What a refreshing film, starting with the frenzied beginning -- frenetic, exhuberant, witty, left me breathless and kept pouring it on and on. This is a mosaic of stories, each one worth telling on its own, all woven together by threads of circumstance -- coincidence? Fate? Jason Robards gives a marvelous performance, Tom Cruise finally gets to shuck his inhibitions and use all his talents in the best role of his career, and a host of other fine performances enliven an Altmanesque ensemble production worth several viewings. Innovative and daring script and editing, a perfect score, hilarity, irony and moments of grace -- I haven't been this excited by a film since Malick's magnificent "The Thin Red Line". But then again, I'm a sucker for filmmakers who dare to create highly entertaining genuine works of art.
