Myriam Nys
First the good : this is a pleasantly original and mercurial little movie, miles away from your usual formulaic conman thriller or rom-com. There are some good jokes and lines - and yes, even the titles at the beginning are pretty funny. Also welcome is the satirical bite. The story is set in a Great-Britain where the rich and powerful can build (or tear down) anything that strikes their fancy, while average citizens are supposed to live without such self-indulgent luxuries as hospitals, swimming pools or libraries, because who needs mental and physical well-being ?On second thoughts : perhaps I was wrong in using the words "satirical bite", this is a pretty accurate representation of societal reality - and not only in Great-Britain. Sadly the movie does not live up to the potential promised by its original premise. It's clever, but not as clever as it thinks it is. A small example : the various swindles perpetrated are not exactly models of criminal cunning and satanic ingenuity. One cannot shake the suspicion that they would have been undone by even a minimum of vigilance and due diligence. The dialogue and narration too are remarkably uneven. The various actors bravely do their best, but much of their enormous talent goes to waste. With such a stellar cast this could have been a tragicomic masterwork for the ages, but aah... The things that might have been...
gypsyneleh
Miranda: Schizoid or con woman? Innocent as a child or seasoned manipulator? Frank the librarian intends to find out, and in the process explores a new kind of love, trying to accept all the possibilities and not lose himself. Christina Ricci carries off all her character's contortions. John Simms' Frank -- WOW! Sweet, open, funny, wise, strong, honest -- forced to look at his preconceived ideas of love also forces Miranda to look at herself and her life; she realizes there is much more to living than just being "in control". Throw in a huge portion of the lovely, skewed British sense of humor and a mad dash of best friend Julian Rhind-Tutt, who sees the world through the eyes of Asian karate films. "Love IS a powerful force." The supporting characters Kyle McLaughlin, John Hurt, Matthew Marsh, etc., all do their jobs well in adding the appropriate tentative creepiness to this sexy film, making Frank a true movie hero. Enjoyed this film very much.
luetellenripley
The story line was little hoakie, more like a re-hash of Paper-Moon( great movie by the way)except without the sex scenes. At any rate the filming of this movie was really intense and very visual. I really enjoyed how all the stories fit together. I would recommend this movie to everyone because it was real with no special affects or any computer imaging. We need more movies like that to not distract us from the actors ability to act. Ms. Ricci is FABULOUS!( I think she is way UNDER-RATED) and MR. John Hurt is one amazing actor. The rest of the cast was pretty good too. For anyone who likes independent films, this is one movie everyone should really take the time to watch with a nice glass of wine.
Andrew Hutchings
I doubt if many people remember the film starring Glynis Johns. I always liked her. She had that husky voice, latterly impersonated to great effect by Felicity Kendall. But that was about a mermaid. Christina Ricci, rarely seen in these parts since 'Sleepy Hollow', makes a welcome return to my local Cineworld. I knew very little about this, having read something about it 2 years or so ago, except that CR was the lead. I have often wondered why she has not become slightly better known but anyway she is back. 'Miranda' is a good little offbeat movie, and anyone who knows me will know that I like quirky material. Therefore I enjoyed it. I suppose, if it has to have a 'shelf' at the video store, it would be in the comedy romance department, rather than the reverse. It certainly has its funny moments. It never succeeds as a thriller, though, which it may never have intended to do, but overall there is something very likeable about this material. Quite a good cast, including Kyle Maclachlan, who seems to age like the picture of Dorian Gray. The soundtrack is very enlivening and John Simm's voice, in the very funny Miranda song, is very good. Lots of verys, then, but at the close of the day, 'Miranda' is unlikely to find its way into many peoples' DVD libraries. Firstly, it may not even get a release here, and if it does, chances are that only strange obsessive people like me will want to buy it. Personally, though, I find Miss Ricci compelling, especially because of her looks, and also through her mysterious acting. I reckon Hitchcock would have killed to get her in a movie of his. She has that special kind of appeal. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was surprised it even got a release, as I'm certain it was made ages ago. 'Of all the libraries in all the world, she had to walk in to this one'. That's not the tagline, but it could have been! One final thought. Are they as big as Heather Graham's? Comments welcomed, but I'm referring to eyes here.
AD
