Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

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

SimonJack I had difficulty watching "The Object of Beauty" to the end. What kept me going was the little bit of intrigue about Jenny, the deaf-mute hotel maid who steals the statue. That little subplot, with the unknown outcome of theft, is all that kept this film together. And, it's what kept my interest in watching to the end. Otherwise, scenes of eating, drinking, and sex that repeat ad nauseam could hardly make for an interesting story.A few viewers saw something of social commentary in the movie -- that it poked fun at materialism. I didn't see that. What I did see seemed to be almost a celebration of hedonism and self-centeredness. The producers may have intended criticism of that way of living (I can't call it a lifestyle – while they lived it up in style, there was no real "life" in them). But that didn't come across as obvious. Whatever intent there may have been, the film seemed to me to be mostly about two people who lead hedonistic, pointless lives without regard to or consideration for other people. Indeed, their attitude toward all others in the hotel is demeaning and dismissive. Some reviewers commented on romance, comedy and the acting. The script clearly showed two people who didn't live for each other, but simply in companionship with one another. That's not love, but "using." Is that the romance some saw? I didn't laugh once in this film, or even smile once. I didn't hear any real clever or witty dialog. If it was a satire, it was so far over my head (very possible, I admit) that I didn't get it. But, I don't think this film was quite that sophisticated. It just doesn't have any comedy that I could see. A couple called it an intelligent film. But I couldn't find any intelligence in two characters living high on the hog and constantly avoiding, skirting, maneuvering around, conniving and cajoling with people to keep from paying their bills or confronting reality. On the surface, they seemed calm, but they worried about their next move all the time. Surely, that's not an "intelligent" film, is it? As to the acting, I saw nothing special or exceptional. One other reviewer noted that Malkovich and MacDowell were their usual selves. They seemed to me – Malkovich as Jake, especially – to just blithely move from scene to scene. This movie has no energy. Not in the script, the actors or the direction. There is no real drama, and certainly no comedy. The dialog between Jake and Tina was mostly meaningless and drivel. And watching a couple's continuous indulgence in food, drink and sex just isn't my idea of entertainment. I give it four stars for the subplot and the supporting cast in the hotel.

blanche-2 John Malkovich and Andy McDowell star in "The Object of Beauty," a 1991 film directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg.Malkovich and McDowell play Jake and Tina, an unmarried couple (she's getting a divorce) who love to travel, stay in beautiful hotels, call room service, and go to lovely restaurants. Just one problem: Jake is in commodities and the cocoa shipment he's heavily invested in is being held up, and he's broke. The hotel wants their money. His credit card is declined at dinner. He is able to give the restaurant a check, but if the bank refuses to pay the check, it will bounce.Jake eyes one of Tina's gifts from her husband (Peter Riegert), a small Henry Moore statue, worth a fortune. She won't agree to let him sell it. Finally she suggests that if it were stolen, they could collect on the insurance. She asks a good friend Joan (Lolita Davidovich) to keep the statue for her should she ask her to do so. Joan agrees.When the statue appears to be missing, Jake thinks Tina took it. But Tina didn't. It appears that the statute was actually stolen. The hotel and insurance company start an investigation, and, seeing Jake's financial problems, don't really believe him.Amusing comedy fueled by a wonderful performance from John Malkovich, who is very funny, especially when he's lying on a bed composing his own obituary, and during a phone call to his parents where he wants to borrow money but ends up not asking for any. Andie McDowall is sweet and beautiful as Tina, who wants to be taken care of but realizes she's in the relationship for more than that.Very charming and stylish comedy, not a laugh out loud one, but a sophisticated one that has some warmth underneath it.

mark worrell It is difficult for me to comprehend why there is only one viewer comment for this film, or why it is rated under a six. If an excellent film is about entertainment, intelligence, great acting and a terrific story with a treasury of clever humor that expounds the deeper meaning of a good relationship between a man and a woman over wealth and selfishly egotistical success, then this is a standout film that achieves a richness of artistic accomplishment that very few films do. No one truly sees the beauty of the bronze statue except the lowly and weathered housekeeper, a financially struggling mute, unable to express the profound feelings that are moving within her in words, but Rudi Davies sure gets it across with her expression and eyes. I had to drive 30 miles to the Cedar Lee Theater, Cleveland's only real art house, during it's original release, but after the film was over I realized it would have been worthwhile if I would have had to walk...some films are just that special

chinaskee John Malkovich and Andie McDowell play a couple of jet-setters who hatch a plot to steal their own statue so they can collect the insurance and pay off their ever-rising hotel and credit card bills.The chemistry between the two of them reminds one of William Powell and Myrna Loy.If they had picked up the pace a bit,they would have had a real classic comedy here.This film is highly watchable,though.The score by Tom Bahler fits the film like a glove.Lolita Davidovich's (as a girlfriend of McDowell's)performance is a bit too low key,but it doesn't really hurt the film that much.All in all,a pleasant way to kill a couple hours.