cinemajesty Film Review: "Elegy" (2007)Writer Nicholas Meyer, also know for directing two of the most accomplished Star Trek movies with the original crew from 1966 - "The Wrath of Khan" (1982) and "The Undiscovered Country" (1991) respectively - prepared an adaptation of a Philip Roth novel from 2001 with the original title "The Dying Animal"; yet did not dare to direct for second time after also-arranging the screenplay for "The Human Stain" (2003) starring Nicole Kidman and Sir Anthony Hopkins based on another Roth's novel out of the year 2000, where the direction went to Hollywood veteran Robert Benton (born 1932).The direction for "Elegy" had been given to female director Isabel Coixet by producers Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi, who fairly prepares her leading actors Sir Ben Kingsley as the teaching Professor David Kepesh and actress Penélope Cruz as his student Consuelo Castillo to ongoing screen chemistry; nevertheless at no time get them to get out of the comfort zone to make a daring step towards heart-breaking melodrama with a thrilling touch. Instead writer Nicholas Meyer and the director decide to change the novel's ending to an lesser effect of dramatic mediocrity under further at times high-tension build-ups cinematography with a long dolly-push-in take within a Manhattan apartment's living room onto the character of Kepesh reminiscencing on an all to present death allegory in modern life.But then again the direction of Isabel Coixet denies itself consequence in jumping between relieving suspense-blocking scenes with David Kepesh's best friend George O'Hearn, portrayed by welcoming final screen appearances of deceased actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010) and actress Patricia Clarkson as the character of Carolyn, who saves the leading man any time, when some on-screen conflicts might start to hurt to break open a darker passage towards thriller elements instead given chances away for considerably unnecessary - due to the initial novel subject matter - happy ends.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

leplatypus At the basic, it's a love story that has all the beautiful moments and the difficult ones as well that every lover has met. Sometimes the down time are ephemeral, other times they are definitive… In that way, the movie is interesting, all the more than Penelope is really illuminating and totally charming with her sweet English accent ! But they wanted to do in the American way so the lover can't be an ordinary man but a famous professor ! Things deteriorate when this couple can't be from the same generation as this professor is an old fetishist pervert ! Worse is coming as he is played by the poor Kingsley who has completely forgotten than « Gandhi » and « Schindler » were great as he underplayed ! Now he wants to be bombastic and fails miserably ! Next we really goes into disgusting things as this professor appreciates talking his sexual performances with a same licentious friend played by the awful Hopper ! To finish this stinker, it illustrates the same trend that we see in french movies : this upper class totally obsessed with sex is just a miserable bunch of hypocrites as they always find a pretext to get women nude : sometimes, it's art, sometimes, it's health : here it's the two combined in a sick way ! When you think that it's all they can deliver with their education, positions and money, it's just appalling !!!!

Red_Identity This was really something, though. The story itself is set up pretty simply, pretty normally and easy to follow, but it's executed in rather different terms. Ben Kingsley is powerful here, delivering all of the notes that are required of him and bringing different shades of depth into the character through little veneers and windows into his mind. Penelope Cruz, as well, does some fabulous work, a turn that would be worthy of countless of nominations, and (seeing as how it came out the same year her all-time great work in Vicky Cristina Barcelona came out( it's rather a shame that she didn't get more traction for this. It's a truly great turn, one that's fused with real sensibility that Cruz may sometimes not get asked to do much.

M MALIK if Penelope Cruz ever lost some fans it because of this film elegy this film is pure junk see the plot now Ben Kingsley an old man who loves sex & chases young women lays his eyes on hot student the story then gets extended & then sex scenes comes with Penelope showing her naked breasts like some wwe wrestler then comes some gross kissing & more insult for the viewers he is having all that in someone Else's house.i am embarrassed to write a review here this is some shameless.please throw the team into jail for this porn film.as a Cruz fan i am not disappointed because it her style to be sexy & in her most career she did films that promotes sexual & vulgar stuff.don blame her at all she needed some serious money.& Ben is the worst actor ever old guy cant act loves to have sexy only.so for die hard Penelope fans around the world ill tell you this movie does not exist just pretend to believe it.my rating is 1/10 .these guys should hang their heads in shame