lee_eisenberg

I first learned of Sally Potter when I saw her "Ginger & Rosa" at a film festival. I later saw her "Orlando". "The Roads Not Taken" takes a similar approach to its topic that "Run Lola Run" does - different ways that everything could turn out - but drags too much. It barely manages to hold the viewer's attention as the dementia-affected protagonist ponders the directions that his life could've gone.

I'd like to see the rest of Sally Potter's movies, as I liked the other movies of hers that I mentioned. It's just that nothing significant happens in this one. Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning, Salma Hayek and Laura Linney give it their all, but there's nothing to work with.

To be perfectly honest, I found Billy Wilder's "Sabrina" corny. It is, after all, a story of love among rich snobs. The most effective scene is when the title character is standing in the garden watching the ball inside the house, knowing that she isn't part of the ruling class. It reminded me of George Carlin's quote "It's a big club, and you ain't in it."

As for the performances, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden all do good jobs (not that I would expect otherwise). It's just that the movie's plot is too flowery for me. Definitely not something that I would've given an Academy Award (it won for screenplay). I will say that Audrey Hepburn is a real babe in some of those outfits, though.

Watch for an early appearance of Nancy Kulp (Jane on "The Beverly Hillbillies") as a maid.