Feeling Minnesota (1996) User Reviews

Unusual drama with plenty of points of interest, but also its fair share of problems.

[barnabyrudge · 6/10 · 8 December 2003]

Most films starring Keanu Reeves or Cameron Diaz are a safe bet for a big Hollywood blockbuster. This one stars both, yet is a rather low-profile affair which many poeple won't have heard of. Ironically, Reeves gives one of the best performances of his career because he isn't asked to play a one-dimensional man of action. Diaz is eye-opening too, as a foul-mouthed girl trapped in a dead-end existence.

The story tells of a young, aimless ex-con named Jacks Clayton (Reeves) who returns to the uninviting Minnesota town of his birth at the request of his mother (Tuesday Weld). She wants him there for the wedding of his elder brother Sam (Vincent D'Onofrio). However, when Jacks arrives he realises straight away that there's something rather fishy about the wedding. It turns out that Sam's bride Freddy (Diaz) has no desire to get married at all (she's only doing it because a nasty local gangster has bullied her into it). Before the wedding party is even over, Jacks has had sex with Freddy in the toilets; before the week is out, the pair have eloped intending to start over in Las Vegas. Suffice to say, Sam is pretty annoyed by what young Jacks has done....

Feeling Minnesota is a gritty, occasionally funny drama which benefits from its unfamiliar setting. Within its own admittedly twisted logic, the film's odd narrative works reasonably well. However, the characters are so amoral that it becomes hard to care what happens to any of them - including the supposed hero Jacks (who would make a fitting bad guy in most other pictures). The amount of coarse language is rather jarring too. You don't need to find swearing offensive to notice it, but if coarse language does bother you then it's safe to say that you'll be offended by the quantity of it in this film. The plot twists and turns in a very unpredictable manner, and makes for an interesting - if not entirely believable - experience.

See it because of Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz.

[gzillah · 6/10 · 28 March 2008]

I first saw Feeling MInnesota on a Saturday morning. And if it didn't have Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz, I wouldn't have watched the whole thing.

Reeves plays Jjaks, a man who lives his life on the road, because his mother threw him out when he was only 8. Jjaks has an older brother, Sam who works at a nightclub. The owner of the nightclub found that someone stole his money. He figure that it was Freddie, an ordinary woman played by Cameron Diaz. The nightclub owner is making Freddie pay off the money by marrying Sam. At the wedding, Freddie meets Jjaks and falls in love with him. They run off together and things turn into a disaster.

If you enjoy movies with 2 men fighting over the same woman, then I would recommend Feeling Minnesota to you.

The family that fights together...well. Blood runs freely.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 25 September 2001]

I did not expect this movie to be as funny as it is. Although dark and situational, comedy is where you find it. This quirky little story is a mess as much as it is painfully funny. An ex-con(Keanu Reeves)shows up empty handed for his brother's wedding. The brother is played excellently by Vincent D'Onofrio, who himself is a dim witted crook. Reeves ends up "boffing" the not so blushing bride(Cameron Diaz), who has her own baggage to deal with. The fighting siblings mother(Tuesday Weld)dies of a heart attack at the wedding reception. The newlywed bride wants to runaway with what she thinks is her new husband's stashed fortune. Reeves and Diaz argue about love at first sight, but are absolutely in lust. D'Onofrio wants his bride back and the comedy of errors, mayhem and murder proceed.

The scenes of the brothers fighting is hilarious, especially the rock fight on the side of the road. Miss Diaz lives up to my infatuation of her. And Dan Aykroyd plays the part of a corrupt, inept detective. Courtney Love is patient and understanding as the waitress in the diner. The wedding singer is Steve Ghizoni. His singing style is quite an oddity...singing Sinatra type mood songs with an almost imitation Elvis like delivery. You have to watch this twice just to take in the wit and humor.

Road Movie Crash

[dcastor · 3/10 · 27 March 2000]

Feeling Minnesota is not really a road movie, but that's still the best categorization I can generate. A road movie does not primarily depend on a great story line, and since the plot of this movie is truly pathetic, it does fulfil that description. To be interesting, such a movie must rely entirely on moving and intriguing characters, and on the chemistry between them. Unfortunately the staff of Feeling Minnesota fails utterly in producing this excitement.

The initializing presentation of the characters is unsatisfying and confusing; I can, for example, not figure out whether Jjaks (Keanu Reeves) did grow up in the house of his mother and brother or not. It is said, by his mother (Tuesday Weld), that he must live with his father, but nothing in the film suggests that it ever happens. The same goes for the rest of the characters - I never get to know them. They appear irrational, and no real explanation is given to why they do so.

The bottom line is that I leave the movie without any feelings for the characters, except dullness and perhaps a tiny kick of attraction for the cute Cameron Diaz.

Much better than reviewed here

[artzau · 7/10 · 9 January 2003]

This film suffers from being a hybrid between the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino in part. It's not violent or ironic enough to be a Joel Coen creation and not obscenity-laden or gory enough to be a Tarantino product. There is humor, however, in the bumbling of Vinny D'Onofrio's character and in Reeve's typically understated role. You get the idea the real "bad guy" in the film is the neglectful, dope-smoking mother who allows the older brother to brutalize and bully the younger. It's topped off with more goofiness with Aykroyd's Krazy Kop and Delroy Lindo's Gangsta role (I particularly liked the red hair gimmick). I missed this one when it came out and rented the video because I found the name, Feeling Minnesota, remindful of the Coen Brother's Raising Arizona. I found it very watchable and rather liked the ridiculous situations very dysfunctional people get themselves into. The only glitch seemed to be Cameron Diaz who at times seemed unsure what her character was all about. Still, there is much in this film to recommend it. I would ignore the more negative reviews found here: I've no idea what these people were expecting or wanting. Check this movie out for yourself and you decide.

Woeful film has a provocative look and feel...but nothing of interest in the foreground

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 1 June 2010]

Steven Baigelman wrote and directed this uncertain comedy-drama concerning estranged brothers (Keanu Reeves and Vincent D'Onofrio) battling over embezzled cash as well as the affections of a pretty blonde (Cameron Diaz). The gritty ambiance inherent in Walt Lloyd's incredibly vivid cinematography is the most memorable aspect of the picture; capturing a blue-collar realism with such clarity, however, tends to emphasize the unreality of these dunderhead characters, and the movie's look and its story fail to cohere. Baigelman does get things off to a promising start, and he has an attentive eye for what to capture, but these petty people merit little interest. Danny DeVito was one of the many producers (all, presumably, with their own idea of how to film Baigelman's unremarkable script). *1/2 from ****

Keanu and the rest of the cast create "Fargo" atmosphere

[bsamdahl · 7/10 · 28 January 2002]

I really liked this movie. It reminded me of the movie "Fargo." There were enough twists and turns mixed in with the goofball depiction of the characters to keep me interested. I thought the acting was good enough to make the characters surreal rather than stupid. This is a movie worth watching repeatedly. As usual, Keanu Reeves does a great job with his character from beginning to end in a spontaneous fashion as the situation is very fluid.

Pretty rotten movie

[Theoriginaltruebrit · 17 November 2002]

I tried very hard to like this movie but unfortunately I failed. While it appears to try to be a "black comedy" it simply appears to be "black" with very little comedy attached. The performances are good for the most part, but it is really difficult to like a movie when every single character in it is so damned unlikable. I mean really, not one single character in this movie had a single redeeming characteristic. Isn;t the purpose of cinema to be our ability to relate to the characters on the screen, in this case the characters are so awful we couldn't care less if any of them lived or died. I watched it once, and then rented it again to watch it again (perhaps thinking it would grow on me the second time) but I turned it off round about the "motel blow job" scene when I really got very bored with the whole thing. Apart from the fact that the actors act their socks off in this movie there is very little to say for it. (and is it just me or does Keanu Reeves wear that same damn suede jacket in EVERY movie he is in? I mean do these movies not have wardrobe in their budget?)

Very poor

[ginger_sonny · 2/10 · 3 August 2004]

Feeling Minnesota, directed by Steven Baigelmann, and starring Keanu Reeves, Cameron Diaz and Vincent D'Onofrio: The strained relationship between two brothers, Sam (D'Onofrio) and Jjaks (Reeves), is pushed to breaking point when Jjaks arrives at Sam's wedding and makes off with the bride, Freddie (Diaz), a former stripper, marrying Sam to repay a gambling debt owed to night-club owner Red (Lindo). Baigelman's writing and directing debut is a frustrating mess, full of hateful characters and lacking coherence. Putting Keanu and Diaz in the same movie should at least provide some eye candy, but Baigelman even cops out on that score, grudging his actors up with little positive effect. Very poor.

Believe it or leave it

[seread · 6/10 · 29 August 2004]

At first, I thought the script itself was mean-spirited and seemingly pointless. However, the movie in its entirety is very effective as a window into the lives of these rotten characters. The actors are the integral component in this movie; each and every one of them is so totally believable that I am still disgusted when I think of the film. I can't think of a single other movie that makes me appreciate it for the ability to draw me in in such a negative manner. I can't see this kind of film being done again, however. I think modern movie audiences come for the spectacle. With this movie, however, they are confronted with the same mediocre, selfish people that probably live in their respective neighborhoods.

The absolute worst film I've ever seen**

[dbfirelo2 · 1/10 · 19 December 2004]

During a lifetime of seeing and enjoying thousands of films, Feeling Minnesota is absolutely the worst (**major film with A-list stars) that I have ever seen. Bar none. This movie totally fails on every level. It's poorly photographed and edited. There's uninspired acting, the kind where the actors appear bored out of their minds. Just collecting paychecks, perhaps? And worst of all, the sludgy script appears to have been written under the influence of some unpleasant substance found only in sewers. I can't even begin to comprehend how the writer/director could ever have found anyone to finance this project, let alone attract any of the stars that it did. I truly wish I could get back the time that I wasted watching this piece of garbage. If possible, I would have given this film a grade of zero. Better yet, a negative number.

Tarantino-esque?

[solidsnake2510 · 8/10 · 20 September 2003]

Watching this movie on running trait in all the characters stood out, their quirkiness. The strange slightly surreal and offbeat tone of the film was quite reminiscent of Tarantino's work. I loved this film, and thought the little laughs hidden in the film made me like it. I watched this with a couple of friends, they too liked it, but we each noticed and laughed at different things.

I also loved the constant twists and turns and changes to the dynamic of the story. It starts out as Freddy paying back a debt but changes into an affair on the road, then finding some stashed money, hiding from the cops, then hiding a murder and so on. Oddly despite all of these twists and turns I never got lost but was glued to my screen figuring out who's with who and who's looking out for who.

The fights between the two brothers, Sam (Vince D'Onofrio) and Jjax(Keanu Reeves) are some of the funniest things i have ever seen on screen. Reeves put in a good performance as a bumbling crook and D'Onofrio carries himself well as his childish brother. The ever angelic Diaz puts in a good show too. Lindo and Akroyd raised a few smiles too.

Don't pay any attention to the bad reviews here. They were just people looking for a ho-hum romantic comedy when instead they got a witty dark comedy.(My kind of film) 3.75/5

The great love of two brothers!

[LeRoyMarko · 7/10 · 2 June 2001]

«Love is a burning flame».

I found that movie to be very original even though it's no 4-stars. The opening credits are well done and highly irregular. I felt like watching the trailer for a new release.

The acting was good, especially the lead characters: Cameron Diaz and Keanu Reeves. I also liked the location where most of the film was shot: St-Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In all, not a great movie but still enjoyable to watch.

Out of 100, I gave it 74. That's **½ on a **** stars rating system. Seen at home in Welland, June 2nd, 2001. Marko Roy.

J.J. Jameson Quote ... Crap, Crap, ...

[smccahon · 1/10 · 18 February 2008]

J.J. Jameson (from Spiderman 2) Quote ... Crap, Crap, ...

Mega-Crap It pretends to be an homage (un/intentional) to the Coen Brothers ... done poorly.

There is no real mystery to the plot.

Diaz's performance is totally uninspired.

The quirky characters don't really work.

There are a lot of "duh" moments.

I love black comedy, but this film isn't funny.

In my view, it wasn't worth the electricity.

There are many films in this genre which are much more entertaining.

I hope you find this review helpful.

better than i expected

[corvette_lover · 17 September 2004]

started out amazingly - i could not stress enough how original the film is, idiosyncratic and very interesting, new to the best of my knowledge, for about the first half or three quarters of the film ... after that it is either stupid and unrealistic or overdone and exaggerated, eg. the level of violence is inappropriate for the rest of the thing, though even that in itself was fairly original in plot etc. ... the main reason i had the impetus to write about this film was that it was likely the only (or one of the only) keanu reeves films in which he actually performs well and gives an engaging and three dimensional character with EMOTIONS ... i want to like him, i really do ... this film definitely helped ... 7.5/10

Lamps were harmed in the making of this film

[endymion9604 · 3/10 · 23 January 2005]

I don't remember too much about this movie except that there was a distinctly gratuitous destruction of luminaires (lamps). Almost every fight scene included the unnecessary and wanton destruction of useful light fixtures, even if outfitted with cheesy, '70's-style, cylindrical shades to keep with the time setting of the story. On one occasion, raucous lamp destruction takes place in a domestic fight scene between the brothers in both the living and dining rooms of their mother's house, with fixtures in both rooms being taken out. Yet, the most malicious destruction occurs moments later in a bookie's office and includes, but is not limited to, the toppling of a fixture with a ceramic horse-head base, which is consequently disintegrated, and the severe denting of a cylindrical shade as a guy falls back into it during another fisticuffs fight. Later, that lamp is toppled as well when the guy is shot, incurring further damage to the plastic-coated shade.

While this movie encourages a particularly wasteful attitude toward lamps, one should keep in mind that lamps, regardless of their cheap construction or gauche, top-heavy appearance, are still valuable for the illumination that they provide. However, if you ever feel the need to vicariously smash a lamp, I would highly recommend this movie.

Clearly inspired by Tarantino

[perfectbond · 7/10 · 22 January 2004]

All of the characters in this film are amoral human scum but yet some of them are likable, particularly Jacks and Freddie, not coincidentally the attractive two in the bunch. The characters and their hijinks are clearly inspired by 'Sir' Quentin. Akroyd proves his versatility while Lindo rehashes his Get Shorty role (he visits it yet again in Heist). Vincent D. appropriately makes his character one of the most smarmiest seen on the screen in recent years. All in all a fairly entertaining flick, 7/10.

A Horrible Film

[JoshtheGiant · 1/10 · 13 February 2006]

Feeling Minnesota is one of the worst films I have ever seen, it is also one of the most disgusting films ever made. It has to do with a woman who is forced to marry a disgusting mob man. At the wedding she meets his brother Jjaks. They have sex in the house after they eat the cake than decide to run away together. The other brother of course comes after him guns blazing and he kills his wife. Jjaks wakes up to find her corpse in the bathtub and buries her. He than seems to become friends with Jjaks and they try to get money together because someone is blackmailing them because he saw them and the body. This loops about and several characters dies or come back to life, but it never comes together with anything that could be called a good plot. The performances are horrible by pretty much everybody. Cameron Diaz, Keanu Reeves, and Dan Akroyed. The direction, dialogue, and visual effects are just horrible. A disgusting and horrible movie.

Dumb and selfish characters doing dumb and selfish stuff

[KineticSeoul · 6/10 · 29 April 2013]

When I first saw this movie when it came out I thought it was a good movie. But watching it now, not as much but just decent at best. But than again I thought Cameron Diaz was overly hot back than. This movie is basically about two brothers quarreling with one another and fighting each other in a very malicious manner. One more malicious than the other and they are both in love with a superficial and selfish girl. And none of the characters are likable and run on greed and their own selfish ambitions while constantly trying to use each other. But than again that somewhat applies to the real world. Watching this movie was like watching "Dumb & Dumber" except the characters aren't as dumb nor as funny. It has this certain black humor going for it and it works sometimes and has a slight bit of the Coen brothers vibe going for it. But the humor isn't all that well grafted and is nowhere near as good as the Coen brothers films. Keanu Reeves who plays the slight good brother between the two brothers is right for this role and although his acting needed some work. He did a good job of playing this dumb character that is oblivious to his surroundings. His character Jjaks is basically a dumb robber that gets into a hole when he bangs his brothers wife who got forced into the marriage by thugs and so on. This movie is basically about dumb selfish people doing dumb and selfish stuff. It's still a entertaining movie to a degree but nothing special.

6.5/10

Not a great rental

[Davidbee · 4/10 · 1 August 1999]

OK, if I was in the rental store and someone asked me if the movie was worth the three bucks for the rental, I'd have to say no. The plot was implausible. I've come to the conclusion that Keanu Reeves can not act. He can, at times, be painful to watch (though my wife thinks he's cute). Dan Aykroyd (who is usually great) was even a little disappointing as the crooked cop. On the plus side, the plot (because it is far-fetched) is unpredictable. Cameron Diaz was good.

90s twisting & turning, very funny low-life crime film about users on the take

[HelenMary · 7/10 · 13 July 2013]

Bottom line, this is a very funny, silly, slapstick, goofy film - but very adult, with twists and turns as the largely amoral characters grapple and use each other to get what they want. None of the characters are particularly likable, Jjaks (Reeves) seems the most put upon but he's in and out of prison and Freddie (Diaz) is a good time girl who messed with the wrong people and is just doing what she has to do to get by. It's also a sort of romantic love story although despite Reeves acting superbly and being rather cute, the chemistry between him and Diaz is lacking something. Diaz, I don't feel is acting her best and often is a somewhat monotone, as if reading lines, but they are enjoyable to watch and whilst I think she's the weakest performance she has the most difficult and emotionally exposing role and in that case I think she does well. It's the scenes with Reeves and D'Onofrio that are truly engaging in an anti-chemistry kind of way. They rub each other up the wrong way - sibling rivalry - Jjaks having had the bad end of every deal in their childhood - and in doing so provide some scarily good aggression and slapstick comedy timing genius ensues. It's a film where you have to watch closely, for some grand scale and also minutiae performances, and it can be watched over and over again for laughs and the drama. Reeves is animated and light - like Diaz, I think he suits comedy and there are plenty of funny scenes (albeit black comedy as often as not) to enjoy. Diaz is both charming and annoying - her character is understandable and relatable (possibly due to her performance making it so) but also largely without scruples and single mindedness: her dream of working in Vegas - and I like that whilst it ends satisfactorily, it's not particularly Hollywood in it's ending and it's predictable but pleasantly so. Dan Aykroyd is the hapless, stupid, love-sick, cop on the take with a very overblown Minnesota accent - or is it Canadian, or Irish? He brings more laughs, and Courtney Love in a small but nice role adds small town glamour and a stable foil for some of D'Onofrio's eccentric behaviours.

Adults only black comedy, lots of bad language, scenes of a sexual nature (though not gratuitous) and a lot of violence and aggression. The subject matter, and plot, make for a very dramatic film but it's played for laughs which makes it an enjoyable romp with all the actors giving it 100%. Amazingly this film flew under the radar of 90s cinema-going and is an unexpectedly good film that I've seen a number of times and it doesn't get old. Not a chick-flick although it may appear as such, and plenty for boys to enjoy.

An Awful film

[rob-236 · 1/10 · 19 May 1999]

A waste of time, talent and shelf space, this is a truly abysmal film. What are big leaguers like Keanu Reeves, Cameron Diaz and Dan Aykroyd wasting their time being in such rubbish?. Petty criminal Reeves turns up to his brothers (Vincent D'Onofrio) wedding and ends up leaving with the bride. A comedy?, thriller?, romance? I honestly do not know! Reeves is wooden in the lead and casting Dan Aykroyd as a cop is so dreadful it has to be seen to be believed!. Only bright spot from a dark dark tunnel is Diaz and even she isn't that good. Rent out something else. everyone involved with this mess should hold there heads in utter shame and prey that it gets lost in oblivion in the years to come.

Likeable dark melodrama

[akhilles84 · 10/10 · 5 November 2001]

This is a piece that almost everyone can identify themselves with,in one way or another.Everyone that has been hurt early on in his life,someway.And not given a chance to hit a better road.

Keanu portrays a lost young man who has been mistreated in his childhood mostly by his brother,but also by his mother who decided to get rid of him while he was still a kid.Cameron Diaz is a tough girl with no future who gets caught up in trouble which ends up having to marry Keanu's brother,played excellently by Vince D'Onofrio.Whole establishment of the town is rotten.Specially the police officer played by Dan Aykroyd and a stripjoint shark played by Delroy Lindo.Keanu meets Cameron on his brother's wedding and love blossoms.

Watching this movie is quite enjoyable and i easily fall for these stories,of paradise lost and love happening on the worst place possible.I dont know why,but i kind of felt like it was me on the screen,or a part of me playing the part of Jjaks.Iam sure many more felt the same.

Whats so great with this film is that it makes us feel so many different emotions at the same time,and the moods change incredibly fast.First,everything is dark and then hope starts to come and we feel like Jjaks and Freddie might make it,before our hopes come crashing down again and in the end come true.Its the main accomplishment of this film.Creating so many intense and dramatic situations.Contrasts are strong here.

This is one of Reeves' best roles in my opinion.Same goes for Cameron and D'Onofrio.Dont believe the poor reviews of this film.Watch it.

Feeling like I shoulda watched something else.

[Film Dog · 6/10 · 11 March 1999]

Trying to capitalize on the "Pulp Fiction" fad, they fail miserably. The star, Keanau Reeves, robs a gas station, steals a car, and in general is a jerk. I think we're supposed to have sympathy for him because he's in love with the slutty blond female lead. But we don't. Actually, every character is an a**hole. We can't relate to any of them. Add to that more than one preposterous suppositions (cops don't notice the stolen car, a cherry 1966 Ford, no less), & it just doesn't work.

In a word, pathetic.

[JABrown · 1/10 · 30 January 2000]

This was without a doubt the worst movie I have ever sat through. And that's saying alot, because I've seen my share of horrible movies.

But I have never seen a movie in which every single character portrayed was an unintelligent loser. Seriously, there was not one respectable character in the entire script. How fitting that the plot was equally lame, lacking any intelligence whatsoever.

I can't believe that Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz would even consent to participating in such stupidity. And while I haven't seen all of their other movies, I've always enjoyed their performances until now. It's not that the acting was bad, just the entire story line was moronic.