Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

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)

tomsview A distinguished, divorced, 60-something professor and cultural critic, David Karesh (Ben Kinsgley), who seems to have all his ducks in a row, does something dangerous; he falls in love with a beautiful student 35-years his junior.I didn't know what to expect from this film but there are twists here, which eventually touch deep truths. I must admit "Elegy" had me on the edge of my seat as Ben Kingsley's David Karesh mismanages his affair with the stunning Consuela Castillo (Penelope Cruz), believing it too good to be true and that it won't last; almost unconsciously doing things to make sure it doesn't. All this as she demonstrates her love for him, even wanting him to meet the parents.Ben Kingsley's David Karesh is polished and confident, his celebrity as a critic combined with a cultivated style and a passion for art adds to his charisma.At one point in his seduction of Consuela he shows her a picture of Goya's "The Clothed Maja" (La maja vestida) telling her it looks like her, Of course Goya also did a nude version (La maja desnuda) and by the end of the film Consuela mimics that pose for Karesh in circumstances you don't see coming.Karesh is also having a long running affair with another woman who avoids commitment as much as he does. His friend, George (Dennis Hopper), who he turns to for advice is definitely of the do as I say, not as I do school, and he is estranged from his tightly-buttoned son, Kenneth (Peter Sarsgaard).By the end though, the student becomes the teacher as Consuela imparts important life lessons to the professor, mainly about himself.David Karesh's narration throughout the film is full of painfully gained insights and wisdom, especially on what it means to get old "Old age sneaks up on you, and the next thing you know you are asking yourself why can't an old man act his real age? How is it possible for me to still be involved in the carnal aspects of the human comedy? Because, in my head, nothing's changed"."Elegy" feels a little like we've entered Woody Allen territory with a dash of "Last Tango in Paris", but without the anger. The film builds to a powerful ending where the characters face tough decisions, however we are pretty sure we know what they will do.

doug_park2001 Ben Kingsley plays the part of 60ish (in two different respects) author, social critic, and professor David Kepesh convincingly enough, and Penelope Cruz truly shines as Consuela Castillo, a student from Cuba who becomes his lover immediately after grades have been posted. I started to get bored during the middle portions and almost quit watching. Yet, there is a quietly compelling quality to this film that caused me to stay with it. While there's not much in the way of reversals or dramatic action, ELEGY is about real people confronting common dilemmas regarding beauty, aging, and mortality. The dialogue is elegant and meaningful; nevertheless, it's nothing larger-than-life: Just about anyone will be able to relate to the obsessions, suspicions, and tender moments that haunt this romance. The cover and title make it look awfully sad but, while it's no comedy per se, it's often funny and generally far less melancholy than it could have been. There's also some sex, although ELEGY's nothing that many people would want to sit through just for a cheap thrill.On the down-side, the relationship between Castillo and Kepesh is hard to buy in places, and it all seems to happen just a bit too quickly and easily. The fact that he's much older than her is obviously a critical part of the story, but what she really sees in him is never made entirely clear. Still, the good acting, filming, and everything else will probably make it easy enough for most people to at least partially suspend disbelief.

Neddy Merrill It is basically an older man's fantasy of luring Penelope Cruz into bed using nothing more than his erudition and appreciation of culture. Our protagonist is a university writing professor and all around man of letters who does just that. At a full two hours of slow moving dialouge, this is not a film for the anxious. The sparse few good lines from the movie highlight the abundance of flat exchanges and use of the f-word. However, it is worth seeing for the performance of Cruz and of Dennis Hopper who is always interesting (somebody explain to me why he doesn't get more work and is reduced to doing mutual fund company commercials?