November

I am not a fan of the TV show "Friends", but I have been impressed with some of the work the cast members have done outside of the show (David Schwimmer's performance in BAND OF BROTHERS, for one). Courteney Cox is nothing short of excellent here, and there are good performances from other cast members, especially Anne Archer, who I've liked ever since I saw her with James Coburn in 1972's rodeo picture, THE HONKERS. Nora Dunn also turns in a good performance, and if all the leads were as strong, my overall impression of "NOVEMBER" would be different.

But the casting of James LaGros in a major role here doesn't work at all. I don't know if it was the inexperienced director or a bad fit for the role (certainly LaGros has plenty of experience himself), but he's hard to watch, especially when sharing a scene with Cox, who acts circles around his one dimensional performance. This dynamic was so distracting that it pulled me out of the story for a moment whenever he was on screen.

Fortunately he's not on all the time, for November is almost completely from Cox's character's perspective. It's perhaps a study in perception more than anything else, a modern suspense thriller that really isn't a who-dun-it as much as a painful reconstruction of events. Because the film doesn't cheat and cut to someone else's perspective just to answer the viewers' questions (a courageous and applaudable choice for the filmmakers), there are questions that remain unanswered for a majority of the picture. When the time came to give answers, I didn't always feel there was enough information to do so properly, but that's a minor issue. These weren't the "drive you crazy" plot points, but smaller things I thought should have been clear by the film's end.

Aside from these problems, I never felt the film drag (as is often the case in lower budget pictures), so the few story problems did not occur in the editing room as far as I can tell. The short running time reflects this, and these filmmakers understand that one shouldn't be so inclined to make epic length pictures unless it's absolutely critical to the story (a point the major studios seem to forget quite often). If I have issue at all with the run time here, it's the snail pace at which the end credits roll (I guess they were making sure we could read it all). Regardless, the major questions that create suspense were nicely revealed; the time flew by watching the film unravel, and there was certainly a "payoff" for me by the end.

A better directed and/or cast actor opposite Courteney Cox would've boosted my rating on this film a couple of stars. I suppose that's why the big time casting directors get the big bucks; the leads can make a film. But a miscast actor, as in "NOVEMBER", almost broke this otherwise enjoyable movie. 6 out of 10.

This movie had a great structure. I liked exploring the real emotional reactions of "denial", "despair" and "acceptance" when dealing with trauma with the main character played by Courtney Cox. This movie is really difficult to talk about without giving it away and that is the one thing you don't want to happen when watching this movie. Trying to figure it out is what makes this intriguing.

I will say that the movie kept my interest and was terrific up until the ending. It is the type of ending that you can figure out so it doesn't "cheat" you. But it still wasn't a satisfying ending. Why? Because there were too many elements that were thrown in and even though I can understand why the main character would go through the thought processes that she did, I don't think that I would if I were in her shoes. That is, if I understood the ending properly.

Harrison's 'November' is quite an interesting piece of cinema. Shot with HD camera on a minimum budget, the film take us through the stages of of a young photographer's grief. But for whom is she grieving or who's death is she coming to terms with? That becomes apparent in the end. The movie's divided into three chapters: denial, despair and acceptance (stages of grief). The director presents hints through each stage as the truth slowly unfolds. Harrison's execution is quite simplistic in terms of technique. The visuals have a washed out look but are nonetheless intriguing. He uses a lot of symbolic elements, like the different gloomy colours in each segment, and a gloomy soundtrack. The entire film rests on Courteney Cox and she does an exceptional job. It's great to see her in a different role and the actress needs to do more movies. The supporting cast, that includes James LeGros and Anne Archer are very good. 'November' is quite a well made film. It is thought provoking and dark but many will dislike it most likely because of the theme. Many have complained that there is no plot but, in my opinion, I find that to be a ridiculous statement as the story (which I briefly mentioned earlier) is pretty obvious. Whether one likes it or not, I say 'November' is worth the watch.

Impeccably designed and crafted psychological study appears at first to be in an artistic disarray, yet the filmmakers' strategy is very clever and they have put together an excellent--if brief--thriller about living in a state of limbo. A young photography teacher experiences a night in November within three different frameworks, each with much the same detail but a different outcome in the scenario. It's impossible to criticize the minutiae since the movie's agenda isn't made clear until the finish, but some of the plot-points can be frustrating (such as the photo of a mysterious hand under a market bin, or a police investigator carping about not getting a clear look at a convenience store robber when the store itself had four security cameras going). Nevertheless, the well-chosen cast, particularly Courteney Cox in the lead, is flawless and the mood music and arty cinematography--while at times overstated--is haunting. *** from ****

I really enjoyed the movie "November". I don't pretend to be an "intellectual snob" like some people who reviewed this movie - I just know what I like and what I don't. And I liked this movie. I thought the acting was terrific, the storyline intriguing and thought-provoking, and the film visually very haunting. I would recommend it to anyone - anyone that is who wants to go to a film and "think" about it afterward! I especially enjoyed the use of light and sound to convey the storyline and to move the plot along. The scene's that were I think the most interesting were the one's that kept repeating with different results - i.e. the trips to the counselor and dinner with Sophie's Mother (the terrific Anne Archer). Also, I thought that Courntney Cox gave a great measured performance. It was refreshing to see her play against type and appear in so bold a film. In conclusion, I would love to see this movie again - I believe it is a film to be watched over and over, and each time you would get so much more out of it. I look forward to owning it eventually on DVD. But I would recommend anyone who has the opportunity to see it on the large screen, since it would obviously be so much more effective that way.