Gemeinsam stärker - Personal Effects

I have to admit, I started with a prejudice against Ashton Kutcher. I should have learned from my initial unsubstantiated dislike of Brad Pitt. He is one of those handsome young men whose movie credentials haven't been impressive. I wonder if perhaps that stems from lack of opportunity. I see a film like this as a transitional one where we can see his acting ability. He does a nice job with the angst and anger brought about by the utter unfairness of life. Bad things happen and justice isn't done and we shouldn't pass judgment on a life if we don't have some real knowledge of that person. I liked the chemistry between the two leads. The relationship with the deaf son was a bit of a reach. There's no reason they communicated so badly. There is written speech, lip reading, and other forms of communication; even the most basic elements of sign language. It makes Kutcher's character seem rather shallow to think that he would spend so much time with this boy and still not literally understand him. Things do get a bit contrived at the end (I won't spoil it), but if you want to take away a single thing from this film. realize the pain that is life and the possibilities that those painful things can hand you.

Stars ashton kutcher and and michelle pfeiffer. Younger man, older cougar. And the cougar's deaf son. They have both recently lost family members, so they at least have that in common. They are both still pretty messed up emotionally, so they lean on each other. Co-stars kathy bates and spencer hudson. It feels like someone's actual life story, but it's pretty good. Gets quite serious. Directed by david hollander. Appears to be his first full length director debut. Based on a short story by rick moody. One of his two projects turned into film.

I usually don't watch Lifetime movies but it was a rare Saturday Night that i was home.. nothing else was on...the tube... Turned to Lifetime and saw an original TV film with Michelle Pfeifer was about to begin.."Personal Effects" The minute it stated I was hoooked... Love Michelle Pfeifer and she was excellent in the role of a somewhat older woman who falls for (through various circumstances) a younger man, played by Aston Kutcher ..now I've heard of him but had never (i thought seen him act ) Not only is he good looking and a"hunk" but he can really act he played the part of a confused somewhat depressed young man so well..I felt so sympathetic towards him ..Excellent performance know now, thanks to IMDb.that he's married to Demi Moore, and I did see him in "Bobby" and possibly the "70's Show". He was wonderful as was Michelle and the entire cast including Kathy Bates in another unbelievably good performance as "Kutcher's mom . Very adult quite graphic ,a bit violent but very well done and well acted.. The plot has a few implausabilities and was a bit confusing but stick with it... One of the best made for TV films I've seen in awhile Shown on the Lifetime Network

This movie was well written and the acting was far beyond my expectations.

Not that the whole cast isn't already great, but Ashton K was really much better than I expected him to be at acting without words... I'm used to enjoying comedy and far out roles for him...but his take on an ordinary character with problems was unexpectedly deep and rang true.

The ending and the overall message that the movie left was also a pleasant surprise. I first thought this movie was going to be a study in the gloom of sudden loss. I think viewers will smile if they watch thru to the last frame ...there's a nice little twist if you look close.

I've never written a review for a movie before. But after seeing such negative reviews for this movie I had to step up and say something. I thought this movie was great! The acting was superb and the plot was realistic. Some people seemed to think that the relationship between Michelle Pfeiffer and Ashton Kutcher was weird or creepy because of the age difference. This is absurd. There is nothing wrong with an older women falling in love with a younger man. Another problem people seemed to have with this movie was it's pace. Not me, I was enveloped into this movie from start to finish, and that's saying something since most of the time I watch DVDs I pause to take a break and do something else for a bit. I thought the story was engaging and the relationship between Michelle and Ashton believable.

If you're someone that's into movies involving regular people dealing with the stress and depression that life can cause then this movie is for you. But if your looking for the typical fake Hollywood stuff then you might want to pass this up.

On a side note, the only reason I gave this a 9 out of 10 was because I thought the ending could have been a tad bit better. Otherwise this movie is flawless.