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julesmollica
Reviews
The Secret Life of Words (2005)
not worth the time
I was quite disappointed in this film and the characters in it. Sarah Polley's accent was strange and she was often hard to understand. Tim Robbin's hardly looked injured I failed to see why he could not be airlifted from the rig. The quirky oil rig characters did little to add to the story. I never felt Hannah and Josef's relationship had any real foundation. His line about 'learning to swim' at the end of the film drew groans from the entire audience which I think is rather telling. Again, to establish what tenuous connection the two of them had simply took too long to then be wrapped up neatly at the end. And for a man who had recently declared his love for another woman, it was unbelievable. Another unusual and unnecessary addition was that of Hannah's child who spoke at the beginning and end of the film and was peculiar.
The Family Stone (2005)
Better off snowed in
A poor attempt at a 'quirky family holiday drama' where star Dianne Keaton plays the SAME character as always. Sarah Jessica Parker works hard but is only an anxious version of Carrie Bradshaw in this film, playing the uptight girlfriend brought home to meet the family. The family's initial response is unwarranted - they resent her immediately though it's clear she's trying hard. They exclude with their silly teasing, jokes and secrets. The characters all try too hard to be different with their little habits - the untamed university student, the hippie, the career man, the protective mother, all played to extremes. There's no background given to characters, and dramatic moments carry less weight because of this. Predictable humour, schmaltzy family scenes, unreal story/character developments and average dialogue make for a disappointing experience.