Charles Dickens' Great Expectations is often considered one of the greatest stories in literature. The story of a boy named Pip who encounters a convict named Magwitch as he comes to the attention of a reclusive woman named Miss Havisham as he falls for daughter Estella as he continues to court her in his adult life while living off money from a secret benefactor. Great Expectations became such a popular story that several film adaptations were made with David Lean's 1946 film adaptation being the most acclaimed while some remembered the 1989 Kevin Connor miniseries starring Anthony Hopkins as Magwitch and John-Rhys Davies as the role of Joe's guardian Joe.

In 1996 after Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrman scored a huge hit with his modern, lavish adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Film producers scoured plans to have a hit of the same caliber as they chose to do a modern adaptation of Great Expectations for a new generation of moviegoers.

With a screenplay written by Mitch Glazer, the modern adaptation of Great Expectation follows the same premise but in a modern setting about a young boy named Finn, whose gift for making art encounters a convict in his Florida home. He then meets a reclusive woman named Miss Dinsmoor while falling for his niece, Estella as the two grow with Estella being very cold to Finn as he tries to win her heart with his art and success. Directing the modern 1998 adaptation was acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, who previously scored acclaim and the prestigious Los Angeles Film Critics New Generation Award for his 1995 children's film A Little Princess. With a cast that includes Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper, Anne Bancroft, and Robert De Niro, it might seem like a promising adaptation. The end result unfortunately is frustrating when comparing to past film adaptations and the book itself despite some fine cinematic moments from Cuaron.

The film begins as the adult Finn Bell (Ethan Hawke) narrates his own life as he remembered about his youth. He recalls the day as a 10-year old orphan boy (Jeremy James Kissner) is in a Florida ocean drawing fishes and sea creatures as he encounters a convict by the name of Lustig (Robert De Niro). Lustig is on the run as he tells Finn to get him some food, pills, and something to drink or else he'll kill him. Finn goes back home where he meets his guardian Joe (Chris Cooper) who is married to Finn's sister Maggie (Kim Dickens). Later that night, Joe makes a sandwich and steals some alcohol and pills as he meets Lustig, who is touched by what he brought him as he continues to hide until Finn comes across cops where Lustig hides behind a buoy. Finn would never see Lustig as the cops later captured him.

After that incident, Joe comes to the tarnished mansion of Paradiso Perduto owned by an old, reclusive woman named Miss Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft), whose life was ruined after her fiancé left her in the altar. Finn looks into the house where he encounters a young girl by the name of Estella (Raquel Beaudene) as Joe received $500 and later when they returned home, Miss Dinsmoor called Maggie to tell her that she wants Finn to come to her home and play with Estella. Joe couldn't believe as he thought the money he received was a joke but every Saturday, Finn would come to Paradiso Perduto where he was encouraged to work on his drawings as he would listen to Besame Mucho repeatedly in various versions while learning to dance with Estella as in one moment when they were drinking from a fountain, they kissed.

Years later as Joe was left to raise Finn alone after Maggie disappeared, Finn grows to a man as Miss Dinsmoor suggests that Estella (now played by Gwyneth Paltrow) to accompany her to a dance. Estella goes along to her disgust as later in the night, Finn takes her to his home, as she looked all the drawings he did of her as they come to some sort of attraction. Later, the next day, she has left Florida for good as Finn's desire to win Estella's heart finally diminished.

The years go buy as Finn gave up on his painting to live a life of helping Joe with the fishing trade as a Manhattan art representative named Jerry Ragno (Josh Mostel) offers him money and a place to live to work on his art. Finn at first thought it was a joke but then he learns that his artwork was given to an art dealer named Erica Thrall (Nell Campbell) from an anonymous benefactor. Joe tells him to take up the offer as Finn returns to Paradiso Perduto where he talks to Miss Dinsmoor as he asked her if she was the benefactor but doesn't say anything as she told him to go to NYC. Finn finds an apartment and meets Thrall as he returns to his art learning that he hasn't lost his touch. One day in Central Park, he encounters Estella who now lives in Manhattan about to be engaged by a wealthy man named Walter Plane (Hank Azaria).

Finn meets Walter and Estella for lunch as she talked about her adolescents, as Finn wants to draw her again for his upcoming gallery. One day in his apartment, she shows up as she would take off her clothes and pose for him as he kept drawing as she then leaves as he wonders if she's playing mind games with him. Suddenly, he presents his art work to Ragno and Thrall, who are both impressed as Walter stopped by in his apartment wanting to know more about Estella as he admits, having trouble understanding her himself. Finn continues to pursue Estella, even as he pretends to live this life of success but Estella still pushes him away coldly until one night as she made love to him and is confused by her love.

Then as the day he was about to open his first gallery, Finn starts to get into aristocratic lifestyle as he begins to make lies about his life and on the day of the gallery, he was waiting for Estella. Arriving instead was Joe, who unfortunately made a fool of himself as Finn realizes, he is beginning to alienate him, as Estella never arrived as he found Miss Dinsmoor in her apartment. Miss Dinsmoor tells him that Estella has left and felt she done wrong for Finn by making Estella feel cold towards him. Later that night as a couple of men were on the lookout for a guy, Finn meets a man from the past as they run from a few men where Finn learns who the benefactor is as well as the man who gave him a new life in exchange for his own. Finn then begins to question everything he has achieved and what sacrifices he was forced to make as he wondered if he would ever see Estella again.

The problem with most film adaptations of classic novels isn't just character omissions and missing storylines, but also the way it is presented, particularly on modern day adaptations. The film's biggest weakness is in Mitch Glazer's sup-par script, which really takes out a lot of the emotional depth and social aspect of Charles Dickens' novel in favor of something more appealing for an audience. Plus, the character development in some of the leads aren't as great and with the exception of the Lustig and Joe characters, they come across in a very unsympathetic way. The screenplay is probably the reason why Alfonso Cuaron has expressed some frustration towards the project. Instead of relying on its weak script, he had to rely on the film for its cinematic quality and lush, elegant cinematography of his longtime collaborator Emmanuel Lubezki.

Cuaron still does bring out some fine directing moments in the film's first thirty minutes involving the kids while having some fine dramatic scenes with Hawke, Paltrow, and the rest of the cast. Despite the script, Cuaron brings in a fine directing approach to the film as Lubezki shines with his approach to sunlight and the Floridian waters reflecting sun as well as his use of green colors and the sunny look of New York City as Lubezki is one of the best cinematographers in the past 10 years. Helping Cuaron and Lubezki on the film's gorgeous, dreamy visuals are production designer Tony Burrough and art director John Kasarda for its exotic, greenish look of Florida and the street, art world of New York City. Another brilliant element in its relation to art is the drawings and paintings by Francesco Clemente that are well drawn in a lovely style with its simple format of shapes and colors.

The film's music also plays well by its score from composer Patrick Doyle as it has a dramatic, dreamy tone with its string arrangements and orchestra. The film's soundtrack is as equally as strong with its diverse acts that include Tori Amos, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell (in his first solo recording after leaving Soundgarden), Pulp, Mono, Iggy Pop, and the Grateful Dead. The only weak spot in the soundtrack is the various versions of Besame Mucho where by the third one; it becomes really annoying.

While the smaller roles from Kim Dickens, Josh Mostel, Erica Thrall, and a surprisingly restrained performance from Hank Azaria are fine to watch in their small performances. The roles of the younger Finn and Estella played by Jeremy James Kissner and Raquel Beaudene are well-played, especially in their individual moments as they carry a fresh-faced innocence and chemistry that plays well with Kissner as the more innocent Finn and Beaudene as the cold Estella. Of the supporting cast, no one delivers a finer performance better than Chris Cooper as the loveable Joe. Cooper brings a charismatic performance of a man who isn't very bright but knows how to do the right thing and he comes off in a very sympathetic and loveable way as throughout the whole film, we get to love the guy even if he's a yokel.

While Robert De Niro doesn't deliver a groundbreaking performance in comparison to his many film roles, he was excellent as the convict Lustig as he starts off very mean but in a very sympathetic way. De Niro comes off as a man, who knows what he's done to land him in jail was wrong as he found something to live for from this young boy and De Niro brings a rare, fatherly-like performance from him as he shines early and later on in the film. Anne Bancroft delivers a fine yet bizarre performance as Miss Dinsmoor as she seems to have fun dancing to Besame Mucho a lot as she comes off in a very likeable way but as the film progresses and we learn of her flaws, there isn't any real sympathy to her in the end in the same way the novel and previous film adaptations had.

In the leads, Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, unfortunately don't carry the same chemistry that their young principle actors carried early on in the film. There's no real spark in the relationship and whenever they get together, it feels somewhat contrived as really, you have neither to pull for. Hawke is excellent by himself or with De Niro and Cooper while unfortunately when it comes to the subject of Paltrow's Estella, he comes off as this pathetic lovesick puppy. Paltrow is sexy in some of her scenes but overall; her character is clearly the most confusing, as we're not sure if she is really in love with Finn or just playing with him. In that context, her character really comes off as unlikable and unsympathetic as Paltrow doesn't give her character a really center in this uneven performance.

While it's not in the level of original Charles Dickens novel or the film adaptations of David Lean and Kevin Connor, Great Expectations is still a good modern adaptation of the classic novel. While many filmgoers will enjoy the films for its lush visuals, fast-shot camera angles, and artwork, it's not enough to help like the film due to its development of its lead actors forcing people to enjoy the supporting cast more. Fans of Alfonso Cuaron will like the film for its visuals as well as Emmanuel Lubezki's gorgeous cinematography as everyone will know; they both re-emerge with their 2001 masterpiece Y Tu Mama Tambien as Cuaron is now back in Hollywood with his upcoming film adaptation of the third Harry Potter film, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Fans of Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke will best check out their other films since there's more of their performances that they can relate to despite having some fine individual moments. In the end, Great Expectations is a good film with something for everyone though they might feel contrived in the end, as the best suggestion is to read the original Charles Dickens novel.

Alfonso Cuaron Reviews:

Solo con Tu Pareja (Love in the Time of Hysteria) (1991):

http://www.epinions.com/content_377100013188

A Little Princess (1995):

http://www.epinions.com/content_147047091844

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001):

http://www.epinions.com/content_118471757444

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004):

http://www.epinions.com/content_142702710404


Children of Men (2006):

http://www.epinions.com/content_303047609988



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age