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Glida
Glida's stats
- Review count3
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewApril 11, 2010
- Last reviewJune 12, 2011
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating2.7
Glida's Reviews
Overall rating
4
/
5
Charming and Engaging
PostedJune 12, 2011
Glida
from Newport News, VA
Owen Wilson might be right up there with John Cusak as Woody's best avatar, but with an additional dimension of sweet vulnerability. The basis for the film was an old standup piece, "A Twenty's Memoir," that was published in The New Yorker and then collected in his first collection of short fiction, "Getting Even." For those familiar, I was waiting all evening for Gertrude Stein to punch Gil in the mouth, but it never happened. Occasionally, Woody can be surprisingly optimistic ("Everybody Says I Love You"), and here, the message seems to be that there's no time like the present, that to be fully alive we need to be here now. Not an original idea, but one whose shelf life will never expire. Excellent performances, well written script and great cinematography. A love letter to Paris.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
Lost Much of the Book's Soul
PostedAugust 22, 2010
Glida
from Newport News, VA
I had the great delight of listening to Liz Gilbert herself narrate EPL, one of my favorite audiobook experiences in years, with Liz's silky, heartfelt delivery. While some have accused Liz as being self-indulgent and acting out the fantastic whimsy of the wealthy and rich, she composed her narrative with heart, humility and insight.
And then there's the movie. Clocking in at 2 1/2 hours, it kept mostly faithful to the book until Richard's ending speeches in the second segment, and the last part, "Love," which the screenwriters drained of all depth and meaning with a plot that showed a pale resemblance to the book. The original memoir was far more complex and insightful than the movie, which seemed dumbed down to the point where it seemed out of the box ready for the lowest Lifetime denominator for a dreary afternoon. Julia Roberts remains one of the most luminous presences on screen, but, as Dorothy Parker once wrote about a young Kate Hepburn's stage performance, "She ran the full gamut of emotion from A to B." Only to have Laura Linney or Cate Blanchett in the role! Richard Jenkins was great, but again, they had to totally change his character by the end of the second segment. And Bardem would have been far better served with decent writing and respect for the audience.
So, we end with a shamelessly manipulative, beautifully photographed piece with the depth of early winter ice on a skating pond.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
Screenplay D.O.A.
PostedApril 11, 2010
Glida
from Newport News, VA
Tina Fey and Steve Carell are two of the most talented comedy actors working today, and was only their efforts that saved this film from being a total disaster. Suffice it to say that the director, Shawn Levy, was also responsible for "Night in the Museum," and that should tell you the level of nuance and sophistication that you're in for after you buy a ticket (don't say you haven't been warned). While the film did have a couple of funny scenes, the outtakes, where the two actors show their ability to improvise, demonstrate how the film might have played had the filmmakers respected their lead's abilities and given them enough room to work. Carell and Fey had chemistry, and it makes me wonder what could happen if they're ever given material that would let them make a movie.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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