starseif
while attending the montana state fair in Great Falls we stopped for lunch at the cascade county search and rescue food booth and ordered. sitting next to me was a very nice girl. I would have been 14 at the time and she was very easy to talk to and just a fun person to be around. Little did we know she was a movie star let alone one being filmed that day. In short Patricia Arquette is a very kind and down to earth person I will always respect her. After she finished eating there was fight between her and some man with a brief case and we couldn't believe what was happening the girl we had lunch with was fighting with some guy. then it happened again and again then we figured out that it was part of a movie. later we followed along and were able to be part of the crowd at the fair and in many other scenes that were left on the cutting room floor. But a will say that the movie is worth watching and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a self absorbed bastard. what the heck it was directed by Leonard Nimoy it is worth watching
elskootero
I've seen this film twice and had to get the DVD! It is HILARIOUS! The actor who plays the young boy who faints every time he gets upset is a stitch, Patricia Arquette is perfect, and the supporting cast really make you think that they are Hutterites! (I'm not sure whether they are or not, I haven't found any info either way) : If they're actors, they're perfect, though. It's quite simply a superb escapist film as far as being entertaining goes. It grabs your attention from the first five minutes and keeps you through the entire film. The plot, the acting; all GREAT! Don't miss this one - If you see it, you'll want it in some format in your collection. That GOOD!
Brad Kruse
I have this on LaserDisc, and watch it again now and then. I enjoy the depiction of the Hutterites and their moral life, and how they come to influence Arquette.This is intended to be a strong, moral tale of the perils of evil, and how a good man can turn a bad woman around. Arquette starts out as a carnival worker obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, thinking that Monroe's cheerful public persona meant Monroe was happy. She considers how money would make her happy and doesn't think at all about what stealing is, when she helps stage a robbery.Her accomplice, Tate, steals, drinks (while, *gasp*, driving!), and uses others, pretty consistently. Quite self-centered and moderately charming.Watching the Hutterite community reluctantly admit Arquette first as Tate's wife, then as Gordon-Levitt's wife, we see a disciplined community, remaining steadfast and true to their teachings and beliefs. Arquette, on the other hand, we see first ridicule and play at adapting to the Hutterites, then later actually expressing their beliefs and values in her life.The only Hutterite we see change is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Who goes from a fainting exasperation of Arquette to a reluctant concern for her, to admiration and respect. This change occurs when Arquette stops reflecting the shallow culture she started out in, and begins to hold an appreciation for moral beliefs and respect. And, in the end, a love of family and friends.The storytelling is a bit rougher than a Disney-type family film, nor was it popular for showing Godly beliefs as being comforting and supportive. The comedy is a bit earthy, mostly about clashing customs. The Hutterites are all shown to be consistently moral, cheerful, generous, and respectful. We don't get much of their actual teachings (a reclusive Jewis sect, I believe). I especially enjoy one scene where Gordon-Levitt challenges how Arquette picks a guy (from a bar), 'Is his word golden? Is he gentle with animals and children?' The movie plot may be weaker than need be, but it is told in a *nice* way.
paprika_qt
...but all in all it wasn't so very painful.It's hard to find an accurate descriptor for this movie. It was an effort...you sort of find yourself feeling the same way about it that you would about a child's school report read aloud...gently ignoring glaring flaws and nodding encouragingly.Bonus points for including Hutterites in a movie. I bet a lot of people had no idea they even existed. Take away a few points for the gott-awful pseudogerman accents that everyone affected...they didn't work at all. Tate Donovan couldn't even keep the accent consistently...I thought at first he was acting "American" and then going back to German when he returned to the community...but then I heard American there too.The plot had charm, but it was overall weak. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was very cute as Zeke, save a couple of stilted moments (in the car at the border). Patricia Arquette is generally a charming actress, but I found myself wincing a couple of times....("Jack...Daniels! Wooooooo!") The only character who seemed halfway authentic was Uncle Wilhelm, everyone else seemed uncomfortable and out-of-place.The cover of the jacket bills it as a sexy comedy....I don't know where that came from....what sex?Anyhow, it was sweet...not the best-directed or the best-acted, but it felt like the intention was there.
AD
