SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

seymourblack-1 "Wicker Park" is an absorbing romantic mystery about lost love, obsession and tangled relationships and the puzzle at the heart of its convoluted story is made more interesting by its non-linear narrative. Misunderstandings, coincidences and deception all play their parts in what takes place and its neat twists add enormously to the enjoyment of watching this rather intense and often unpredictable drama.After living in New York City for a couple of years, advertising executive Matthew Simon (Josh Hartnett) returns to Chicago with his fiancee Rebecca (Jessica Pare) and attends a business lunch at Bellucci's restaurant ahead of a planned business trip to China. When he catches sight of a woman he believes is his ex-girlfriend Lisa (Diane Kruger), he immediately follows her and after failing to catch up with her, keeps a hotel key card that he finds in the phone booth that she's just vacated. After Rebecca waves him off at the airport, Matthew decides not to catch his plane and instead goes off in search of Lisa.Lisa was the girl who, as well as being the love of Matthew's life, had left him heartbroken two years earlier when she'd disappeared without any explanation and had never contacted him since. Their relationship had started when he'd been working in a Chicago camera shop and fell in love with her at first sight. Matthew had initially stalked her for a while not realizing that she was aware of him and when their paths eventually crossed, it became clear that she was also attracted to him. Their relationship continued until Matthew was offered a more lucrative job in New York City and suggested that they relocate and move in together. Lisa agreed to meet him in Wicker Park to give him a decision but instead stood him up and left him completely puzzled and heartbroken by what she'd done.The key card he'd found in the phone booth leads Matthew to a room in "The Drake" hotel where he discovers some further clues that lead him to what he believes is Lisa's apartment. When he breaks in, he meets another young woman who's also called Lisa. She tells him that she'd stayed at "The Drake" to avoid a man who was stalking her and explaining that she's terrified of him, says that she'd feel a lot more at ease if Matthew could stay the night with her. He agrees to this and is subsequently seduced by the apparently grateful Lisa.One night, Matthew's best friend Luke (Matthew Lillard), insists on taking him to see a Shakespearean play in which his girlfriend Alex (Rose Byrne) is one of the players and after the performance, Matthew leaves promptly not knowing that the heavily made-up Alex is, in fact, the woman who'd so recently seduced him. Most of the reasons for everything that had taken place involving Matthew, Lisa, Alex and Luke are eventually revealed in a meeting that takes place in Bellucci's and this prompts the determined Matthew to go back to the airport in the hope of finally tracking down the girl he loves.The nature of the movie's plot generates a disconcerting atmosphere that's beautifully complemented by the use of numerous film noir motifs such as the use of mirrors, the presence of doubles (e. g. 2 Lisas, 2 characters who fall in love at first sight etc.), a character who uses more than one identity and the way in which the past has such a strong hold over the present. Similarly, its splintered chronology, use of split screen techniques and flashbacks that provide multiple viewpoints, are also all highly effective in serving the same purpose. There's a marked difference between the relaxed, spontaneous Matthew who's seen working in the camera shop and the rather distant-looking young man who doesn't seem to have his heart in it when he's at the business lunch at Bellucci's or the jewellery store he visits with the intention of buying a ring for Rebecca. In his very natural performance, Josh Hartnett reflects such changes in his character's demeanour with some skill and subtlety and Diane Kruger and Matthew Lillard perform capably in their roles. Rose Byrne, however, outshines everyone else in the cast as the deceitful, obsessive and clearly unhinged Alex who's also both hateful and pitiful."Wicker Park" is a movie that has to be seen more than once in order to fully appreciate it and this, no doubt, must've had some effect on the level of commercial success that it achieved.

RNMorton I didn't know much about Josh Hartnett until I caught a part of Bunraku, that's one strange movie but I liked the way he played in it, so I tried this one out. I was initially intrigued, it is sort of a romantic Pulp Fiction with the flashbacks, but the bottom line was I didn't really connect with anyone in this except for Rose Byrne, who was just fantastic in the only good role. Kruger was sort of one dimensional, don't know if that's her or the script, she certainly shined better in National Treasure. And Hartnett just sort of mopes through the entire movie, again not sure who's to blame, him the script or both. The backdrop of the Wicker Park area of Chicago was very cool, but that wasn't quite enough to carry this murky, uninvolving romantic drama.

vincentlynch-moonoi The one thing that works here is Josh Hartnett. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but he just seems real and a really nice guy. Of course, for all I know he's not...but I enjoy watching him in films.The other thing that sort of works here are the other performances. Rose Byrne, Diane Kruger, and Matthew Lillard (in a more normal performance that how we usually see him) all do nicely.But to me, there's a huge problem that overshadows everything else. For me, the key to a good mystery is not making it too mysterious. And here I had the idea that the screenwriter and director were intentionally playing it real crafty, particularly with an excess of flashbacks, to the point that it got very confusing, particularly in the first half of the film.And to top it off, there is one scene that I felt was just one of the worst I've ever seen in any film -- when Harnett cries in a close-up. You can overdo the "he's very sensitive" routine, and that scene did. And, he's supposed to be overseas on a job and is risking that job by his love crisis. Geez! The film is creepy enough to hold your attention, but it could have been done just so much better, with less confusion. I'm tempted to give it only a 6, but tales of obsession are almost always intriguing, so I'll stick with a shaky 7.

blackdragoon_13 Back in 2006 I worked in a video shop, and then I saw the poster for this movie. Don't know why, but something catched my eye (maybe the fact that Diana Krueger appeared in the movie). Since then, I wanted to watch it, and every time that almost succeeded in doing so ended in failure. That was until recently, and I must say, I'm glad I waited all these years to watch it.The movie has everything: a perfect cast (Diane Kruger, a goddess as always; Josh Harnett, pulling it up pretty well, this guy deserves much more attention!), very good and emotional music, fitting the scenes almost as if every song was made for the movie; the story, just awesome. Who hasn't been tangled in the webs of love, desiring, being unloved and all of that? The theme and how its handled keep me rooting for everyone during the film. I been in their place during the years: obsessing, loving, suffering, and all of that. The pace of the movie and its timing its perfect, although you will need patience before finding the answers to the movie questions. In the end, all will be solved and clarified in one way or another.As for the downsides, maybe the theme of coincidences and how we see them in the movie is a Little bit phony. Nevertless, they are easily forgiven for the sake of entertaining. Many here complaint about certain lack of realism about some aspects (the cellphones most obviously) but let's back out a Little bit: Its a movie! It doesn't have to follow the rules of strict realism.Would I recommend this movie? Absolutely. It has romance, thrilling and emotional moments, eye Candy (for guys and girls no less). But above all, a powerful message that, if you blink you will miss it: love is something very valuable. While a Little few can enjoy it, most of all the people will chase smoke most of the time.Everyone, please enjoy it. Also an apology for my atrocious English (it's not my mother tongue)