SunTzu-4

This was a very dull film. It had a few funny one-liners but not funny enough to stick in my mind. None of the characters is sympathetic, most of them are downright irritating.

Jason Biggs is a pathetic loser fixated on a self-centered bundle of neuroses played by Christina Ricci (note to the casting director: Ricci is not attractive enough to play a femme fatale). Woody Allen plays another pathetic loser, as do Danny de Vito and Stockard Channing. All are wasted.

I went with a group of friends, otherwise I would have walked out: as it was I tried desperately to go to sleep.

The title gives the clue: if anyone suggests this film ask if there is anything else . . . anything. Avoid.

. . . so if you are happy to leave Homer on the shelf, forget the Aenid and ditch the Oresteia then you'll probably have a nice time watching this. It isn't Homer, but it is a fun sword-and-sandals epic: if you can view it on this level then you'll enjoy this flick. It's good, clean, escapist fun, the interpretation of Achilles as a psychopath was refreshing, and some of the panoramic scenes were truly amazing. Overall it could have been better - we saw more flesh from Achilles than from Helen (when is Hollywood going to relax a little about breasts, this WAS Ancient Greece for goodness' sake?), and some of the acting was a little wooden - but it could have been SO much worse: Steven Seagal as Achilles and Van Damme as Hector anyone?

Having read some of the other comments, I can only say that some people take their comedy far too seriously: I really enjoyed seeing this at the cinema and bought the DVD to share it with my friends. I can't think of anyone with whom I've seen this who didn't enjoy it - there are some great one-liners, some really funny visuals, and the comedy is all based on character rather than pratfalls (although there are some of those too). The cast all seem like they were having fun: Coogan is Coogan, Lena Heady is delectable (especially in the shower) and Om Puri is predictably brilliant. The minor characters are all well cast and add to the fun. I found this film thoroughly likable - and I think you probably will too.