For the Moment

Very nicely done movie. It does stay in your memory. Better billed as a romance than flying or war, altho the flying parts are realistic and almost error free. Flying buffs like myself will enjoy this movie even if attracted by the airplanes, unless they have no sensitivity or have never been in love.

Fun watching early Crowe. He is good and exudes charm. His reading of "High Flight" is superb.

cheers, Boom

Russell Crowe is such a cutie pie! I know, this isn't news to anyone. But just in case you belong to that little, stubborn group of women who refused to have a crush on him during his heyday (like someone I know), go ahead and rent For the Moment. I watched it with that aforementioned lady, and she turned to me after ten minutes and sheepishly admitted, "He's really cute. . ." Coming from someone who had always compared him to Archie Bunker, that was high praise.

Russell plays a flyboy in training during the height of WWII, and although he tries to fight it at first, he falls for a married woman, Christianne Hirt. Christianne's husband is already fighting, and her younger brother joins up; it goes against her better judgment to care for someone else she has to worry about, but she just can't help it. They have a very sweet romance that helps you understand the impulsivity of wartime and the necessity of showing love while you still can. You can probably tell from the title (and the incessantly sad "Pachelbel's Cannon" during the opening credits) that this won't be a sunshine-and-rainbows story. This is a heavy drama with a mixture of realism and extremely clever dialogue.

Writer-director Aaron Kim Johnston's screenplay made me laugh, cry, hope, and accept that there was no other way for the story to turn out. I loved all the scenes with Wanda Cannon. Her husband was also away fighting, and to keep her farm afloat, she became the town's friendly hooker. Some of the other girls shunned her for it, but she always had a quip ready to defend herself. Wanda's steady beau, Scott Kraft, was a decent and responsible man, and also the flight instructor for the young boys. It would have been easy to make their romance silly and unrealistic, but Johnston didn't. From the funny lines ("Just because you're so good at handing out free samples doesn't mean you could ever make a sale") to the profound ones ("Crossing through one big, dark room full of disappointment and surprise, you're bound to bump into something"), For the Moment is a wonderful story. It's easy to imagine it was a sweeping 1000-paged novel or an abridged version of a miniseries from the 1970s, but the credit goes entirely to Johnston. I definitely recommend this movie for those, like me, who name WWII as their favorite era. With good-looking actors, endearing characters, a heart-wrenching plot, and a great screenplay, you can't go wrong.

For the Moment is a two-hour trailer for a good movie. It's all lead-in; it never peaks, just slowly wanders along. There's tons of character background and lovely scenery--some good acting, too--but it never all comes together with any excitement whatsoever...and suddenly it's over without ever having gone beyond what should be the intro.

Think: An expensively-made Hallmark Hall of Fame production. Plenty of longing looks between the two lovebirds, much dialogue that fills time but doesn't advance the story, some 90s political correctness to do with blacks and gays that never could have existed in 1942 rural Canada, guilt for everybody--and you know who the victims are going to be from the first time you see them.

On the upside, Russell Crowe is beautiful.

I have just seen this film, and fallen in love with it. There is a little bit of something for everyone, and its a particular free for all when it comes to the romance between Lachlan and Lil. When they are on the beach, I nearly cried... there is the unspoken realization that time is the most precious commodity and it is most evident when they are together. This idea taken from several angles, from marriage to sibblings to finding love in the least conventional of places. The film almost makes you long for that kind of desperation when you know that tomorrow could very well be your last. Crowe was particularly wonderful in his role of Lachlan. I've always had a soft spot for the accent, but I nearly melted with his portrayal of his character. The way this film was shot is also beautiful, with the music, backdrop of the open fields, and superb acting. All together, this is a wonderful film that tugs at all of human emotions.

I enjoyed every moment of this movie, even though I knew they could never really be together. With the life expectancy of a Bomber pilot being only six weeks, It made me feel for all of those women and men back in the 1940's who must have lived this story.