Aside from the beautiful South Carolina location shooting, I thought very little of this film about a group self-obsessed proto-yuppies who never run out of whine. The ensemble cast is well-suited for their roles (some like Kevin Kline, who couldn't shed his self-absorbed yuppiness if he tried, are too well-suited). These are all characters types most of us have either know , or been ourselves. Yet they come across as cardboard, vapid, and annoying; and their's no reason to give a steamin' country dump about them or their issues. It's nearly impossible to invest in any of them or care what happens to them.
I'm also going to break with the majority of reviewers here by stating that the soundtrack, however great, was a huge distraction for me. Far too many scenes lost any chance at poignancy by having these Top 40 tunes shoehorned into them. It's almost as if the studio was hedging its bets...it the film bombed, at least they'd have a killer movie soundtrack album to push.
It's pretty sad when the only thing in the film that truly feels authentic is the on-TV intro for Tom Berenger's character's slick private eye TV series, which is hilarious in it dead-on accurate lampoon. Thirty-something angst has been portrayed far more convincingly in other less-revered films.
I'm also going to break with the majority of reviewers here by stating that the soundtrack, however great, was a huge distraction for me. Far too many scenes lost any chance at poignancy by having these Top 40 tunes shoehorned into them. It's almost as if the studio was hedging its bets...it the film bombed, at least they'd have a killer movie soundtrack album to push.
It's pretty sad when the only thing in the film that truly feels authentic is the on-TV intro for Tom Berenger's character's slick private eye TV series, which is hilarious in it dead-on accurate lampoon. Thirty-something angst has been portrayed far more convincingly in other less-revered films.