Dying Young

Julia Roberts shows once again how she can take an ordinary script and turn it into a worthwhile flick. This is a great movie for one of those rainy afternoons when you don't mind a little tear here and there.No one in Hollywood can cry and hit you right in the gut like Julia. Along with Campbell Scott,who is dying from Leukemia, they both give believable performances and the music score is quite good.

As someone who has seen this movie numerous times, I can honestly say that this movie isn't for those people that are looking for a "Happily ever after". This movie is as realistic as a movie about such a subject(Cancer) can be. But the best thing about this movie is the relationship that the characters have. The actors, Julia Roberts as the hired nurse and Campbell Scott as the very sick young man are excellent and believable in their rolls. If anything this movie brings out the fact that he has a short time to live, how he chooses to live his life is what this movie is about. The story ends in a way which WE the viewer choose the path we want to see it. If you want a happy ending you can say that they left together and he was cured, BUT if you are realistic and are aware of how many lives cancer takes you know that they had their time together and eventually he dies. "You don't know when you are going to die, nobody does. But we have now, so live with me Victor. Live with me--Hillary(Julia Roberts). Those words are the basis of this story, to live the time you have, live for the day. I have recommended this movie to many of my friends and I am doing so here and now. A must see.

To put it simply, the opening third of this film is intense. Quite intense. Campbell Scott's Vincent is a tortured young man who only wants to live enough to prepare himself for death. Julia Roberts' Hillary is essentially her Vivian from Pretty Woman (I hope everyone who sees this film is as unimpressed as I was with the shameless allusion to Pretty Woman when Hillary steps off the bus in -- gasp -- a red suit), but it suits the film well. But the passionate acting from Roberts, yes, but mostly Scott absolutely rends one's heart. When Hillary declares that she thought "this guy was going to die," the audience is right there with her. Scott's performance is so rare and so special during these opening minutes because he is not self-pitying. He is aware of his disease, and he's trying to fight it. He's beyond emotional pain, and as he struggles through the physical pain, we start to feel it too. By the time Victor announces that his treatment is finished and he's ready for a vacation, the audience is ready for one too--it's really too much to watch a character we're instantly so attracted to come so close to death so many times.

However, with the change of scenery comes a change of momentum. This is not surprising considering how emotional the opening third of the movie is--I'm not sure any movie could sustain that degree of intensity for the length of a feature film. Sadly though, the couple's time in the beach house becomes, as one critic put it, a kind of music video which features long shots of "endearing" moments between the two main characters. I would have liked to see more *real* discussions, interactions, etc. between the two than the endless close-ups of their pretty faces. The townsfolk are superfluous--essentially they're stock characters, cut-outs of real people that serve no real purpose in the film. Vincent D'Onofrio's Gordon is the most confusing character of all. He seems to have some sort of flirtation with Hillary, but this is never developed, explained, or resolved. A shame, as it could have added more drama to a section of the film that was sorely lacking in any sort of dramatic effect.

The ending of the movie isn't bad, but it never quite recovers the momentum of the earlier section. However, I find that no matter how much I dislike the middle part of the film, I keep thinking about the film as a whole, and really really liking it. If you're prone to it, this film will probably make you cry. If you're not interested in tears, it's still worth watching because at the very least it will make you appreciate how lucky you are to not be going through what Vincent goes through--not having to make the decisions or sacrifices he makes each day.

I recommend watching it at least once and forming your own opinion.

As many other comments have said, this is a truly moving film. I had a friend who suffered from leukemia, but she didn't make it. All the despair, hope, and courage she displayed is displayed by Campbell Scott.

And Campbell Scott - what an actor, who has never made it "big", but perhaps he doesn't want to. My favorite comment I ever read about him is this: with George C. Scott and Colleen Dewhurst as his parents, this guy could run the Kentucky Derby and win.

Julia Roberts, way before Erin Brockovich, shows compassion and a resilience to helping Vincent. Of course we know that she will eventually fall in love with him, as he does with her.

I like that the movie ends in a "grey" area. We are left to wonder if Vincent makes it and if Hilary stays with him. Truly a well-made film that deserved more notice.

This movie is a 'sleeper' and not a box office hit, so I nearly did not get it. But I am glad that we saw it! The acting is excellent for the two lead roles: Julia Roberts and Campbell Scott (who played Hamlet and other top notches).

Julia was superb and we admired the fine acting that she did. My wife cried near the end because she herself came very close to dying of cancer (of the liver, was told she had 4 months to live - that was 6 years ago). But it was not a depressing story at all.

This is a quality film. There are no car chases, shoot-outs or cheap sex, just a good solid story by two fine actors. See it.