Clever, subtle, insightful -- all hallmarks of James L.Brooks' work. You will find it alternately touching, amusing, annoying, frustrating, sad, disappointing, surprising (at times STARTLING is the word for the Tea Leoni character). The key to whether all these add up to a well-integrated dose of life (which is also entertainment), is whether it all works. And with JLB, as with the best of Woody Allen, it does. If something seems not to fit, you just haven't caught on yet. It's the kind of movie one learns from; the kind worth watching again. Put all that in the format of a FAMILY film, and it's pretty amazing. In my family, everyone from 13 to 66 thought it was "great". Watch it, closely, all the way through.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Michael
(1996)
charming, quirky, offbeat, light, fun ... do not take too seriously
28 October 2005
Possibly the best John Travolta role ever. Saturday Night Fever was a great movie & role, but a LONG time ago. I can't think of many of his movies or roles I've even liked, and it's easy to think of rotten ones. He can do meanies like in Pulp Fiction, but he makes the perfect funky angel, and it's hard to imagine anyone doing a better (equally slobby) job with it. Plot summaries are available everywhere, but the plot isn't the point. Just go for the ride and enjoy the cleverness of the little funnies along the way. There is nothing to dislike about this movie, unless one is searching for something profound. I wish there were more movies like this. We need a break from deep or awesome or grisly or complex or hysterical.
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