Amazon.com

Clint Eastwood's 25th film as a director, Million Dollar Baby stands proudly with Unforgiven and Mystic River as the masterwork of a great American filmmaker. In an age of bloated spectacle and computer-generated effects extravaganzas, Eastwood turns an elegant screenplay by Paul Haggis (adapted from the book Rope Burns: Stories From the Corner by F.X. Toole, a pseudonym for veteran boxing manager Jerry Boyd) into a simple, humanitarian example of classical filmmaking, as deeply felt in its heart-wrenching emotions as it is streamlined in its character-driven storytelling. In the course of developing powerful bonds between "white-trash" Missouri waitress and aspiring boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), her grizzled, reluctant trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), and Frankie's best friend and training-gym partner Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman), 74-year-old Eastwood mines gold from each and every character, resulting in stellar work from his well-chosen cast. Containing deep reserves of love, loss, and the universal desire for something better in hard-scrabble lives, Million Dollar Baby emerged, quietly and gracefully, as one of the most acclaimed films of 2004, released just in time to earn an abundance of year-end accolades, all of them well-deserved. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (186)

Everyone's already taken the compliments this movie can get
I can't believe how much I liked this movie. I'm not really one for Boxing or Dramas (Unless their really good) but I was was pleasantly surprised.

Good performances on all sides (Hilary really deserved that Oscar), and the film also has you caring for the characters...maybe not all of them, but definately Hilary Swank.

- - -SPOILERS AHEAD- - -
I hate using words like "heartbreaking," but that's just what the ending to this story was. It will wreck you for a week. My Dad, who I viewed the movie with, hated the ending. He wanted one of those fairy tale finishes but, in reality, the world doesn't have too many of those. I, on the other hand (While I was fighting like Mike Tyson to hold back tears), admire Clint Eastwood for not being afraid to take a story (no matter how "good" or "inspiring" it is) and do a complete 180 from the cliche ending it seemed it was heading. It takes big grapes to do that.

Boxing Hilary?
This movie uses its extremely strong characters and a decent storyline to create what could literally be called a modern day classic. It shows a softer side to Clint Eastwood that I am not sure we have ever seen before. Hilary Swank is outstanding - I wish I had a better word for her performance - but I am not sure there is one. They key to this film is her ability to pull off the boxing segments in a convincing manner - and she does that in spades. Her right hook appears to be truly devastating. Morgan Freeman also turns in an awesome performance - both he and Swank are worthy of the Oscar. Million Dollar Baby is a film that should not be missed. See it.

A Great Movie With An Unbelievable Scene!!!
This movie stars Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank who seems to get another Academy Award every time she appears in a movie.This movie seems to be a female version of Rocky at the start but then becomes a touching human drama. The only thing that spoiled this movie for me was the usual sanitized Hollywood Death Scene. The last time I checked if your oxygen supply is cut off then you turn red, then blue then purple.Not so in this movie. I am sure that Doctor Kevorkian would have loved this movie for this reason alone.

Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman are fantastic and Hillary Swank absolutey stunning and beautiful even while dawning shorts and sweating like the proverbial pig.This is easily the best movie I've seen in years, it is a must see for not only boxing fans, but anyone who enjoys a movie that has it all.Did I mention Hillary Swank:)

Should be about 17 stars
Let's face it Clint Eastwood's head should be up on Mt. Rushmore.While critics are going bananas over garbage like Kill Bill & Shanghai Noon & Pulp Fiction & nonsense like Star Wars..Clint not only consistently delivers the goodsHeck,,even his lesser pictures like Every Which Way But Loose and Space Cowboys are hugely entertaining. this is along with Unforgiven his crowning achievement. In other words it's as good as it gets...& to think it's about a female boxer of all things...just see it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Clint Eastwood's 25th film as a director, Million Dollar Baby stands proudly with Unforgiven and Mystic River as the masterwork of a great American filmmaker. In an age of bloated spectacle and computer-generated effects extravaganzas, Eastwood turns an elegant screenplay by Paul Haggis (adapted from the book Rope Burns: Stories From the Corner by F.X. Toole, a pseudonym for veteran boxing manager Jerry Boyd) into a simple, humanitarian example of classical filmmaking, as deeply felt in its heart-wrenching emotions as it is streamlined in its character-driven storytelling. In the course of developing powerful bonds between "white-trash" Missouri waitress and aspiring boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), her grizzled, reluctant trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), and Frankie's best friend and training-gym partner Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman), 74-year-old Eastwood mines gold from each and every character, resulting in stellar work from his well-chosen cast. Containing deep reserves of love, loss, and the universal desire for something better in hard-scrabble lives, Million Dollar Baby emerged, quietly and gracefully, as one of the most acclaimed films of 2004, released just in time to earn an abundance of year-end accolades, all of them well-deserved. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (186)

Everyone's already taken the compliments this movie can get
I can't believe how much I liked this movie. I'm not really one for Boxing or Dramas (Unless their really good) but I was was pleasantly surprised.

Good performances on all sides (Hilary really deserved that Oscar), and the film also has you caring for the characters...maybe not all of them, but definately Hilary Swank.

- - -SPOILERS AHEAD- - -
I hate using words like "heartbreaking," but that's just what the ending to this story was. It will wreck you for a week. My Dad, who I viewed the movie with, hated the ending. He wanted one of those fairy tale finishes but, in reality, the world doesn't have too many of those. I, on the other hand (While I was fighting like Mike Tyson to hold back tears), admire Clint Eastwood for not being afraid to take a story (no matter how "good" or "inspiring" it is) and do a complete 180 from the cliche ending it seemed it was heading. It takes big grapes to do that.

Boxing Hilary?
This movie uses its extremely strong characters and a decent storyline to create what could literally be called a modern day classic. It shows a softer side to Clint Eastwood that I am not sure we have ever seen before. Hilary Swank is outstanding - I wish I had a better word for her performance - but I am not sure there is one. They key to this film is her ability to pull off the boxing segments in a convincing manner - and she does that in spades. Her right hook appears to be truly devastating. Morgan Freeman also turns in an awesome performance - both he and Swank are worthy of the Oscar. Million Dollar Baby is a film that should not be missed. See it.

A Great Movie With An Unbelievable Scene!!!
This movie stars Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank who seems to get another Academy Award every time she appears in a movie.This movie seems to be a female version of Rocky at the start but then becomes a touching human drama. The only thing that spoiled this movie for me was the usual sanitized Hollywood Death Scene. The last time I checked if your oxygen supply is cut off then you turn red, then blue then purple.Not so in this movie. I am sure that Doctor Kevorkian would have loved this movie for this reason alone.

Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman are fantastic and Hillary Swank absolutey stunning and beautiful even while dawning shorts and sweating like the proverbial pig.This is easily the best movie I've seen in years, it is a must see for not only boxing fans, but anyone who enjoys a movie that has it all.Did I mention Hillary Swank:)

Should be about 17 stars
Let's face it Clint Eastwood's head should be up on Mt. Rushmore.While critics are going bananas over garbage like Kill Bill & Shanghai Noon & Pulp Fiction & nonsense like Star Wars..Clint not only consistently delivers the goodsHeck,,even his lesser pictures like Every Which Way But Loose and Space Cowboys are hugely entertaining. this is along with Unforgiven his crowning achievement. In other words it's as good as it gets...& to think it's about a female boxer of all things...just see it. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Wonderful adaptation of the Chaim Potok novel.
This movie version of the famous novel about the friendship that develops between an Hasidic boy and an Orthodox Jewish boy remains faithful to the book in all important respects. The cast, headed by Rod Steiger and Maxmillian Schell, is excellent. Robby Benson and Barry Miller play the two boys, and are so wonderful in their roles that it's difficult to imagine anyone else doing them. Rod Steiger as Reb Saunders is perfect in every respect- right down to the Yiddish accent. His dance at the wedding of a couple in his congregation is one of the most expressive moments I've ever seen in motion pictures. The dignity, the extreme sorrow, and the great joy of being alive and human are all there. The only weakness in the film, if you can call it that, is the choice of Maximillian Schell to play Reuven's father, Professor Malter. He gives a fine performance, but there is no way anyone would believe he was a Jew. It's distracting, given that Professor Malter becomes a dedicated Zionist in the face of the decimation of the Jews in Europe. I am far from saying that Max is a Nazi, looks like one or talks like one- only that we can tell that he is German but it's hard to see any Jewishness in his performance at all. However, the movie is over-all excellent, if a bit talky, and belongs in the collection of any Jew or literary cognoscenti.

A Touching Film About The Hassidic Lifestyle
This 1982 film, based on the novel by Chaim Potok, himself a Jew,
is a moving and detailed adaptation. Stars Robbie Benson and Rod Steiger. I saw this film on PBS channel 28. The Jewish soul of
this film shines through beautifully and sadly, effectively using Hassidic clothing and glimpses of the lifestyle, which is
oddly at variance with the rapidly modernizing New York City of the World War II Era. Robby Benson delivers a fine performance
as the American young man who befriends a Hassidic Jew and assimilates the Jewish lifestyle. Their friendship is rocky at best. His Jewish friend has been raised by a strict father who
upholds the traditonal and orthodox way of life (he's even got him engaged to another Jewish girl)ad shuns modern thinking. He is against the Zionist movement which sought to make Israel its own free state, but the Father in this film believes only God and his Messiah can deliver them. Never has a movie been more embracing of the Jewish faith and old traditions than this movie.
Hebrew music is authentically used. The overwhelming sadness and horror hits you when they feature clips from the slaughter of thousands of Jews in the Holocaust during Hitler's Nazi regime in Europe.

With a sad, reflective mood and a long run of time, this film does seem to be straight from the equally long novel. But it's a great film and I recommend anyone who is a fan of Potok or Robby Benson the actor. The relationship between the boys and the difference between their fathers- one father is old-fashioned and fiery while the other is peaceful, but modern. It's a look at the difference between the two distinct worlds. In the end, the Jewish boy who always wanted to practice psychiatry, is allowed by a father who finally consents. It's a moving and poignant film. The acting and the script, lifted from the book, is quite good. Why did'nt this get any recognition in the Oscars of 1982 ? Or did it ? This film is before my time but it's superb and I feel it's Oscar worthy material. You will see what I mean.

Very moving
I just saw The Chosen on TV. I had seen it once before but watched it again. It is a fascinating and well-acted story of the friendship between two teen-aged boys, a Chasidic Jew, and an observant, but secular Jew.

One reviewer complained that Maximilian Schell was too German to play a Jew. I found him very believable as the Zionist father of one of the boys. Rod Steiger as the Orthodox Rabbi was amazing. I didn't see the opening credits and couldn't guess that he was playing the part. Steiger usually chews the scenery, but here he is very restrained and moving as the father who sacrifices closeness with his son for the boy's own good.

This is a film with many levels that bears watching over again. I have not read the book, and others here have said it is better. Movies are a different experience, and this one is very good.

ahhhh, yes.
This movie was written with all of the feel-good kind of action that this man can muster. Robby Benson, go, go for me and eveyrone who must be subject to this kind of primordial browbashing. It throws me for a loop when I see it in action and by all means, it just makes sense.

Good Adaptation.
'The Chosen' the film is a good adaptation of the book. It brings the mood and athmosphere of that era. The best scene is when the father lets go of his son in the ending. Very touching just like the book. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

How come this didn't work better?
I ordered this, because I don't remember seeing it in Finland and because of the great actors. I mean: Kevin Kline, Harvey Keitel AND Alan Rickman! What more could a grown woman want?

The movie uses clichés with a twist: a heroic but difficult cop (Kline) who has been unjustly sacked and is now a fireman, but - being a genius in his work - gets called back to solve mysterious killings. Of course, the police department is against the idea. But there is no choice and he starts to work in his own terms, for instance bringing along an assistant, a moody artist (Rickman in a part where he speaks very little, which is always a shame). Brother (Keitel) isn't too thrilled either, because they still love the same woman (Sarandon). Mayor's daughter (Mastrantonio) gets sucked in, because her friend is murdered.

The movie has all the elements of comedy, humour, suspense and good actors and actresses - and still it misses something. Kline is fine as always and even in this small part Rickman makes an impression and it's hard to point out any flaws - but still it doesn't work as well as it could have.

Anyway, the movie is entertaining, not bad at all. Harmless fun with a couple of original jokes. Kline's cooking is very odd and Rickman's use of models even more personal.

Mark your Calendar..... good all year 'round..
sure, no car chases, no explosions....but an interesting plot with about a half-dozen twists...i first saw this film in spain in 1989....(in english, somehow) and have probably viewed it twice a year since. scores of friends (and my now grown son and daughter) have also found themsleves enamored of it.
rickman's turn is a far cry from his 'die hard' and 'quiqley down under' roles; kline is brilliant kline....no wonder he finally got an ocar for 'a fish called wanda'....allieo is just great, and steiger is, well, vintage stieger.
harvey keitel is semi-controlled sibling rivalry entrapped..the tension is palpable...susan sarandon is the tortured fatale that holds it together; mastrantonio's 'in a hundred years, we'll all be dead' has been my mantra ever since.
the tape's finally worn out. i gladly paid for the dvd...
would someone get me a cup of coffee, please? preferably an espresso?

Improbable? Yes, but...
It's the script that really brings this movie down. While the mystery itself is contrived and some of the acting is overplayed, the script is just pathetic. At least, that seems to be the only explanation for why this movie didn't work, since all of the actors have shown their talent elsewhere. I found it hard to immerse myself in the story when every other sentence was unbelievably stupid. There was one character, however, whose odd lines actually sounded right: Ed. Alan Rickman plays the eccentric artiste wonderfully, and the offbeat things he said didn't sound strange because the character himself was offbeat. Unfortunately, Ed is a man of few words. The story could have worked, but is instead undermined by the very weak script. One star for Alan Rickman as Ed, and another one for the chemistry between Rickman, Kline, and Mastrantonio. The trio's scenes together are the only ones worth watching.

Most Improbable Murder Method In The History Of Movies
The solution to the murder puzzle in this plot -- the manner in which the killer was choosing his victims -- was the most improbable and absolutely lamest contrivance in the entire history of mysteries -- and this extends backward in time to before the Big Bang, to include any films which might have been made in all the past universes which existed before our present one.

One interesting line of dialogue, however, was a comment Kevin Klein made to Susan Sarandon, asking about certain results when she thought about the money to which she now had access, due to marrying a rich man. It's the only time in a movie I have ever heard so precise a reference to that particular phenomenon -- it was simply something that is never referred to so specifically in mainstream cinema.

COMICAL CHARACTER STUDY WRAPPED IN A SUSPENSE THRILLER..
This movie is not a typical "mystery thriller," at least not in the usual sense of the genre. The characters unravel intriguingly but very fluidly, and it is easy to relate to almost all of them (I bet we can all think of parallels in our own lives.)

Theme-wise it is ostensibly presented as a suspense movie where an ex-cop (Kevin Kline) is re-instated into a homicide detective role to solve a brutal murder spree by a NY psychopath. There is an interesting subplot of unrequited romance between Kline's character and his brother's (who is commissioner of police) wife. Kline's artist friend, his new girl friend (the Mayor's daughter), and in fact the Mayor himself -- are all amusing characters. But Kline is clearly the pivot of the movie, he turned what many might consider a very below standard screenplay and turned it into a very keepable film.

The cinematography is neat, the dialog entertainingly scattershot and the movie flows with a very good pace. Most people who revile this under-rated but actually very watchable movie do so because it doesn't fit any Hollywoodesqe molds. It is not a suspense movie alone (clearly, to me, it didn't make any overt attempts to be) -- it is also a very adult and somewhat intellectual but credible study of multiple intertwined characters.

The ending surprised me a bit, but I don't think it was chinsy or overdone. It was probably supposed to try and imitate real life and I'd say it did so.

And with that kind of a price tag, this is definitely a steal. Recommended! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Linda Fiorentino is her lean, sexy self as Carol, a former prom queen who's grown up to be a nurse in an old-age home, which isn't quite what she imagined her future would be. She's married to her prom king, Wayne (Dermot Mulroney), who's grown a little dull. Then Henry (Paul Newman) gets delivered into her care. He's an imprisoned bank robber who has had a stroke. Or has he? Carol begins to try to suss him out, even going so far as to straddle him in his wheelchair and fondle his ears, but it's not until she pushes him into a reservoir that he breaks his masquerade. Carol, desperate to get some excitement in her life, convinces Henry to pull a job with her. She starts casing banks and scoping out armored cars. When Wayne gets jealous of the time she's spending with Henry, he gets pulled into the deal--and a heist is underway. What makes Where the Money Is click isn't the fairly standard plot, it's the character details. Written in part by E. Max Frye--who wrote Something Wild (one of the best and most unappreciated movies of the 1980s)--the film consistently manages to give every character, no matter how small, something that makes them seem real. Though the pace starts out slow, and there are some not entirely convincing story elements, once the heist starts all this nuance pays off--every complication produces real tension because you've gotten to know Carol, Henry, and Wayne so well. Newman's effortless performance shows how he's stayed a star through five decades. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Newman Delivers
I really enjoyed this movie. It wasn't just the actors in it either. The story was fun to watch even if it was a little simple. In this drama comedy Paul Newman still has that great ability to act and really shows it off in this lead role. He plays an old thief that fakes a stroke to get out of prison. When his plan of collecting some old cash he had stashed away falls through, Carol (played by Linda Fiorentino) convinces him to hi-jack an armored car. This movie is fun to watch and in certain parts really makes you laugh. Also in this film, Dermot Mulroney, who plays Fiorentino's husband. If you are a Paul Newman fan then pick this one up. But even if you're not then you should give it a try. You might like it.

Newman Buttresses a Pleasant Surprise
Linda Fiorentino plays a prom queen who finds herself working in a nursing home--and something less than satisfied with her life. Paul Newman arrives at the home in shackles, temporarily released from prison because he was feigning a stroke. A notorious bank robber, Newman's character is shrouded in intrigue. Though he's a dangerous character, Fiorentino's character, Carol, starts spending a lot of time alone with him.

Carol is a sexy and smart woman. (This is the first of Fiorentino's movies I remember seeing. Sh'es incredibly attractive, and will have to look for her in other movies.) One of Carol's causes for displeasure is her husband, Wayne, played by infrequent star Dermot Mulroney.

The plot plays out out very well, though the beginning stumbles a bit. The acting isn't great, though the charismatic and smooth Newman mostly carries the film. While the story at times is inplausible, it's a very watchable and light movie.

What I really enjoyed was the aftermath: while the bank caper movie is a bit formula, this incarnation is twisted with life-purpose and satisfaction crisis storylines, and an interesting resolution. The story comes off as a spirise to those who'd take it as cookie-cutter for the genre.

The cameara work is great, and the production quality is outstanding. The audio is a little muddy, but fits its genere very well.

a pretty good way to spend 90 minutes
A clever caper, "Where the Money Is" stars the inimitable Paul Newman as Henry Manning, a bank robber who went untouched for 20 years before bad luck landed him in the pen. Not one to call it quits, he fakes a heart attack and is transferred to a nursing home, where the only thing that stands in his way is a nurse named Carol (Linda Fiorentino).
This clever caper flick seems somewhat out of time, like a classic film and I enjoyed it immensely for this reason. The best part of this film is the performances. Linda Fiorentino is still the ... woman acting today. It's not about how she looks, but the way she carries herself

kansas needs to lighten up.
This movie is a hoot and of course, Paul Newman, is superb. You watch a movie for entertainment. Don't take everything so seriously!

Good acting in a fluff plot
I like a fun caper movie when all the right elements that go with it are in place. This movie has a plot that flat out wouldn't work, which would be ok in a movie like "Sugar and Spice", where we just care about how the cheerleaders look. But this one is trying to be more serious, and with it should come grittier crime scenarios.

The serious part is to show Paul Newman faking paralysis in order to get to a rest home instead of prison as a means of making an escape. While very unlikely in itself, he plays it seriously. Also played seriously is the attempt by Linda Fiorentino to unmask the charade. The chemistry between the two actors is excellent, both here, and throughout the entire movie, and that's what gets it three stars. Paul Newman shows he's still very much worth seeing, and I hope they give him a few more higher quality films before he packs it in.

But while I liked the interraction between the two main characters, unfortunately everything else is, well, fluff. Dermot Mulroney has a completely thankless role as the husband who feels he's losing his wife to the much older Newman. Since he isn't really a bad person, I don't like that the movie makes him do something to make us dislike him by the end.

But the part I disliked the most was the crime caper they go on. Newman once again shows marvelous talent as an actor as they go on it, but it's the heist they do that doesn't convinvce me for a minute that it would work. Nor does the ending when confronted by the police, nor does the very final few minutes. With the recent quality filming of Elmore Leonard novels, the bar has risen in the way movies need to portray the criminal world.

Linda Fiorentino has proven she can do great work, and Paul Newman is a national treasure. Let's give him the respect he deserves with a few more quality roles. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Roger Hedden's charming romantic comedy works where so many like ensemble projects fail--on the strength of its amiable characters. The simple but clever plot, which involves a gambling debt, a bartender collecting overdue IOUs, and a tangled web of lies, sets in motion the trajectories of a dozen or so characters wandering the streets of New York one chilly December night. Against this backdrop they pair off, group up, and slowly wind their way back to the very bar where it all started. Hedden's sharp ear for dialogue comes out in lilting, low-key conversations (he previously cowrote Sleep with Me and Bodies, Rest & Motion), but his greatest triumph is the casting. Campbell Scott, at his understated best as the warm, winsome center of the film, strolls through a series of Big Apple watering holes with all the quiet confidence and affable friendliness a wounded romantic can muster. Equally fine are sweetly sincere Moira Kelly as his sister, thoughtful debt collector Peter Riegert, goofy barfly Katrin Cartlidge, conniving creep Eric Stoltz, and especially the often misused Daryl Hannah, who sends sparks as Scott's old girlfriend. Hedden's leisurely pace gives us time to hang with the characters, who are fine company and never overstay their welcome (the film clocks in under 90 minutes). It's the kind of movie Hollywood has forgotten how to make, a modestly endearing little piece that eschews big drama for delightful characters and enchanting moments. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Witty, Charming and Warm
This is a GREAT little indie. It has a fairly simple plot which sends the characters running around NYC one night at Christmas time - each with his or her own misunderstanding of what is going on. The dialogue is warm and witty and the actors are wonderful. There is not one bad perfomance in this film. Campbell Scott and the late Katrin Cartlidge make a very enagaging duo as they spar and flirt their way through the evening. Eric Stoltz is a great warm-hearted heel and Kelly gets a chance to deliver some great one-liners and zingers that give her character a real zest. This is the kind of small, sweet, funny film that doesen't get made that often and when they do - rarely this well. Spend and hour and a half with this one and make some new friends. I have honestly ended up curled up on the couch watching this more times than I ever imagined. Get it!

Such a fun story to watch unfold in front of you
I watched this movie ...and once it finished I decided I had to log on to Amazon and buy it up. This film is so well done, from the characters, the actors, the dialogue and the stories. A pure enjoyment to watch. I hope everyuone sees it at least once.

A Cast and a Story to Die For!
This film is so good! The dialogue is very clever, and the actors fit the characters well. (Meaning each actor was perfect for the role. The casting department really did their job well for this film) You will love all the characters, from Jimmy the dishonest struggling actor, Minor the thug wanna-be, Fatty the bookie who happens to be whipped by his wife, and my personal favorite, Simon the Jewish Santa. (Played by Dean Cameron, what a surprise :) This is a great film! Buy it!

cult classic romantic comedy set in NYC
This film is smart and funny and low-key. It is set in actual bars in New York City's upper west side, so I felt a little nostalgic looking at places I used to go to, now that I live on the west coast. There are various twists and turns and various actors show up and then dissappear. There's a lot going on, and everyone is trading insults the whole time. Campbell Scott is great as always in the lead.

great little known indie
What a great movie!

If you like 'dialouge' movies, definitely see this one! The script is clever and has a very New York feel to it. I forewarn everyone that this is not a screwball comedy.

I repeat, this is not a screwball comedy.

It does have comic moments, but the goal of this movie is not to have you on the floor laughing. The goal is simply to show you a day in the life of 'average' New Yorkers, and to point out that honesty is the best policy.

To fully enjoy the film, I suggest you just sit back and relax, enjoy the comedy, enjoy the drama, enjoy the dialouge. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ten-year-old Phillip (Eric Lloyd) and his mother (Deborah Kara Unger of Crash and The Game) travel constantly from town to town, stealing enough money from obnoxious men to keep them in food and gas. A car crash lands them in Jersey suburbia, where Mom decides to settle down with Pedro, the man who rescued them from the wreck. Phillip doesn't agree, and after he takes a rash step, they're in flight once again--but now Mom is realizing she may not be the most troubled member of the family. When Phillip's father (Jamey Sheridan, The Ice Storm) returns to reclaim his child, the trouble only increases, and Phillip once again decides to take matters into his own hands. Luminous Motion is a mix of compelling psychology and beautiful cinematography, with a storyline that coils tighter and tighter. Dark and elliptical, but rewarding. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (3)

disgusting
I originally bought this movie to see Eric Lloyd, it turned out to be a complete bomb. There is no plot, it is incredibly weird, lacking any sense of anything. All that happens is him and his mom go from town to town stealing what they can from unsuspecting strangers to survive. It will leave you thinking "what was that" and have you looking for some normality for an hour or two later. There is nothing to grasp. If you were thinking about buying it to see Eric, it's not worth it, go see him in something else worth the time.

Bad, unpleasant film
LUMINOUS MOTION is the kind of mess that just can't escape certain people who praise it because it's so "offbeat" and "different" and "low key". Yes, it is all three of those and I myself certainly like something offbeat, different and low key in my movies too. However, those qualities don't necessisarly translante into "Good".And LUMINOUS MOTION is definitely NOT a good or even OK film. In fact, it's pretty bad. It's not that it's badly acted...Eric Lloyd is very good. The film goes way overboard with the "motion" theme, pummeling it to death. People also apparently don't mind that this boy ends up doing some pretty nasty things in this movie. It left me feeling empty and depressed with hardly anyone likable or redeeming in it. The movie rambles on and on with occasional fringes into the surreal. Surreal stuff like this is tricky to handle, and LUMINOUS MOTION can't get a handle on it.

Eric Lloyd Gives a Performance That Will Win Your Heart!
Scott Bradfield's novel of the same name receives a senstive and winning screen adaptation. Although this movie did not get much attention when it first appeared, you will greatly enjoy seeing it on DVD. The DVD transfer is first-rate. Eric Lloyd is the one to watch here!

--Sensitive Stephen, Host of BoysOnYourScreen.net

A plot summary:

Ten year old Phillip Davis has spent half his life
joyously living on the California highways with his
carefree and highly seductive mother. Every night is a
road, every man is a map, and no love is stronger than
the love Phillip feels for his mom. Mom is light and
Mom is motion.

So when Mom decides to settle down and lead an
average life with an average American man, Phillip
sees himself as her savior, and his mission is to
liberate Mom. At first, he appears to succeed, but an
unexpected event sidetracks his plans: Phillip's
powerful father re-enters his life and he wants his
family back. Oedipus was lucky - he was ignorant of
his crime. But Phillip is all too aware of his situation
and he knows exactly what he must do to regain a life
in motion.

Phillip's obsessive love for his mother is intense and
perhaps perverse but it is also as innocent and
psychologically familiar as Humbert Humbert's
hopeless love for Lolita. Ultimately, Phillip learns that
Mom is a world all her own and there are some places
we must all go alone. ... Read more

Description

A group of friends from Queens, New York reunite for a wedding. Kevin Bacon, Linda Fiorentino, John Malkovich, Joe Mantegna, Jamie Lee Curtis ... Read more

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The talents of John Turturro, Lili Taylor, and Will Patton are wasted on this pointless, "quirky" film. There's a particular subgenre in American film of eccentric characters leading eccentric lives, generally written and directed by people who don't actually know anyone remotely eccentric but feel that their own lives are too ordinary to make a movie about; the result is both dull and dishonest. All Revved Up is about a teacher (Taylor) whose car breaks down and who goes to a dishonest mechanic. Meanwhile, a writer for a nature magazine (Patton) seems to be having some kind of nervous breakdown or depressive withdrawal, which is somehow related to fondling gecko lizards. A welder (Turturro) is in love with a bank teller to whom he has never spoken. There's a subplot about a car-theft ring that holds a little more interest than the shambling scenes about the main characters, but not much. The dialogue is redundant and ineffective, the editing is sluggish, and the visual style is banal. Movies like this give independent film a bad name. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Lost and Found
I have to admit I was skeptical of watching Al Pacino try his hand at ANY Shakespeare, much less Richard III, which isn't the easiest play to put on in the first place. But by the end I actually quite enjoyed the whole production, even if I wouldn't call it a masterpiece.

I'd recommend this film to anybody who enjoys the Bard, live at Stratford or even if it's some over-the-top movie version--and particularly for high school students who are still a little too dense to totally 'get' Shakespeare. It's informative for the uninitiated, and as a documentary, it works reasonably well, and moves at a brisk enough pace so you're not bored stiff.

Add to that some particularly insightful words from Derek Jacobi, and Sir John Gielgud (amongst others), it's well worth a rental, and doesn't embarrass any of the actors who were smart enough to take part in this.

And as a reminder to the bloke who trashed this in favour of Ian McKellen's excellent turn as Richard III, this wasn't meant to compete, but instead to enlighten the masses. Who to be quite honest, COULD understand Shakespeare if they put their minds to it, but most don't.

They're usually forced to in grade nine at best.

Amazing for an indepth look
I saw this movie in 1996 while in college on a "movie night" with other actors in my field of study. We were simply electrified by Pacino's depth and power that he put into the understanding of this amazing Shakespeare character. I have performed in Richard III, and believe me, i wished that i had this film to look at during that time to help me with some difficult scenes! I found Pacino to be extremely human, bendable, and thought-provoking; it's a definate must for the Shakespeare lover, and will expand your mind if you love Pacino! At least rent it!

Engaging!
I came across this movie on one of the movie channels on dish and, being a teacher of literature, got completely sucked in. I loved how the actors explore the characters of the play and the various plot sequences, then the audience is treated to the final outcome. Though the scenes are acted out at different locations throughout London, rather than on-stage, and one might say that it detracts from the film's credibility, the locations are well thought out and appropriate to the scene.

I can't wait to use this film as a teaching tool.

Mildly entertaining but also pretty deliberately dumbed down
I like Al Pacino in many movies, especially, of course, Godfather 2. I've seen him on the stage & enjoyed his performances in O'Neill & Mamet.

But to me Shakespeare is not his forte. In this film which I find to be mostly an exercise in actorly self-indulgence, he comes off sounding like Mel Brooks both as narrator & especially in character.

I also find the intent rather condescending & for the most part irrelevant. The gap between English & American actors doing Shakespeare has to do with Language & History. I didn't hear much commentary on these issues. Mostly the film sounds like a treatise for making Shakespeare palatable to grade schoolers.

Pacino's best film ... where's the DVD?
Although Richard III is one of Shakespeare's most violent and Gothic plays, Pacino's loving and intelligent exploration of the classic tragedy - and the legendary bard who penned it - emerges as one of Pacino's most compelling and inspiring films. A movie that makes me proud to be an Italian-American studying for his Ph.D. in British literature. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Thanks to the Stonewall Girls
As a student of gay and lesbian history I approached this movie with a cautious mind. My caution was soon overcome by the fabulous characters, plot and honest (but fictitious) depiction of what it was like to be shunned by society. The Stonewall riots were fought by people who were marginalised in many ways-dykes, latinos, transvestites, drag queens and African-Americans fought the original gay battles that were soon taken over by a white middle class. That is why the movie spoke to me. It showed that the human rights battle is not a white middle class only issue but is an issue no matter who you are.

Aside from the history lesson, Stonewall combines a great story, great songs, great characters, embellishes them all with some self-depreciating drag queen wit and punches home a fab movie that leaves you feeling how far we've come and how far we've still got to go. A great human rights story told with love and humour. Buy it.

What can I say but "We are the Stonewall girls, we wear our hair in curls la la la la....."

Good story, history for those who don't remember
Enjoyed this movie. The (i believe) fictional characters provide an entertaining story and backdrop to the real Stonewall event.

We tend to forget how gays & lesbians were treated as real criminals as little as 30 years ago - when police raided gay bars just to beat up the patrons, and get their names published in the daily paper, assuring you that you would lose your job and be outted in a very public way. I was cringing in my seat at some of the stuff we had to deal with back then - considering how open we are today. Really makes you think.

Nice film with a cute story against the historical backdrop.

Great version of the Stonewall story
All accurate? Perhaps not, but a well told story. The actors do a great job in their roles and any liberties taken with history are either reverential or entertaining. The drag queen version of a greek chorus is too cool.

This movie sucked!
There really isn't much more to say, but I'm sure I can find something... Let's see, the acting was next to terrible, the plot lacked anything dynamic, and for the most part it was just boring. It did have it's good points though (the most important one being that it eventually ended). There were some nice butt shots, unfortunately they weren't of very nice butts. There were some ok drag numbers. The only decent part of this movie was the riot scene, and that doesn't happen untill the end (hope I'm not giving away the ending!)

Anyway, I would not reccomend this movie to anyone!

Stonewall six stars!!!
I thought I should own and watch this movie, since it was on the birth of equal rights for Gays (being the good little queer I am). It was so funny, and educational. I can not believe I had not heard of it until I browsed the Gay/Lesbian section of Amazon. The acting is great, and the period clothing is dead on. Don't rent it, you'll just want to go buy it afterwards, so put your rental $$ towards to purchase. ... Read more