blondehrtbreakr
Joined Mar 2010
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Reviews8
blondehrtbreakr's rating
This movie should have never been marketed as a comedy. I don't remember any jokes or funny scenes. Literally.
When Gwen (Sandra Bullock), checks into rehab - she would have went through at least 3-4 days of hardcore withdrawal (in the film, she vomits once and appears to have 1 or 2 panic attacks that only last a few minutes). True detox will have you on the toilet, getting sick from both ends, for days and days, no letting up. Some rehabs will medicate you to ease some of the symptoms, but you still go through it.
This movie simply did NOT show the real side of what happens to an alcoholic who suddenly stops drinking, or an addict who stops using. From that point on, I couldn't take the movie seriously.
Perhaps, if they HAD shown the true side of withdrawal, before jumping into the actual rehab, it would have been more of a cautionary tale.
When Gwen (Sandra Bullock), checks into rehab - she would have went through at least 3-4 days of hardcore withdrawal (in the film, she vomits once and appears to have 1 or 2 panic attacks that only last a few minutes). True detox will have you on the toilet, getting sick from both ends, for days and days, no letting up. Some rehabs will medicate you to ease some of the symptoms, but you still go through it.
This movie simply did NOT show the real side of what happens to an alcoholic who suddenly stops drinking, or an addict who stops using. From that point on, I couldn't take the movie seriously.
Perhaps, if they HAD shown the true side of withdrawal, before jumping into the actual rehab, it would have been more of a cautionary tale.
As the title of my review states, I am Caucasian and rarely watch African-American flicks (most are comedies these days, and I am more of a drama and suspense fan).
I am also not a huge fan of Denzel Washington - however, what I do love, is the country of Jamaica!! I have been visiting the island every year since I was 18, and was even married there. I now take my two young daughters there for summer vacations. So needless to say, I know quite a bit about the country and love immersing myself in their culture. The Jamaican people are so very different than the African American's that I know here in the US. With that said, the accents in this movie left something to be desired. (In fact, there were some "accents" that weren't even close to sounding Jamaican).
But alas, I still enjoyed this movie. I was surprised to see that it was made in 1989 - for the longest time, I thought it was newer, perhaps 1995 or 1996. The clothing and hair "styles" in Jamaica are very far behind the US, so perhaps that is why I didn't immediately guess the movie was as old as it was. It isn't uncommon to still see a lot of island residents wearing clothes from the 80's and 90's. The cars/trucks are always quite old, as are the buildings (minus the new resorts that pop up).
As many other reviewers have pointed out, the island feel in this movie is great. I am a huge fan of reggae - and although I dislike musicals, they blended the music with the scenes very nicely.
The obvious tropical backdrop, combined with the small beach shacks, the colorful residents and the busy little towns with dirt roads winding around the countryside is a great setting for a mystery. All in all, I feel that the main character of this movie is the island itself. Without the setting, this movie would not have worked whatsoever. This is a great movie to watch on a cold winter day - it's a bit of an escape, and always has me counting down the days until my next visit to Jamaica.
5/10
I am also not a huge fan of Denzel Washington - however, what I do love, is the country of Jamaica!! I have been visiting the island every year since I was 18, and was even married there. I now take my two young daughters there for summer vacations. So needless to say, I know quite a bit about the country and love immersing myself in their culture. The Jamaican people are so very different than the African American's that I know here in the US. With that said, the accents in this movie left something to be desired. (In fact, there were some "accents" that weren't even close to sounding Jamaican).
But alas, I still enjoyed this movie. I was surprised to see that it was made in 1989 - for the longest time, I thought it was newer, perhaps 1995 or 1996. The clothing and hair "styles" in Jamaica are very far behind the US, so perhaps that is why I didn't immediately guess the movie was as old as it was. It isn't uncommon to still see a lot of island residents wearing clothes from the 80's and 90's. The cars/trucks are always quite old, as are the buildings (minus the new resorts that pop up).
As many other reviewers have pointed out, the island feel in this movie is great. I am a huge fan of reggae - and although I dislike musicals, they blended the music with the scenes very nicely.
The obvious tropical backdrop, combined with the small beach shacks, the colorful residents and the busy little towns with dirt roads winding around the countryside is a great setting for a mystery. All in all, I feel that the main character of this movie is the island itself. Without the setting, this movie would not have worked whatsoever. This is a great movie to watch on a cold winter day - it's a bit of an escape, and always has me counting down the days until my next visit to Jamaica.
5/10
After starting this movie, I found myself constantly checking to see how far into the film I was.
At the 30 minute mark, the movie was still was not doing anything for me. Yes, they give you a little bit of background (a few minutes ), and the rest is spent attempting to shape some characters - but alas, nothing interesting. I actually started to nod off.
45 minutes in - they finally have one good scene. Then, it's back to the teeny-bopper, high school setting.
Not sure how they can classify this as "horror" or even suspense, with just a handful of tense scenes. I am not a fan of gore, and don't need blood to enjoy a movie - but I do like to be taken by surprise, or startled. A thrill or two is great. You simply won't find anything here.
At the 30 minute mark, the movie was still was not doing anything for me. Yes, they give you a little bit of background (a few minutes ), and the rest is spent attempting to shape some characters - but alas, nothing interesting. I actually started to nod off.
45 minutes in - they finally have one good scene. Then, it's back to the teeny-bopper, high school setting.
Not sure how they can classify this as "horror" or even suspense, with just a handful of tense scenes. I am not a fan of gore, and don't need blood to enjoy a movie - but I do like to be taken by surprise, or startled. A thrill or two is great. You simply won't find anything here.