richard-291

Having read Fraziers' book, I eagerly looked forward to the cinematic adaptation. Though given the epic treatment the book deserves I'm afraid the film does not have the same emotional impact. The casting seems to have gone somewhat awry. Inman (Law) should have been a rugged giant and required a more mature actor with more presence. Ada (Kidman)should have been prettier and of even higher social grace, making her even more vulnerable. Zellewegger as Ruby was OK, but her character should have been less comedic and more down to earth.

Having said that, the performances were OK, but the screenplay left a lot to be desired. Inmans' journey was a series of separate scenes that didn't flow very well. Adas' struggle should have been harder. In the end the viewer just didn't have the emotional tie to the characters that made the book so outstanding.

At the end of the book I found myself screaming "No" at the pages, at the end of the film I found myself groaning "No" at the screen.

5 out of 10

I was cajoled into watching this TV movie by the wife, who has very positive nostalgic memories of Andrew McCarthy (Mannequin, Pretty in Pink, St Elmo's Fire) and found it to be actually rather good.

It may not have the budget of The Usual Suspects, but it's intriguing none the less as the nice plot gradually plays out. Some of the whodunnits are very obvious, as McCarthy tries to piece together who killed his wife and why, like the supposed friend and work colleague or the father in law, but overall this is one worth sticking with to the end.

Good performance by the guy of The Sopranos and also look out for the laughingly titled magazine 'Dungeon Bitch' - used to put the colleague in the frame.

As long as you don't expect too much, you'll enjoy.

R

As you may have guessed I thought this film was slow! Very thin on plot and predictable to the end, this really did not get going at all.

The parts were played well enough especially Kidman and the old woman, however there were too many negatives for me to be able to recommend this to anyone.

Frankly I'm surprised that so many people gave this film a '10' - they are either very generous or haven't seen many films!

Eric Sykes was cast well, he was certainly 'stiff' enough for the part.

Sorry again, try not to die of boredom if you see this.

Alternatively I'd recommend all 'The Others' first!