an art dealer with an expensive trinket that looks like a Hurst shifter from the 1970s.
The little mystery about deceit, swindling and lost souls becomes much more than this when an attendant at the hotel where the pair live decides she is in love with the piece of art -- and takes it home. What follows is conundrum after conundrum for a half-dozen people, including all the principals, told in a very witty and funny style.
Lolita Davidovitch steals scene after scene as the deaf mute that makes up rooms in the hotel and makes off with the object of beauty, which she says speaks to her. Everyone gets theirs in the end, as the small diversion of a movie concludes with its characters exiting with less than they arrived.
This movie is good fun that delivers rewards to attentive viewers far bigger than its ideas.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Still a great movie, inspite of the DVD edition
Added 9/14/2003
I was totally frustrated sharing one of my all time favorites with my husband and not being able to hear the dialog that makes this movie so unique. This movie has a depth, rich use of language, passionate characters, a plot and the classic American happy ending. I still learn something every time I watch it, but was surprised to find it in the Comedy section. And I love that I still cry when the deaf girl explains why she stole the piece. Great Art moves you. And for art lovers who want the real Henry Moore experience, go to the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto.
6 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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