1. JimH.

   10

   The people who slated this just live up to the stereotype of Americans having a very basic sense of humour. This just went over their heads. Its a great understated film. You don't need obvious humour and big special effects for a film to be good!… Collapse

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
2. mytwocents

   8

   Recently noticed that this was one of the top streaming selections on Netflix -- seven years after it came out. So I think my sense that this would be a sleeper has been vindicated. After four viewings it is still laugh out loud funny, largely because of the usual passion Cage brings to the part. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the movie is that Spritz, bedeviled by his sense of mediocrity, is actually the least complacent character in a sea of dreary mediocrities. (Pulitzer Prize? Please. Does his estranged wife with the big sad house write sci-fi novels? What about her new blob of a suitor?) I think Ebert had it right -- this is a film about a person who thinks that the standard American measures of success are bunk. But he can't escape from the shadow of his menacing father, who, to his credit, admits in the final scenes that his "like a rock" life hasn't been worth as much as his son thinks it might have.
   
   The film has its false notes -- the creepy counselor scenes and the whole "camel toe" excursion -- but on the whole there's something transcendent about it.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
3. ChrisM.

   7

   Consistently funny and intelligent while at the same tiime weird. However, it's a comedy that actually contains comedic elements within the narrative. This aspect of the film overshadows and dilutes the existence of the film's imperfections.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
4. RichardT.

   3

   I'm rarely moved to wax unenthusiastic about a movie, but I'll make an exception for this one. This is one of those movies that, as they say, you'll want to think about for a long time afterwards. Don't bother! I've thought about it for a little while afterwards, and the more I thought, the more disgusted I got. This is a pseudo art-film with an unbelievably obtuse lead who is more antagonist (to himself and to reality) than protagonist. The offbeat attempts at humor/angst are merely offbeat. Furthermore, nobody could conceivably be as dense as this character in his personal relationships be this a fast-food, shallow culture or no. Sell anxiety ridden someplace else. We're all stocked up here.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.

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