dangelo-diane

Two minor quibbles: Why do people in these kinds of character study films always have glamorous jobs? And the sheer number of sex scenes detracts from the film. Most people Andie MacDowell's age don't look anything like Andie MacDowell. Otherwise, well done.

I put off seeing this film due to so-so reviews from newspaper film critics. After seeing it today, it reaffirms my vow to continue to ignore said reviewers. This is a fine two hours of solid entertainment buoyed by a outstanding performance by Helen Mirren. Yes, there are weaknesses in the script, but it's still a very much worth seeing. The storyline is provocative. Do the wounds of bigotry and injustice every leave us? Will justice take away the pain of genocide? These Holocaust stories need to be told, especially as survivors grow fewer and fewer each day. There is room for movies that grab you by the heart rather than by the throat. Give me "Woman in Gold" over the sensory assault of the latest Mad Max flick any day.

What would you do if you knew the world was going to be struck by an asteroid in three weeks? It's an intriguing notion, but one that's squandered in this film. Writer/director Lorene Scafaria apparently couldn't decide whether to make a rom-com, a drama, a farce or a satire here. Elements of each are present -- but the film never settles. One wonders if Scafaria had sell studio bosses on a challenging topic, so she put in everything AND the requisite adorable mutt to get it funded. Carell and Knightley are mismatched in age and lack the requisite sexual tension that might have made their coupling believable. I suppose I should be relieved that the requisite poo-slinging scene that seems to be all the cinematic rage recently is not included here.