Honda Seller Can I please have those two hours of my life back?This movie was really much ado about nothing. So they had an affair; a common occurrence among the rich aristocrats of the time. Yes, her being the friend of his wife made it worse but the father and daughter had their own affair going on. One might ask what kind but it seemed rather incestuous, even if only emotionally.I found the young wife so annoying. She's so one dimensional; like her father = yawn. Her constant suspicions and then when she does confront and learn the truth, she is over it in a heartbeat all because he writes her one love letter. *Rolling my eyes*And they made such a big deal about when and where to sleep together it was ludicrous... especially when the hostess had hand picked them to stay over an extra day to enable them the time alone together (as she was having her own fun).For them to go out of their way to find an Inn was so far fetched. Those old mansions were known to have back doors and hidden doors... and so if they wanted to rendezvous they simply would have on site which was much less risky than going off to an Inn risking being seen, etc...Plus to come home so late, missing dinner even made it much more obvious.In those days when they had those parties every body was sleeping with everyone else and it wasn't a big deal. Sure it was a big deal to the odd partner but they did it discreetly enough that no one knew to see it, it was behind doors. But this movie took such a simple act of them sleeping together once in five years and dragging it out into some production it was annoying.Then the rest of the movie which was very long was just the wife being suspicious and upset, etc... and the golden bowl being delivered and the store owner telling her these details about seeing her husband there with her friend and that they seemed married. Pleeeease = Such a stretch!In those days, a store owner would know that discretion was paramount to good business and there's just no way he would go into someone's house, unattended and start studying photos and collectibles to even see those pictures to identify them as a couple and then to share that info was also ludicrous.So the story was flawed and not at all an accurate depiction of the times and I found it unbearable and I kept checking the clock and I almost ditched it when there was an hour left but I thought perhaps it would improve, maybe the affair would get steamy, or something interesting would happen.But nothing interesting ever did happen. It's a boring movie. It's a bad movie. Spend two hours of your life watching something worthwhile.

Neil Doyle It took an enormous amount of patience to sit through all of THE GOLDEN BOWL without ever feeling any connection with the dull characters. UMA THURMAN looks out of place in a costume film and is too much of a modernist to do well in a Henry James tale. JEREMY NORTHAM has a distracting accent that never sounds like it belongs to an Italian prince. KATE BECKINSALE as the girl who is too devoted to her father is so bland she almost disappears, even when she has her more confrontational moments. And it's odd to see NICK NOLTE in such a passive role, quite a departure for him. As for poor JAMES FOX, he's given little more than a bit role. Only ANGELICA HUSTON seems to have a grasp of a role which she is able to give some color to.The story of relationships is slow moving, painfully slow and not the easiest to follow as we witness that the golden bowl is indeed cracked, in more ways than one and "has a flaw". So does the film--in fact, it has several and by the time the story has run its course we feel cheated by the ending which simply finishes with a thud before the end credits start.Sorry, the scenery and the costumes are lavish, opulent and breathtakingly gorgeous in true Merchant Ivory tradition, but the Henry James story remains a surface thing that never grips the emotion or permits the characters to do more than move about and recite their lines with precision but little emotional depth.Not recommended unless watching splendid sets and scenery is enough.

Amy Adler Prince Amerigo (Jeremy Northam) has a castle on the verge of ruin and empty pockets. Although he lusts after a poor but beautiful lady named Charlotte, he decides to marry her very rich friend instead. His new wife, Maggie, is a lovely, innocent human being, totally unspoiled by wealth. Maggie hopes to see her widowed father happily remarried and encourages his interest in Charlotte. It happens. Charlotte agrees to marry America's first billionaire, what a tough gig. But, why? Does she have any affection for Maggie's father? Or does she want to stay in close contact with Amerigo? It seems the latter, for Charlotte and the Prince go everywhere together, now that it is acceptable for two "relatives" to gad about. What is happening here? The book was written over 100 years ago but this story of human nature shows that very little changes under the sun. Northam and Thurman excel as the egocentric and evil humans who are so very lovely to look upon, it hurts. Beckinsale and Nolte likewise give nice turns as the folks who still have hearts beating in their breasts, despite their riches. As period pieces go, the costuming, the scenery, the staging, and the cinematography here are sumptuous. True, the pace is somewhat slow and the tale is intricate and subtle, requiring a repeat viewing, perhaps. However, Merchant and Ivory fans and non-fans will be rewarded by sitting through this timeless and tantalizing tale. If anyone wants to arrange for friends to share a movie evening together, the Bowl will have everyone talking.

sol- A luscious Merchant-Ivory film, though far from being a satisfying one, the times and the setting are both depicted well, but the story is very dry. The characters are never really well introduced, and to begin with it is hard follow. Once one had figured out just what has happened though, the story has nothing left in its power to grip. Uma Thurman also feels a tad out of place, like she does not belong in the context of the film. However, there is not really much overall that one can definitely fault the film on. It is mostly just a very dry story, one which is lacking in depth and excitement, which is the downfall of the film.