jrwygant

Reading reviews posted here, it is not surprising to see a big gap between those who liked this film and those who didn't. I can't help thinking that so many contrary views are shaped by the writers' personal beliefs and experiences. In other words, your enjoyment of this movie may be influenced by your political views. The acting and the plot rise above that.

I grew up in the Viet Nam era, when there was a lot of resistance to the draft into cumpulsory military service (something long ago abandoned). This is a remarkable film that follows the personal lives of several people over a long period of time. Some of them were engaged in political resistance and others in law enforcement. Some were subject to personal relationships with those from the opposition. The acting is extraordinary and every character seems to be dealing with some kind of persistent conflict within their present lives. It is a story about confronting - over a long period of time - intense personal experiences. All of the characters seem to be struggling with what they expect of themselves based upon their own previous experiences. Just like real life. The acting is extraordinary and convincing. The story is many-layered and compelling. And parts of it reflect real incidents that occurred and were not resolved for a couple of decades.

This extraordinary movie takes its main character, a psychologist, all over the world in search of happiness. Most of us conduct that search at home, but travel is enjoyable. The story addresses the simple riddle: what does it take to be happy, and how do we know it when we get there. Besides being very entertaining with a great cast, this film is a bit like watching the kind of educational film we saw in high school a few decades ago. Some simple questions are not easy to answer, and often make demands on our self-image. This is a romantic story that is also humorous and is presented by realistic characters, with a strong does of humor thrown in.

First, this film had a remarkable script and a highly committed cast who walked a fine line between comedy, unpredictability, and the threat of death. My wife and I started to watch something else that got high ratings, but we gave up on that one after a long and boring opening dedicated to a reality that was not very interesting. After about 15 minutes we moved on to "Stranger Than Fiction."

We loved the very original concept of a main character whose life and death are controlled by an author's fictional writing.

This film has it all: comedy, romance, and an endless aura of tragedy waiting to end it all. It is remarkably original. I have never before read or watched anything like this story.