Irishchatter
I don't what the hell I was watching, it just didn't make any sense to me on what was going on. I was only watching this because there were well known stars like Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini (rest in peace), Susan Sarandon, Kandy Moore, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard and Christopher Walken. The problem was their singing voices sounded totally bad as they pretty much sang over another voice which was just totally wrong and disorganised! They should've at least gave the actors a chance to sing on their own rather then have auto tune in the background!I honestly thought I could prove IMDb or the reviews wrong that it was a great movie but realistically, it was a movie waiting to waste your time!This is the worst musical ever made in history!
jacqueestorozynski
I was looking forward to this film with its great cast and the quirky lip synching song sequences. Instead it was the crudest and most horrible dialogue of any film I have seen and this spoilt the enjoyment. The song sequences were good but could have been better. Not in the same league as Pennies from Heaven. Does this screenwriter have a problem with women that he could be so crude about them in male conversations. I wondered whether Kate Winslett, with a strange northern accent wondered why she had agreed to it when she was given the script. Goodness knows what Eddie Izzard was doing in it. Shame that the writer/director was given the chance to be so self indulgent.
SilkyWilky
I hate musicals, and fell into watching this without realising it was one of them, but this turned out to be one of the best films I've seen. I was thoroughly entertained in many ways.It's gritty and real whilst indulging the fantasy that allows us to get by. The music adds colour to what is already happening, it's seamless. The Engelbert Humperdinck song near the beginning is possibly one of the best ever performed songs in a movie, it's so funny! The characters are engaging and full, bordering on grotesque. Even with their exaggerated sides, there's part of them thats simple and warm, and could be the neighbour up the street or a member of your own family.It's not a complex story but it is rich, hitting many of life's notes with degree of understatement spiced with well projected emotions.The artistic camera work stands out in many scenes, a joy for the eye. All in all a real down to earth arty film that will appeal to people from all walks of life. For me it doesn't get much better than this.
CitizenCaine
John Turturro wrote and directed this personal labor of love about a working class Brooklyn couple who are facing the marriage crisis all wives dread: the husband's infidelity. What starts out as a fun, joyous musical, which is really unique, turns rather conventional in its last half hour. But before that, the film is loads of fun with inventive musical numbers utilizing pop songs to tell the story of James Gandolfini, a construction worker, who can't control his fetish for the voluptuous red-head Kate Winslet. It's the classic Madonna/whore situation for Gandolfini facing a late mid-life crisis. Several actors appear in brief standout roles: Kate Winslet as the lingerie salesgirl with the voluptuous curves; Steve Buscemi as Gandolfini's construction buddy with a Neanderthal outlook on women; Aida Turturro as one of Gandolfini's daughters; Christopher Walken as cousin Bo, a would-be hit man with an Elvis fixation; Elaine Stritch as Gandolfini's mother full of regrets about her own past. All of them are very funny and very good at the same time. Susan Sarandon is also pretty good as Gandolfini's long suffering wife. Mary-Louise Parker and Mandy Moore as the other daughters have little to do. Guys will no doubt like this a lot more than women will. The film's conclusion seems to indicate the Madonna/whore dilemma will still remain no matter how much men mess up their marriages. It's an entertaining film that peters out once Gandolfini gets sick. The songs used are perfect choices in most instances. *** of 4 stars.
AD
