Gritty Kitty

The List (2000) with Ryan O'Neal is the worst! The worst of the worst!

Unlike the other user's comment, I was pulled in by the synopsis on the video-jacket. It was much better than the film. Seriously, don't waste your money!!! The writing was **utterly** cliché and boring. I wondered if perhaps an adolescent boy wrote and directed this one. The acting was stunted, awkward and just plain ol' bad. Who were the characters? Who cares!!! And the sets reminded me of 80's noir, with the lighting through mini-blinds - eeeeyuk!

I must have said, "why am I watching this??" about 6 times before rewinding. It wasn't sexy, it wasn't thrilling and it wasn't worth making.

Oh God it was so bad!!! Not even 'good' bad. Just bad.

I would have rated it a 7, but I admit I was trying to tip the balance. This wasn't a great film, but I still liked it--due in large part to Billy Crudup's performance.

Crudup is believable straight down the line, as Eddie Dolan. Who is this actor!? He slips into roles like hand in glove. I watched the film twice just to see his expression again.

The story reeks of inevitability, due to the circumstance; but like the cliche 'accident on the side of the road,' you are compelled to watch anyway.

What I liked very much, was the non-thinking attraction in its many forms; and seeing the immaturity of these souls' lives played out. And though they all lead themselves into explosive situations, they somehow manage to find their ways out and go on. They are survivors, and that's intriguing to me.

Boy this movie went to video quickly, and now I understand why. It nearly breaks my heart to have to give a thumbs-down to such a huge effort of making a feature film. However, it can't be denied that this movie fell apart from the beginning. I simply did not care about any of the characters and could not connect with them, no matter how I tried. And it's all due to the writing!

It seemed the actors were trying desperately to make up for that lack of continuity and motivation in the script, and so, often their performances seemed contrived, plastic, and/or over-the-top. I think under the guidance of better writing, these actors would shine like we know they can.

What happened to character development and motivation? Perhaps it died in the car crash at the beginning of the film? Was Kuki an American in Italy, or an Italian? Who was the lady that was with Kuki's mother, when they were trying to convince her to come home? Did Kuki and Paolo really love each other or not? Did the people working at Kuki's house become close with her? Kuki seemed oblivious to them. When did Kuki and Ema start speaking the language? It seemed they suddenly just knew it. Why did Ema want to leave to go to school? Kuki was digging a ditch to help out with the water supply, but then we never see any resolution to that situation. What happened??

One of the sweetest moments in the film for me, was when Ema connects with a little African boy, who obviously has a love for snakes too. He shows the boy around his house and introduces them to the snakes he has, and then we never see the boy again (!).

I also would have liked to see what was in the egg that was mentioned repeatedly within the story. Not having the resolution of that aspect (the egg) in particular, left me angry as the credits rolled.

"I Dreamed of Africa" did have interesting scenery and I believe talented cast and crew, but because the script was so bad, everything else really fell apart.