The Event

Only one thing saves The Event from being a total loss; Olympia Dukakis! When she is on screen, the warmth of her being and the grace of her acting temporarily convince you that this is a good movie. She plays a pivotal character and she packs an arsenal of subtle and powerful emotion!

Unfortunately, there are many, many minutes of film dealing with the other characters, most of whom have a faceless, gray presence that gets annoyingly boring. They are not helped by an episodic, way too long screenplay and episodic and short-on-creativity directing. The climax of the film is genuinely moving (thanks mostly to Dukakis), but it takes so long to get there that you feel cheated that you didn't care more for these characters during the balance of the film. The little coda after the climax is unconvincing and unsatisfying.

Lots of unnecessary pop songs intrude along the way. Parker Posey is the only other actress to induce any sparks. If you can wade through the slow spots, its worth seeing for Dukakis; but barely.

This is not the kind of thing that attracts me: simple drama. Straight ahead, grinding humanity.

Why would people invest in watching something like this? For engagement, I suppose.

There's engagement in the story, for sure, if you need it. But there is a higher level of engagement in knowing that these players are pouring out their hearts for us.

Sarah Polley is extraordinary, just extraordinary. Olympia has a grace that matters. Parker is less open than usual until the end.

Coming to the event, the man's sister and mother talk about Shirley McLain's performance in "Tears of Endearment." The whole movie revolves around that line, that notion.

The thing is constructed so that there is a movie within the movie — a movie of the event. Something clever.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

I was fortunate enough to see this film at the Sundance Film Festival, and while I was ostensibly in Park City for skiing, this film will stand out in my memory as the high point of the trip. Poignant, heartfelt, authentic, beautifully acted, outstanding direction, incredible script - I could go on...

When the director of the film came out to address the audience before the screening, he commented about all the love that went into this film. This "touchy-feely" stuff tends to make me a bit uneasy, but in fact, every frame of this picture showed that love.

This film is so utterly honest with it's subject - a gay man dying of AIDS, post 9/11 - that you wonder how a film like "Philadelphia" is still regarded in such high esteem. As a gay man, I felt "Philadelphia" was fraudulent - unreal - pure Hollywood sap. (I won't ever forget the scene when Hank's character, covered with KS lesions, is handed a newborn baby to cuddle. Yeah, that'd happen...)

If you want the real thing, check out this amazing, wonderful film - we now just have to pray this masterpiece finds a distributor.

The auditorium I saw this film in at Sundance probably held 1500 people. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

A excellent film. The Event put a human face on what for many is only a social tragedy and statistics they encounter through the media. The director, Thom Fitzgerald, is due substantial credit for, while not opting for dramatic gimmicks and attempting to create a believable story, putting something togehter that neither collapsed into portraiture nor drolled on into docudrama. The cast performed well also in these regards with a luminous Olympia Dukakis bringing the import of the story front and center. A deeply touching film. Secondarily this film serves as a grave warning in particular to 17-24 year old men, a segment where the HIV infection rate has climbed dramatically during the past couple of years. Many such young men consider AIDS to be a managable disease and not a death sentence and forget that the side effects of many cocktails can all too easily include severe headaches, memory loss and dementia leaving infected individuals with a quality of life that is, in director Fitzgerald's words (who spoke after the film showing at the Quad Cinema in the West Village after the early evening showing on Oct 3) `just not there.' So, find out where this film is being played and go see it!

i heard of the movie by chance and caught it while it played (it was only here for a week). i had to go by myself because no one else would go with me. but i did, and i'm glad i did. what an amazing movie. it moved me in ways i never believed possible. i went because of don. i knew little of the plot. an old couple left mid-way through the movie. why? it was hard to watch. it was a hard concept to swallow. i cared about the characters from the start. when the sister reacted to her brother's news of his infection it hit me harder than a bus could have. that's the reaction i would have had.

it was a hard topic to deal with, but it was done so properly and it ws very beautiful. the acting, the filming, the writing, it drew emotion out of people.

it really is a must see. i can't wait for it to be released for home-viewing. bravo