Kev22

Ok, I've now seen this film three times. The first was in the theater in early 1998 (I really enjoyed it, although, I admit I didn't pay that close of attention to it...I pretty much just enjoyed the visuals without ever getting a feel for the story.) The second time was on video last summer. After the second screening, I thought it was really quite a miserable film. Contrived, corny, and unbelievable, with bad performances from both Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow to boot; although, still I recognized it as a visual gem. Then, I began reading the original Dickens novel early this year. And I thought, Well, now that I truly understand the story and the character's motivations, maybe I should pick it up again and give it another chance. I have just finished watching "Great Expectations" for the third, and most likely final, time. Overall, as you may guess, I have extremely mixed feelings about it. The script was extraordinarily disappointing. The characters were drawn so weakly that it was hard to really get anything from the story and, alas, I understand where the poor performance from Ms. Paltrow came from. Aesthetically, yes, this is one of the most visually decadent, artistic, incredibly beautiful films I have ever seen. The cinematography and art direction (both in extraordinary shades of green) are marvelous. These are the qualities which make the film worth watching and I suppose if you're a sucker for ham-fisted romance, the story will suit your purposes very nicely. The drama or realism never cuts skin deep, instead we are drowned in ridiculous, flight romanticism. Charles Dickens' novel is chopped into pieces, none of the gritty manipulation or character depth is included and hardly even mentioned (in tiring voice-overs by a wooden Ethan Hawke.) Luckily, though, the film does feature two incredible performances from both Anne Bancroft and Robert De Niro (both in supporting roles, stealing every scene from their younger cohorts.) If only the visual splendor had been fused together with the wonderfully brutal depth of the novel, we would have had one of the most brilliant film adaptations of all-time...well, this isn't. I do urge you to rent it (if only to see a very hot-looking Gwyneth in the nude) for the beautiful visual style and the possibility that it might peak your interested in Dickens' original novel. So, I guess the best way to describe this one is...Uh, not quite...even this, though (all visual style included), is quite an understatement for how unbearable and disheartening the final scene is. Just leave before the last five minutes and come back to watch the incredible art-work show with the ending credits ;).

Why all the negativity about this utterly brilliant motion picture? First of all, Minnie Driver is absolutely splendid. The entire film is beautiful to watch, the story palpably intelligent and erotic. The characters rich and spellbinding. I was enraptured by the first 5 minutes and the story never let me down. Tom Wilkinson was excellent as was Harriet Walter. A definite must see for lovers of intelligent period pieces. Very reminiscent visually of Jane Campion's "The Portrait of a Lady" and Shekhar Kapur's "Elizabeth." Too bad the film (and especially Driver's performance) got so little attention when it was released this summer. Rent it, and then decide how you feel.

This film is not flawless. The characters make extremely vapid, insipid decisions during many of the plot's key twists. It still qualifies, I suppose, as far above a waste of time. Actually, my favorite part of the entire film was the opening bank robbery scene. Vivica Fox's dead on portrayal and the sheer terror of it make it vividly memorable. The film then takes us on an interesting journey (albeit the film is on a downward spiral from the start). The key story elements are unique, thought-provoking ones, the script is neither. I had a hard time caring one iota for either Jada Pinkett or Queen Latifah. Both respectable actresses in their own right, but conveying nothing substantial here. Therefore, the core of the film lies in the very ample hands of the aforementioned Vivica Fox and newcomer Kimberly Elise (dauntingly superb in this year's "Beloved") and they do excellent jobs of carrying the film forward. The beautifully constructed bank robbery scenes also help quite a bit. By the time it's all through, you realize you knew exactly where it was going. A nice finale (and I don't mean the final scenes involving Jada Pinkett escaping to Mexico, which were extremely useless and indulgent), though, helps to cover up the fact that the screenplay (complete with cliches about cops, the ghetto, etc.) was simply and mechanically going through the motions.