1. Alienvisitor

   10

   Amazing to read so many bad reviews for such a gripping movie. I don't know if MickaelK has a point when he writes that for some viewers used to a binary take on things, having to come to grips with psychological complexity may prove too unsettling, so they shut themselves up and would rather be bored stiff than admit to this uneasiness, which you feel at times. I guess some people do not want to be made to feel and think at the same time. What I found a little overdone, but I guess it was part of the caricature, was the wasp and higly pc atmosphere throughout; other than that, a very subtle movie about how guilt gets passed on from one family member to the next, how one copes -or not- with it ; great acting, all of them, and such moving moments, there's sthg "pure" and cutting about this movie, like crystal.… Expand

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2. BobF

   5

   Very good acting and, I suppose, a good look at a family in distress. Too long and too many scenes that drift into meaningless wastes of time. The good is outweighed by the boredom. OK at best.… Expand

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3. SkipYoung

   3

   It tries to be Cinema Verite, but I never believed it. So many of the emotional reactions struck me as implausible and melodramatic: Rachel’s hysterical reaction to Kym’s dinner toast, Dad’s nearly operatic reaction to seeing Ethan’s plate, Rachel storming out of the beauty salon, Kym demanding to be maid of honor, etc. These are drama queens on steroids. It’s annoying - not entertaining. As for the wedding, it has a constant aura of putting on airs. Look how untraditional and open-minded we are. In trying too hard not to appear self-consciously eccentric, it comes off as false. I would have appreciated at least one of the characters acknowledging how different this wedding is, rather than everyone acting like it’s the most normal thing in the world. The film doesn’t need to apologize for it, but it shouldn’t pretend either. I will say that Debra Winger is perfect in her small role. I’m embarrassed to say, I spent the whole movie looking for her, and left thinking, “whoever played the mother did a great job”.… Expand

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