Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

dzlz105 We found this movie nearly impossible to watch. With such a super cast, it's a shame that the writing and direction were so awful. The excruciating pace at which the story was told was maddening. The flash-backs were clumsy. The characters were one-dimensional. The heavy-handed metaphors -- the river, the cat -- were repeated way too often. The movie Nobody's Fool, based on another novel by Russo, was infinitely better, probably because it was more tightly written and directed. The photography in Empire Falls was lovely. Too bad it wasn't a travelogue.I read the novel and enjoyed the writing style but had some quibbles with the novel itself. I would give the novel 4 out of 5 stars. Perhaps the screenwriters and director were so awed by the novel's reputation they felt they had to include every darn thing in their movie. This was supposed to be a television movie, guys, not Books on Tape.

hannah-twin Some people did some fantastic performances. Pucci's performance was so real, you could say he wasn't acting. You could swear that the actor who played the principal actually had been a principal, and a kind one. Robin Penn Wright didn't have any false notes, which is incredible inasmuch as she had to show what love is like. The fellow who played Zack Minty was near perfect--playing the kid you hated. Helen Hunt was outstanding as the middle-age woman looking for romance. Estelle Parsons played her mother so well you would think she was Helen Hunt's mother. Farina was great. Hoffman had little screen time, and yet was very touching in a way I can't describe. The only problems were with the people who put the movie together. The difference was too great between the old and new Paul Newman. The old Paul Newman was a much deeper character than the portrayal done by a young version of himself. And Joanne Woodward Newman just didn't seem mean enough to be believable. The Newman's knew how to cast everyone but themselves.

bandw This story of the goings-on in a small Maine town does not deliver at the level one would expect given the cast, the high production values, and the Pulitzer Prize source. Though long at almost four hours, it could have benefited from being either shorter or longer. If shorter, then it could have concentrated on the Columbine-style shooting, or on Miles Roby's struggles, but not both. As it is I felt there was too much voice-over and dialog aimed at getting us up to speed with the characters and intricate plotting while the shooting and its after-effects were not dealt with in enough detail. Too often I was aware of the movie's being scripted instead of feeling I was getting to know real people. Ed Harris turned in a good performance as Miles Roby and I did have the feeling that he was a real character struggling with some deep personal problems. But Paul Newman as Miles' father Max seemed a bit buffoonish as did Dennis Farina as "The Silver Fox." Did anyone believe that Max could abscond with church monies to fund a trip to Florida accompanied by a senile priest no less? The scene with Max in the Florida bar surrounded by adoring women was quite unbelievable - he would have been just another old man among many. Not to dwell too much on this, but the scene that really bothered me was with Miles doing battle with his broken glove box. I can understand that scene was put in there to show how generally frustrated Miles was that such a small thing could be so irritating, but when he was finally able to latch the thing and leave the car I said to myself, "Please don't have that door come open." But the screenwriter could not resist going for the cheap laugh.There was too much dialog, voice-over, and text frames wanting to deliver messages on love, life, and acceptance. The metaphor of life as a river has been a bit overworked by now I think. And using the final sentence from "The Great Gatsby" more than once seemed like an attempt at borrowed glory.The one standout for me was Lou Taylor Pucci as John Voss (the poor tormented outcast). He played the part as if he were a wounded animal, which I guess he was.Altogether too much going on for me.

danielkaffee The storyline is obviously excellent, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book. The cast is comprised of some fantastic actors (Ed Harris, Paul Newman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, etc.). However, despite a previous poster's message that the film captures "Maine and Mainers," is not entirely true. Unfortunately, it's just another movie where the actors throw in the occasional Maine dialect attempt. Using words like Cah instead of Car, doesn't constitute a successful impersonation of a Mainer. I am from Kennebunkport, Maine, where a few of Ed Harris's childhood scenes were filmed. Not all of us have accents. And those who do, have something rather unique. Helen Hunt's portrayal of a Mainer was not very good at all. It takes a very good actor/actress to make a movie viewer forget that they're acting. This is one of those movies where, as a Mainer myself, I ended up critiquing the acting/accents and never became engrossed in the story. Chalk this up to just another Mystic River, Spitfire Grill, or characters like Cliff Claven on Cheers. It may be funny for the rest of the country, but people in New England can spot the poor attempt to nail the accent. The only movie where the accents were authentic was Good Will Hunting. But that was because Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck are from New England. And even in that movie, Oscar winning Robin Williams' accent was less than stellar. The movie is good, but not nearly as good as previous posts have indicated.