Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

nvanvalleygirl I forgot what a great character Hagar Shipley is and was reminded of two things - one that this has to be in Canada's top ten for books and two, why a fab book should never be made into a movie.The audience was smashed over the head with repetitive motifs that reminded me of an after school special rather than the subtle way the book imposed. Burstyn's performance was excellent but the point where she confronts her son John's girlfriend over the dishes - was the weakest part of the film. The performances felt off here. Not sure maybe some stuff was cut out that we didn't get to see. Great cast mostly - great characters - great story and yet sadly an average film.The story is great and the lead was great, I just wanted so much more from this movie than was delivered. My expectations from a great book may be hampering my objectivity here, but I felt that this one could have been better.

SnoopyStyle Marvin (Dylan Baker) and his wife Doris (Sheila McCarthy) are trying to send his mother Hagar Shipley (Ellen Burstyn) to a nursing home. Hagar had signed over her house to her son and he has lost it all declaring bankruptcy. She runs away to her old childhood home. The movie flashes back to her life in the small town. Her mother had died giving birth to her brother Matt. Her father brought over a stone angel for her mother's grave. They're the rich family of the community. Her prideful father owns the local store and she has acquired lots of the same attitude. She picks on Lottie for being a bastard child. Her poor farmer husband Bram Shipley (Cole Hauser) becomes a drunk. Her father leaves all of his money to the town. She walks out on Bram to be a live-in maid taking her younger son John (Kevin Zegers). John dates Lottie's daughter Arlene (Ellen Page) and she disapproves.Ellen Burstyn is powerful in her role but the younger actors can't quite measure up. Christine Horne doesn't have the same boldness playing Hagar. Also there is simply too much story to fit into a simple movie. It feels more like highlights of a life rather than an in-depth character study. Any power in the movie comes mainly from Ellen Burstyn and the big secret at the end. The movie just doesn't have enough to lift up this personal epic.

tropicalshakekat I found the characters mediocre and the story uninteresting. I never had to read this book (thankfully), or it would have been a painful experience. I got the tickets to the preview for free but it still wasn't worth my time, or my friend's. I think this story is not worth telling. It's like saying that old people have a past before they got old (no kidding). The lives of the main characters were painful to watch, one generation no better than the next at avoiding stupid mistakes. However, I think the actors did the best they could with a lame story. I've always been a big fan of Ellen Burstyn. I'm writing this review to counteract the positive reviews given, which unfortunately convinced me to give this movie a try.

saynathirajah I saw the movie recently and really liked it. I surprised myself and cried. This movie is in the same niche genre as "Away from Her" - or even "The Bucket List" but handles the whole aging theme with incredible authenticity. It's really really tough to have the main character as unlikable as Hagar. The director does a masterful job with the challenge. Hagar's hard to understand. Her world has hard edges and she isn't a warm endearing woman at all.The first scene gets this across without any compromise. Hagar (Ellen Burnstyn) is being taken to a nursing home by her son and daughter-in-law. She figures it out en-route and freaks out. Her edges are really hard. She is mean. She is belittling and selfish. She is a stone. I didn't like her - not even a little bit.Throughout the course of the movie, we get insight. We find out why she doesn't like petunias, why she favors one son over the other, how her losses have formed her character... I started to see the angel... and I started to like her. I especially liked her when she poured out her secrets to the boy in the shack. Ellen Burnstyn, you are a brilliant actor. Kudos. Kudos. Kudos. What a scene!This isn't a "feel good" movie, but it is certainly a movie that brings the viewer to empathy. I understand more clearly that hard edges in a person's life are there to protect, they are there for a reason...Hagar isn't my mother - she isn't even my mother-in-law or neighbor... but parts of her are present in many women (and men) in my life. Those parts somehow make more sense to me now that I've watched The Stone Angel.