Getting to Know You

this is now one of my favorite films of all time. the way everything played out was amazing. not to mention, the movie kept my interest the entire time. this was, without a doubt, heather matarozzo's best work.

I saw this film at the Gen Art Film Festival in NYC 1999 and looking back over the last year's films think it's one of the year's best. An especially satisfying story with fresh, unconventional performances and brilliant cinematography and scenic design. I was especially struck by the look of the movie.

The blue and green tones throughout the film were haunting.

One of the smartest adaptations of previously published material, "Getting to Know You" is a powerful look at family dysfunction, and perserverence in the face of abject personal adversity. Director Lisanne Skyler and sister Tristine (who also appears in the film) not only get the essence of Joyce Carol Oates' stories, but in fact improve upon their emotional resonance. Beautifully shot, beautifully acted (Michael Weston is a revelation in his film)... just a gorgeous and stirring film.

Martarazzo, Weston, and Braff are amazing in the three lead roles of this independently made slice-of-life film. Bebe Neuwirth plays the mother with her customary excellence. Terrific support is supplied by Bo Hopkins, Celia Weston, Mary McCormack, and Tristine Skyler as people hanging around the bus station. The intermingling of Joyce Carol Oates short stories as apocryphal tales told by Weston is brilliant. However, the film bogs down significantly when it comes time to reveal Martarazzo and Braff's family secrets. Nevertheless, a nice touch at the end brings is helpful in restoring the magic. Altogether, this is a nice independent effort for the promising Lisanne Skyler, but it could have been a tad tighter.

It is obvious that director Lisanne Skyler has tremendous respect for the writings of Joyce Carol Oates. She weaves several stories together in this intriguingly conceived film about lost souls meeting in a bus station. Heather Matarazzo follows up her amazing performance in Welcome To The Doll House with a more measured, but nonetheless brilliant, essay of a displaced teen trying to make sense of what is left from her life.

Zach Braff is phenomenal in the confined role of her brainy and equally depressed brother. Bebe Neuwirth also shines as their mother, Trixie. Only Mark Blum as the father seems badly miscast.

Bo Hopkins does a wonderful supporting turn as a security guard, and Chris Noth and Celia Weston also bring great panache to their supporting characters. Skyler does a masterful job weaving the different stories and diverse characters into her quilt in the first 60% of the film. However, the pacing slows down considerably and her directorial rhythm falters when she focuses solely on the narrative explaining the siblings' predicament which quickly decays into a study of repetition.

However, viewers who persevere will be rewarded. Upon returning to the bus terminal, the characterizations are bestowed dimension in quite skillful and unexpected manners.