 |  | Dirge-like, but high quality |  |
Odd couple flick with an autistic woman and a man who never smiles, indeed, is the most morose man in the world. Great script, great soundtrack. I didn't believe the love interest between the man and the neighbor, but whatever. The ending is a bit dragged out, and the funeral is a tear-jerker, of course.
July 28, 2008 | | Quick ship - Perfect Condition | |
A wonderful movie. Weaver and Rickman are great together. I laughed and cried at the same time! Not your typical "touchy,feel good" movie. or "inspirational," but just plain GREAT. Weaver just gets better and better (and more beautiful). If you're looking for an "out of the ordinary" movie, this is it!!
July 10, 2008| | | Poignant, intelligent, thoughtful | |
This is a beautiful film in every sense. Alan Rickman, who I adore not only as a fine actor, but as a gorgeous Brit, gives his usual superb performance. And Signourney Weaver is simply astounding. The entire cast, including the actresss playing Vivian who I look forward to seeing in bigger parts, is exceptional. Beautifully filmed, directed, edited, and acted -- take the time to watch this one.
June 15, 2008Alan Rickman is one of the best and most subtle actors out there. He perfects every performance, no matter the movie. Snow Cake is no exception. The film itself is on the slow side, and truly, not much happens. But it works because of the magnificent performances. Sigourney Weaver is truly great in the role of a high functioning autistic woman and Carrie-Anne Moss gives a small but interesting performance as the woman that attracts Alan's attention. The scenes between them made me forget exactly how old Alan Rickman is. Just hot. This movie may not be for everyone because like I mentioned, it is very slow, but if you like watching brilliant acting and a film with a sweet message, you will surely like this film.
June 3, 2008 | | Splendid performances, so-so movie | |
With SNOW CAKE, the glass is half-empty and the glass is half-full. The full half first: Sigourney Weaver gives probably the best acting performance in her career up to now as Linda, a middle-age woman with autism whose daughter Vivienne is killed in a traffic accident and who deals with the aftermath in her own way. Alan Rickman is equally as good as Alex, a loner and the driver of the car in which Vivienne is killed. Alex attempts to pay his respects to Linda and what follows is the interaction of two closed-off souls unwittingly helping each other through what has hurt them, past (Alex) and present (Linda). When the movie is on the two of them together, it hits every right note you could ask for in a movie. Weaver is particularly adept at evoking an autistic person. Linda's character is another facet of autism, very different from the autistic man Dustin Hoffman plays in RAIN MAN, and as disagreeable and hard to like as Linda is much of the time, she also comes across as very aware of the world around her and how she can best cope with it.
Where the movie is less sucessful is on Alex's side of the story. While, as said, Alan Rickman does a wonderful job of conveying a broken man trying to become whole again, his character's background and motivations are never made clear enough. Eventually his story comes out in dribs and drabs, but somehow you don't care as much about it as you do about Linda and her immediate tragedy. There's also a romantic subplot between Alex and one of Linda's neighbors, Maggie (Carrie-Anne Moss) which feels both inexplicable and unnecessary, although Moss is quite good in her role. And things get wrapped up just a little too neatly at the end, as if the director and screenwriter felt the they HAD to have a resolution. But life doesn't end neatly; why does a movie have to?
Whether these are quibbles or major obstacles to one's enjoying the film is a subjective judgement, but I don't think anyone watching SNOW CAKE will get up from it feeling like their time was wasted. Overall, it's fine.
April 21, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
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