It took me two sittings because I was just comfort watching something while trying to get over a hangover, and I don't know why, but I picked this film.
It's not a good film. It's not a bad film. But what surprised me when I looked into it is that it's by a director (Milos Forman) who's made some good films. To name a few: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Man on the Moon and Amadeus (which I've not seen, but heard good things about).
So I was a bit surprised to see how bad this film is in some respects. I'm not sure what it is exactly, maybe it was the pacing, or how predictable it all is? The scene where his wife dies and the classical music plays louder and louder was really devoid of any kind of real emotion. It's like the director was being so obvious about how he wanted me to feel, that I didn't want to let myself feel that. Over orchestration?
Courtney Love was absolutely terrible. I seriously don't know how she landed this role. Her acting was laughable in parts. Woody's was good. And then there was Edward Norton sneaking in there! Where the hell did he come from?! His performance was solid as ever, and I read afterwards that he just really wanted to make a film with Milos Forman. I can't help but think he picked the wrong one to be in...
The only good thing about this film was that it examined an important topic – that of freedom of speech and expression. The topic felt current: this idea that we might not like what people are saying at times, and we might not share the same opinions as each other, but what's important is have reasonable dialogue and mutual respect.
Still. This wasn't a good film. 5/10
