Aufgelegt!

I saw the DVD because I knew it was Walter Matthau's last film, otherwise I would have skipped it. This was incredibly boring and stupid. Walter was the only one showing any talent. I realize that he was still living when the film was released but newer DVD's could show "in memory of Walter Matthau". By the way, the dvd has both wide screen and full screen. The full screen is better here because the widescreen version is not anamorphic, only masked.

I saw this movie because of the stars. I love Keaton, Ryan and Kudrow. As the "story" unfolded before my eyes, and what I saw was horrible. Plan and simple.

I can not believe that Diane Keaton, one to the best comedic actresses around would let herself make two of her worst films,

(Hanging Up and Town & Country)

right after two of her funniest films

(The First Wives Club and Father of the Bride 1&2).

Is she trying to end her career?? And picking this to direct?? I don't see ANY directing going on here. Maybe if there were it wouldn't have been a MAJOR waste of my time and money.

Do not watch this unless you are under heavy medication.

This movie is definitely not what I had expected. With a cast like this I expected a great comedy. But the movie was boring and confusing. There are too many flashbacks. Maybe it is just me, but I found it difficult to understand what was going on. Of course, that could also have something to do with the fact that it was very difficult for me to stay focused. What a shame this was going to be Walter Matthau's last movie. I you found this movie good or even funny, you must be more intellectual than me.

The best scene in this Diane Keaton-directed film has drunken dad Walter Matthau showing up at a kid's birthday party bellowing and vulgar, but it doesn't belong in a comedy. It's more like something out of "Shoot The Moon", which Keaton starred in, and would fit much better in a film with a darker tone. "Hanging Up" wobbles around in search of appropriate emotions, but Keaton just can't get a consistent rhythm going. Her performance as the eldest of three unhappy sisters is also wan (she's winging it), however Meg Ryan as the middle sister has some fabulous moments: she hugs a coffee machine, she tries to convince her husband that driving a wrecked truck is going to work for her, she tells off her father but cries because she loves him. This is a performance well worth watching, but the picture definitely needed a director with a tighter grip on the reins. ** from ****

My main motivation for renting this movie was to see Walter Matthau's final performance. Matthau was one of our most talented, all-around actors. It was sad to see him go, but his performance in this movie was a fine conclusion to his thriving career. I don't think he could've picked a better final role to play. And being that Matthau played a dying father, it was even more heartbreaking to watch. I didn't break into tears any time during the movie, but I came close to it quite a few times.

First off, "Hanging Up" was pretty much marketed as a comedy. A fluffy romantic comedy, or chick-flick if you want to go with the stereotype. There are undeniably some very funny moments, but it's all done as comic relief. Overall, this is a sad, touching story that should hit home to many people who've had--or have--severed communications with their siblings or parents. I personally don't experience that in my family, but I know many who do. The father-daughter relationship, especially between Meg Ryan and Matthau, is brutally realistic. It's very touching to see how the two of them stick with each other through thick and thin, even through Dad's messy alcoholic rages. The other two sisters, Lisa Kudrow and Diane Keaton, have grown distant from their sick, elderly father with Alstheimer's Disease. While Ryan uses every ounce of her free time to visit her Dad in the hospital, the other sisters use their work as an excuse for never finding time.

I've heard people say that the scenarios in this film are unrealistic. Well, as far as I understand, the movie is based on the real life relationships of the Ephron sisters (who wrote the screenplay). Of course, there's some witty dialogue and situations that were obviously thrown in for entertainment purposes, but it's all based on real life. Truth can be stranger than fiction. Besides, I wasn't once doubting the plausibility of the film. Maybe it's because I was so indulged in the characters and the spirited performances, but whatever it was--it worked.

I have to say, I never thought Meg Ryan looked really attractive, before I saw her in "You've Got Mail." I liked her "When Harry Met Sally..." and some of her past movies, but she just had a conservative, housewifey appearance that never really did anything for me. Now she looks soooooooo cute with her straight blonde hair. Every minute she was on screen I just wanted to run up to the screen and kiss her! And may I say, she has a smile to die for.

Walter Matthau is both entertaining and touching in an understated performance that he should be remembered for, not just because it was his last performance (Hell, I loved John Candy, but I'm not going to say his performance in "Wagon's East" was the greatest), but because it was a brilliant one. Not only does he make the funniest, sometimes vulgar and off-color, wisecracks but he's so likable. Yet he has an alcohol problem. Showing us that even the most likable people have their faults. You do feel the sisters' pain when (in a flashback) Matthau barges into his grandson's birthday party, completely drunk, yelling obscenities, humiliating everyone and finally destroying the party altogether and causing the kids to cry, but you also feel his pain when his daughter's husband (Adam Arkin) chases him out of the house and wants to make sure that he never sets foot in the house again.

"Hanging Up" has everything you can possibly want in a film: humor, romance, sentiment, drama, moments of truth. Yet it's not delivered in a schmaltzy, "Lifetime" Movie of the Week format. And you leave with a good feeling in your heart. I definitely recommend this movie, especially since it reached a very scant audience in theaters. Just make sure you have the phone numbers of your sisters or fathers handy, because you're definitely gonna want to give them a call afterwards!

My score: 7 (out of 10)