My husband generally controls the remote. This is not really a problem, more often than not we want to watch the same things. However, occasionally there will be a show or movie that he has absolutely no desire to watch.

This was one of them!

Recently we were both up late. He on Everquest, and myself curled up with my heating pad as I was having a bad night. I stumbled across this movie and was overjoyed. Here was a "chick flick" that I could watch guiltlessly.

I was expecting a movie that would make me laugh, perhaps give me a good cry. With the cast I expected to be engaged and entertained for the next 2 hours or so. So I snuggled a little deeper into the couch and settled in for fun.

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I WAS ROBBED! What were these people thinking? Did they really think that any of this would be entertaining or enlightening? Or was it simply and excuse to make a supposedly "woman centered" movie with big names and pull in a LOT of money?

I'd have to go with the later.

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The cast:

Walter Matthau plays the dad of 3 girls. His wife(played briefly by Cloris Leachman) left him some time ago and he has grown more and more bitter as the years pass. All his girls are grown-ups now and in his elder years his health is failing.

Diane Keaton plays the eldest sister Georgia. She has made a life out of her career, her own magazine!

Meg Ryan plays Eve, the middle child who it seems was once daddy's favorite and now is his favorite person to call when he needs .... when he needs to whine ... when he needs Chinese food ... when he needs to complain about the other sisters.

Lisa Kudrow plays the youngest sister. She has always felt left out and is a struggling soap opera actress.

Adam Arkin plays Eve's husband.

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What went wrong?

The characters are flimsy and underdeveloped. No one's actions or motives are ever clearly explained.

We don't get a chance to connect with anyone. We don’t get a chance to care about any of them. Finally we are left with a situation where we are desperately waiting for the end of a film and we don't care what happens to any of these "people" in the process.

The plot goes off in so many directions at once that you are never quite clear what's going on.

In the end, it's like watching a car crash. Things are messy, even violent. People get hurt, maybe they even die. But it all happens so quickly so suddenly that you can't process it.

I wanted a movie that would move me to laughter and to tears. I wanted a movie that would make me feel good about life and my place in it. I got a movie that made me feel absolutely nothing.

And this is from a woman who can be moved emotionally by a well-crafted commercial or kiddie show.

If you see it on the video shelf, or pass it in your channel flipping. Save yourself before its too late and KEEP ON GOING.


Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age