Ladies Room

This is a strange movie, but not completely bad . Only the ending is quite usual and poor - but the second part, after the first boring 30-40 minutes, worths the time wasted. I rented it because the presence of John Malkovich, who makes a funny cameo, and watched very perplexed the first part, really too slow and without new glances on the matter. Some moments are quite poetical, others just banal - the music is splendid, even if not clearly listed in the credits. Sometimes it seems old Italian Opera, but with a trivial remake. The actresses aren't equally good, and some stories (there are more) are simply lost in the ongoing of the movie. In certain situation remembers Polansky's "Who?". This may be a good exercise for movie lovers.

My husband and I rented this film thinking it might be a classic farce, as the cover copy suggested. Thirty or so minutes in, we were wondering if we had rented a movie that had never actually been watched by the person writing the promotional material. It was slow and not a comedy, in our opinion, and definitely *not at all* like the description. We were bored and disappointed and ended up returning the film to the rental store.

After renting this movie, my wife and I were a little disappointed at the first. The movie was very slow to start and did not really get funny until the scene at the Opera House. The Bathroom scene was very funny. I'm not sure I would recommend the movie to others, but we certainly enjoyed it once it got moving. I would love to know who the lady was that was singing in the background music at the opera house. The credits were a little blurry and we could not really make out the name other than, Anna Liani. We would love to get some music by this very talented singer. Not sure if we have the name right, so if anyone knows her real name, please pass it along to us. :)

Phil Franklin Las Vegas, NV. 3/22/2000

When I saw this DVD in the "special offer" bin at a local book store (for only 2 Euros) I was surprised I had never heard of it before. When I watched it, it became clear why you never see any reference to it.

The reason I bought it was exclusively because of the cast. Just look at it; this can't be a bad movie, can it? Yes, it can. The actors do their trick and they do it well, but there doesn't seem to be much coherence. The story is rather confusing and not because it is so complicated (which it isn't) but simply because you never know what the story is actually about. Don't get me wrong; telling a story with different story lines can be very interesting, but this is definitely no 'Magnolia'. The various elements just don't seem to come together. I have the feeling that this is some kind of private project, for and by friends only, not really meant to reach a large audience.

My advice: if you're a fan of one of the actors (Malkovich is great as always), get to see it if you get a chance, but don't spend too much money on it.

This is an off-beat yet charming feminist comedy with a deft dialogue and great photography. The cast is top-notch, in particular Lorraine Bracco and Molly Parker. However John Malkovich's unconvincing turn as Italian Lothario Roberto is both funny and embarrassing but you wonder if that was the intention in this slyly witty Italian production set in Montreal. The conceit of the ladies room is handled well and becomes the centrepoint for anxiety and female companionship. This is, in effect, a celebration of female solidarity in a very surreal, Italian way with a quirky Canadian twist. It's not for everyone's taste but it's better than most films that call themselves comedy today. Expect the unexpected.