WARNING SPOILERS!
I watched this film because critics had lauded it so highly, and because one of my favorite actors, Michael Caine appears in it. Mr. Caine does fine work, as I suppose everyone in the cast does, but the characters and story line were so annoying, irritating, selfish and stupid, I could barely sit through it.
Even the children at the orphanage were not exactly speckled pups in a little red wagon.
First we have Michael Caine's character Dr. Larch, who is basically a father figure to Toby Maguire's character Homer Wells. Now on the surface Dr. Larch appears to be almost an angel--here is this saintly Dr. caring for these unwanted orphans, and being kind and loving. But Dr. Larch wants to browbeat Homer into also being a doctor, and we get the distinct impression that is not necessarily what Homer wants to do.
Dr. Larch also has a problem dealing with reality when it comes to the orphanage children. These children are so protected from reality they have no concept of it whatsoever. When a young child dies, Dr. Larch secretly buries him, and the other children instead of attending a funeral and coming to terms with the fact there is such a thing as human death--are lied to, and told the deceased child has been adopted.
I wondered, toward the end of the film, when an adult personage who worked at the orphanage passed away, if the kids were going to be told the adult had been adopted!
Then we have Charlize Theron, as Candy Worthington, and her boyfriend Wally--who apparently are too stupid to use birth control--and too selfish and irresponsible to marry and become parents. But not to worry, Dr. Larch will solve that little problem that's getting in their way of a good time.
Homer decides to suddenly leave the orphanage and go pick apples instead of becoming a doctor at the orphanage, which is what Dr. Larch plans him to be--never mind that he has no schooling and has not served any kind of internship at a hospital.
Wally goes off to war, and Candy is left behind with a bad case of "hot pants." Well there's Homer all handy, ready and willing-- faithfulness is not part of Candy's make up, and Toby feels no loyalty to his friend Wally--so soon he and Candy are rolling in the hay. I fully expected her to have a second pregnancy and abortion.
The love scenes between Candy and Homer were definitely nothing I'd care to ever have to see again. Toby McGuire is a fine actor, but he is about as far from being a romantic leading man as you could get. His character, quite frankly, came across as an ignorant,homely nerd.
We also have a little side story with some blacks who work at the apple farm. Now I'm quite familiar with migrant Mexicans traveling with the crops--but this is the first time I've ever seen or heard of any migrant crop and fruit picking blacks traveling with the crops.
Get the barf bag ready because here comes the worst part of this movie--Rose Rose, one of the black migrants, gets pregnant. And just guess who Daddy is. What makes this so barf-worthy, however, is how they make this man, who is guilty of completely selfish lust--turn into this sacrificing, caring, sensitive person. Character reality flew completely out the window on that one.
Then we learn that Wally is now paralyzed from the waist down. Good old Homer is more than ready to marry Candy, but no, she may shag everything in sight, but Wally is her one true love--yeah, right! One can only wonder how someone with the kind of sex drive Candy obviously has, is going to be able to deal with a husband, whom we are led to believe, has become totally impotent. But that's just one more stupid decision a character makes in this movie.
Definitely THE worst film I have seen in some time.
I voted it ONE star because I could not vote anything lower.
I watched this film because critics had lauded it so highly, and because one of my favorite actors, Michael Caine appears in it. Mr. Caine does fine work, as I suppose everyone in the cast does, but the characters and story line were so annoying, irritating, selfish and stupid, I could barely sit through it.
Even the children at the orphanage were not exactly speckled pups in a little red wagon.
First we have Michael Caine's character Dr. Larch, who is basically a father figure to Toby Maguire's character Homer Wells. Now on the surface Dr. Larch appears to be almost an angel--here is this saintly Dr. caring for these unwanted orphans, and being kind and loving. But Dr. Larch wants to browbeat Homer into also being a doctor, and we get the distinct impression that is not necessarily what Homer wants to do.
Dr. Larch also has a problem dealing with reality when it comes to the orphanage children. These children are so protected from reality they have no concept of it whatsoever. When a young child dies, Dr. Larch secretly buries him, and the other children instead of attending a funeral and coming to terms with the fact there is such a thing as human death--are lied to, and told the deceased child has been adopted.
I wondered, toward the end of the film, when an adult personage who worked at the orphanage passed away, if the kids were going to be told the adult had been adopted!
Then we have Charlize Theron, as Candy Worthington, and her boyfriend Wally--who apparently are too stupid to use birth control--and too selfish and irresponsible to marry and become parents. But not to worry, Dr. Larch will solve that little problem that's getting in their way of a good time.
Homer decides to suddenly leave the orphanage and go pick apples instead of becoming a doctor at the orphanage, which is what Dr. Larch plans him to be--never mind that he has no schooling and has not served any kind of internship at a hospital.
Wally goes off to war, and Candy is left behind with a bad case of "hot pants." Well there's Homer all handy, ready and willing-- faithfulness is not part of Candy's make up, and Toby feels no loyalty to his friend Wally--so soon he and Candy are rolling in the hay. I fully expected her to have a second pregnancy and abortion.
The love scenes between Candy and Homer were definitely nothing I'd care to ever have to see again. Toby McGuire is a fine actor, but he is about as far from being a romantic leading man as you could get. His character, quite frankly, came across as an ignorant,homely nerd.
We also have a little side story with some blacks who work at the apple farm. Now I'm quite familiar with migrant Mexicans traveling with the crops--but this is the first time I've ever seen or heard of any migrant crop and fruit picking blacks traveling with the crops.
Get the barf bag ready because here comes the worst part of this movie--Rose Rose, one of the black migrants, gets pregnant. And just guess who Daddy is. What makes this so barf-worthy, however, is how they make this man, who is guilty of completely selfish lust--turn into this sacrificing, caring, sensitive person. Character reality flew completely out the window on that one.
Then we learn that Wally is now paralyzed from the waist down. Good old Homer is more than ready to marry Candy, but no, she may shag everything in sight, but Wally is her one true love--yeah, right! One can only wonder how someone with the kind of sex drive Candy obviously has, is going to be able to deal with a husband, whom we are led to believe, has become totally impotent. But that's just one more stupid decision a character makes in this movie.
Definitely THE worst film I have seen in some time.
I voted it ONE star because I could not vote anything lower.