The Patron Saint of Liars

It is a weak movie, but it is based on a great book. The Patron Saint of Liars is a sad story of a woman unhappy with who she is. It details how she runs from her life then she puts herself into another life. She is never quite happy with her second life either. The story is sad, but interesting. You relate to her and feel sorry for her at the same time. The movie is much slower than the book, and not as deep. The book takes you in more and allows you to relate more to the characters and their feelings. Dana Delany is kind of bland in the lead role. It does have a small early role for Maggie Gyllenhal.It is worth a watch, but definitely worth reading.

Two hours of my life, thrown away!

The story of a coward who broke hearts! Nothing to learn from this drivel, no moral of the story, just two hours of blahhh.

This film isn't as useless as many of the reviewers here are writing, in my opinion. I enjoyed it, and I especially fell in love with Clancy Brown's character. He was patient, understanding, loyal, and loving.... he was SO good and believable in this role, it's the one I think of him in the most often now. I believe Clancy is more like this character than any of the others he's played.

No, they didn't explain the lead character's issues or motivations very well, but aren't many people intriguing and inexplicable in some (or many) ways? I think you can enjoy this film if you also pay special attention to the stories and characters around her. Ellen Burstyn is always a first-class actor. All of the supporting cast and characters are rich, interesting, and easy to understand. I enjoyed the movie and I'll watch it again, I'm sure, when I have an opportunity.

Clancy Brown was WONDERFUL. I wanted to marry him myself!

Ann Patchett's book is much better but as movie adaptations go this is fine. It is worth watching just to see the great Sada Thompson as Sister Evangeline. That doesn't mean the other actors aren't fine it is just that Sada stands out. People may wonder why Dana Delaney sets off for Kentucky. I read the book so long ago I don't know if this was gone into. There is also fine work from Clancy Brown who plays Mr. Niceguy. A far cry from the demonic minister he played on two seasons of HBO'S CARNIVALE. The featured players are good too. Filmed on location in North Carolina which probably comes close to Kentucky where the story takes place. Read the book and watch the movie and see why Sada Thompson is one of America's finest actresses.

After reading the Patron Saint of Liars, I could not wait to watch the movie. They ruined it by trying to make a happy ending. The whole point of the book was to show us how some people just can never face life. The reason I loved the book was because for days you thought about Rose, what made her run away from her first life, what made her run away from her second life. You wondered what ever happened to her. This is the problem with Hollywood and why I like Foreign films better. They show life as it really is. Not a neatly tied up ending with, gag me, the healing spring suddenly sprouting forth again, everyone hugging and loving one another again. The book was so much better than the film.