aurion7
Near the beginning of what is in many ways a well done film, Stephen Baldwin's character is going to use, as he states it, his brother's " '66 Plymouth". The car is a '67 or '68 Plymouth Barracuda, not a '66. OK, so we'll not be too picky; we'll overlook that, even though it's sloppy details that make the difference between mediocrity and greatness. But then when they crash the car, it's the car's "driver's side air bag" that saves Mr. Baldwin. Please... I don't know when they started putting air bags in cars but it sure wasn't in the late 60's. Nit picky? Those two missteps are the beginning of a long string of details that we, the audience, are apparently supposed to be too stupid to notice. And that's insulting as well as annoying in a movie that could easily have been excellent.
pete_wood-945-715279
I managed a movie theatre when this movie came out. It only lasted a couple of weeks due to poor marketing, but the customers leaving the auditorium after the movie all had tears in their eyes. It's not a depressing movie; just so emotional you can't help but get drawn into it. Steve Martin adapted the George Elliot novel about Silas Marner to modern day in a brilliant way, and it's such a shame so few people saw this.This is my favorite movie, tied with "The Sixth Sense." It incorporates all of the elements needed for an engrossing story. If you have not seen it, please check it out. Steve Martin is usually associated with comedy, but this movie is a wonderful and touching drama with some comedy sprinkled in. It is intellectual, moving and draws you into the story like the best movies of all time. Please watch it.
yoda87960
Note: This doesn't really contain spoilers, but hey, one slip of the mouse could blacklist me.I just finished watching the outstanding Shopgirl and I couldn't help but think of this film. I've probably seen it around ten times. Only two or three times at home, but in high school I swear teachers showed it once or twice a year to kill some time. It didn't matter if we were reading Silas Marner or not. It has never gotten old.People seem to go into this movie expecting a comedy, but it's really not. It's a haunting and beautiful movie filled with imagery that I can still see in my head, even though I haven't seen the movie in a couple of years. I assume when this came out, it was largely ignored because it had the look and conventions of other lesser movies of the time. Besides, who would want to see a drama from Steve Martin? Now that it's years removed from the climate it was released, it can truly be appreciated for what it is. A true gem.
Billie Rae Bates (BRBTVcom)
I have always enjoyed Steve Martin. It doesn't matter what he's in; I just admire his talent and I've been downright crazy about his humor since I first saw him do that "King Tut" thing back in the 1970s. Here, he tackles a more dramatic role with so much warmth and sincerity, and he even manages to inject some comic moments in his typical style.To know that he also wrote this screenplay is not surprising, as he's a gifted writer, as well. The story in this film is tremendously life-affirming. If nothing else, it illustrates how even the most serious or threatening situation can turn around, just like that, in the blink of an eye. As with M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs," Christians might be thinking of Romans 8:28 when they see this film -- how events, good or bad, are so often intricately orchestrated to a better end that we really can't see coming.My favorite point in the film is when Steve Martin's character, having just been robbed of the fortune he's amassed in gold coins (he stored his cash in these coins rather than in a bank), sees this sweet toddler girl wandering aimlessly into his home as an event that was simply meant to be, as the "gift" he is given because his money has been taken away. His faithful perspective is greatly rewarded.
AD
