Reviews

I thought this movie was great. I saw it at a screening with a packed audience before the reviews were written. Everyone was so in love with this movie! No lie. As thin as the subject matter seems, I honestly have had few experiences like this with an audience. Paul Giamati was terrific. And, Gwyneth Paltrow did something leading ladies of her peer group never do. She was a character and she wasn't necessarily the person you were supposed to respect or be attracted to and I thought that was pretty brave.

To me, this show defies situation comedies. What "really" was the situation? The girls playing the daughters were so bland. Trying to pass Jim J Bullock off as a heterosexual has to be the greatest misfire in TV history, right ahead of the romantic comedy with Faye Dunaway and Robert Urich.

This movie was so frustrating. Everything seemed energetic and I was totally prepared to have a good time. I at least thought I'd be able to stand it. But, I was wrong. First, the weird looping? It was like watching "America's Funniest Home Videos". The damn parents. I hated them so much. The stereo-typical Latino family? I need to speak with the person responsible for this. We need to have a talk. That little girl who was always hanging on someone? I just hated her and had to mention it. Now, the final scene transcends, I must say. It's so gloriously bad and full of badness that it is a movie of its own. What crappy dancing. Horrible and beautiful at once.

Ellyn's wedding episode was the best ever. This show was my favorite and this episode was the perfect example of why. It was the perfect mix of poignant and realistic. This episode has some of the funniest scenes from the series that morph into the most bittersweet. I think this show's effects are still being felt in programming today.

I watch this movie an average of three times a week. It's not often that small films dealing in relationships gets such big praise, but I honestly think it's close to perfect. It's the combination of the wonderful, flawed, real relationship shown between the lead characters and the joy of seeing two thoroughbred kick-ass actresses just letting it rip. God, the scene between the two of them in the manager's office and the scene at the stairs...they're just perfect. The two of them have the ability to constantly command with their presence but not take from the other. Meryl's only weakness as an actress (at least in my eyes) has been that she's not strong as an ensemble player. In films like Silkwood or Death Becomes Her, something seems lacking. I think it's because it's too difficult for another actor to register any motivation when Meryl's around. Who cares what Kurt Russell wants when Meryl Streep has things to do? Here though, it's FABULOUS. They do everything they want and focus always seems balanced. I could honestly go on forever. And ever. I love this movie so much. "Don't say that Suzanne. Even in jest. You just got out of a drug clinic. People might take it the wrong way."

I thought this movie was like a symphony. The way the vignettes blended, the stylish performances, the beautiful songs by Aimee Mann. I felt a swelling of emotion at times when the circumstances of the story weren't necessarily affecting. I think Julianne Moore gives one of the all-time great mad performances.

I loved this movie the first time I saw it, and I enjoy it more with each viewing. It's routinely panned for reasons that I really can't comprehend. It's witty, well-acted, quickly paced. I notice that people don't talk as badly about it anymore. I think it's because "Reality Bites" will be one of the films that future generations will look back on to know a little bit about this time.