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In the 2000s when I was a huge Jenn Aniston fan and watched this movie I wanted to like it knowing this was her breakout role and she was getting a lot of buzz for playing this plain Jane a real departure from Rachel from Friends.

I didn't like it, as I found the movie too depressing and dark, and Jennifer Aniston's acting also not dramatic or deep enough for my taste dor a movie like chis, as I'd hoped.

I forgot about this movie, then twenty years later Mike White made it big with his White Lotus series, I liked the first two seasons, learned that it was Mike White who had written this movie, so one night I decided to see it again for the first time in two decades, out of curiosity to see if I might appreciate it more now that I'm a lot older.

Well, my reaction? Did not like it, once again. Actually I disliked it more the second time around. It's not because it is still one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen, but more because I found the story and script to be pretentious and shallow, while unsuccessfully attempting to be dark, funny, intriguing, and thought-provoking.

I do like the acting by John C Reilly, the young Jake Gyllenhaal, Zooey Deschanel just the same as the fist time. Their acting made it possible to sit through the ninety minutes without stopping half-way thorough. But for me this is the last time. I'm not watching this movie again.

The script of this movie sheds light on Mike White's style that is still the same today. He is a master at creating a story that is uniquely shocking and disgusting, and the originality of it can fool a large number of the audience into believing he's somewhat of a genius. The pitfall is that his stories are always only skin deep, they can be satirical, originally dark, and ironically funny, but they never really touch your heart or soul. They never enlighten you much about life except about the dirty, corrupt, messed up part of human nature. That can get old after a while.

I loved season one of "Running Point". It's got a great, clever, fast-placed but not exhausting script, super fun and interesting characters of all kinds, engaging and exicithg storylines, and solid comedic but also heartfket acting by all its cast.

I don't know who's thumbing down all the high rated reviews here but don't pay any attention to them, give this show a chance if you haven't seen it yet. You'll enjoy it.

Kate Hudson has always been one of my favorite actors since I first saw her in "200 Cigarettes" that showcased her wonderful talent for quick-witted, light comedy mixed with touching, bold, raw and genuine expressions of human emotions. She's always been one of those actors who brighten up the screen, not just with her signature big smiles and laughters and gorgeous blond hair, but her big, sparkly personality and presence, and in "Running Point" she is at her best with all her strong points being fully utilized for the role of Isla Gordon. She's tough, she's determined, she's motivated, she's over-the-top, she's hilarious, she's messy, and, she's also vulnerable and inspiring as Isla. Kudos to her for playing her to a T.

Season one was so well done and ended on such a satisfying note with a perfect cliffhanger. Can't wait for season two. This is the best comedy series I've seen in a while. Thank you Netflix, and all the talented writers for this show that's a breath of fresh air. Please keep up with the great production for the super ensemble cast and keep us entertained for more seasons to come!

Season one: great - 7.5/10. Season two: perfection - 10/10. Season three: a bomb - 3.5/10.

My rating for the series averaging the three seasons: 7 (down from 9 after season two)

Review of season three:

I tried my best being patient until the finale of season three, really hoping the longer, ninety minutes final episode would somehow make up for the whole season by tying up all the pieces together and giving a satisfying enough ending.

Well it didn't. I'm more disappointed now than after seeing all the previous episodes of this season that just dragged. Especially after such an amazing time the show gave us with season two, season three feels like such an utter mess and a waste of time. The stories are all over the place, there are too many plot holes along with unnecessary subplots aimed only for the shock value, opportunistic and unrealistic choices of actions by the characters, the list goes on. The whole season drags while nothing really happens until the final episode, and what happens in the final episode all at once is rushed, forced, too predictable in some parts and too irrational in other parts, and ends with making the show feel like a soap opera, far from the high-quality drama that was expected after season two.

The writing especially was what made the White Lotus season one and two so unique and special. With season three, it's almost like someone else other than Mike White wrote it.

I have rewatched both season one and two and still enjoyed them but this last season, I most definitely will not be rewatching. If you haven't seen the show yet, my advice is to watch the first two seasons and skip three.

Now here're some of my theories for why season three turned out to be so subpar and disappointing.

1. The hype and all the awards this show got from 2021 to 2023 unfortunately got to Mike White's head and his writing and directing got lazy.

2. Perhaps Mike White wasn't that into filimg in Thailand after his #1 choice of location, Japan, got scrapped due to zero tax incentives the country offered to international film productions at the time. The lack of passion for the location led to lack of motivation, which led to poorer quality script, and directing. (Btw fyi: Japan now offers tax incentives. It just unfortunately didn't at the time the producers of the show were scouting for location)

3. The high heat of Thailand that multiple cast members mentioned and/or complained about on promotional interviews during their filimg the season for the long seven months maybe contributed to a lack of focus, energy, and clarity needed for the season to feel more alive and coherent for the audience. Mike White has talked about his physical exhaustion after the filming of season two and how he worked on building strength to prepare for the filming of the following season. Perhaps despite his best efforts, the high heat and humidity that is especially tough for people that are used to the dry moderate weather in California, got the better of him, diminishing his capacity on all fronts.

4. The season tried to take on the theme of spirituality with Thai Buddhism, but with the surface-level understanding of the writer/director of the religion and its core teachings, it only achieved a paper-thin, superficial effect throughout the entire season. Had the whole theme been explored and presented with more depth, it could've had a stronger impact on the character developments. As a Buddhist myself, I found the monk's lines shallow, dumb in some parts, and falsely representing Buddhist teachings, confusing them with Hinduism and Christianity, which was frustrating to watch.

5. The mixing themes of Buddhism, Christianity, and Greek mythology into an already-packed storyline of multiple characters was a disaster. Again, with deep themes from multiple angles touched on supeficially and crammed into small scenes, the show tried to be deep, spiritual, and thought-provoking, but for its superficiality it comes off as rather pretentious and empty.

6. Mike White's using the ideas and storylines he came up with when he was sick and running fever was maybe not such a great idea.

But.. who really knows why season three was so bad compared to the previous two. Maybe as a line from this season "bad things come in three" goes, the number 'three' of season three was just a bad luck, just not meant to be.

Just so as not to end on a sore note, the good wirh season three are:

1. Casting. Great as always. Too bad not all the actors' talents were utilized to their fullest potential. I feel bad especially for Jason Isaacs whose character was basically drugged the entire season. But some of the actors had scenes where they really shone.

2. Acting. Patrick Schwarzenegger and Aimee Lou Wood are the breakout stars of season three. Sam Rockwell stole the show in all the scenes he appeared. Jon Gries' character's creepiness and darkness was well-played. Morgana O'Reilly who plays Pam brings a nice touch of normalcy and also some sense of warmth in a few scenes she appears.

Hopefully the series will get the redepmtion it needs with the next season.