Reviews

The world needs more movies like this; with genuine pathos and pain combined with touching moments of clarity, and very real characters( I have a friend like Rhonda, and she saved my life from becoming too much to take: she gave me normalcy when I felt odd.) Watch this movie with someone who has taken you for granted, and watch things turn around.

As a kid, I got picked on a lot, and one of the best parts of coming home after a miserable day was sitting down to watch this show; I sat and laughed and felt good about myself for that half hour. I used to wish that there really WAS a Great Space Coaster to take me away. Now that I'm an adult, I feel badly that there isn't a show like this for the young kids; they're left to watch violent cartoons every afternoon, instead of learning something.

If you're in desperate need of a laugh, rent this movie; the special effects, bad costumes, ridiculous dialogue make for a great time. Put this on at parties(my family has) and I guarantee a good time will be had! But to REALLY appreciate it, you'll need to rent the 1995 movie ED WOOD. Like another person on this site wrote, this "bad" movie is better than some of the "good" movies I've seen. this movie is proof that anybody can make a movie. It's also my opinion that if Ed were still alive, he would have happily produced Godzilla. GET THIS MOVIE AND LAUGH TIL YOUR SIDES HURT!!

I can't say enough about this movie! First, it made me proud to be Irish(ERIN GO BRAGH!) and second, proud to be female. I love how strong these women were; especially the three young sisters, dealing with Kate when she refused to agree to go to the festival and dance. I was mad at young Michael's mother; how could she stay with such an irresponsible partner?

The best part was the jig scene; they were all for just a few moments, in their desolation, luminous with joy; but as soon as the music stopped, it was gone, and they stood there, motionless, proving that what WB Yeats wrote WAS true: "Being Irish, he[they] had an abiding sense of tragedy which sustained him[them] through temporary periods of joy." It's incredible how some people cannot hold on to happy moments without also expecting the worst.

I LOVED this movie; the music really made it, though. When Johnny and Baby danced to "Don't you feel like crying", I wanted to scream Yes, Patrick, I do! for two reasons: one, I never had sex like that with any body who looked or danced that way, and two, I can't dance like that( I'd look like I was seizing or possessed by demons with no rhythm; not that demons HAVE rhythm!) And the opening scene where they played Be my Baby, was the second sexiest scene on film, with the first being the one with "don't you feel like cryin?" Great movie for a bachelorette party(straight or gay) and a really good time!

I saw this movie about 2 years ago expecting an erotic thriller. What I got was Alan Alda, who is only believable as Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H , wasting his talent along with John Leguizamo and others on CRAP!! This movie made no sense at all.. I urge anyone who was thinking of seeing this movie NOT to waste the 3 dollar rental fee.

Mike Myers once again proves that he is a brilliant comedic talent taking on multiple roles and making it look easy. I do wish that Michael York didn't have to reduce himself to such small parts(they should have used Hugh Grant or an unknown) But Dr. Evil is a great villain, one of the most original I've ever seen, though he does look like Mr. Spock on Chemotherapy.

One aside: my cousin Tim calls his car the shagmobile in homage to this VERY FUNNY movie.

I have lived in Chicago all my long life, and I really appreciated the authenticity of the location scenes. The area around Wilson and Broadway is exactly where the "hillbillies" (forgive the term), especially the single men, generally migrate. The characters in the flophouse and bars must have been taken right from the street. The "project" was recognizably Cabrini-Green, and Truman and Jesse's restored three-story house could almost be pinpointed to Lincoln Park (except that the "bad guys", and Truman, would never have found such open parking - they'd still be circling the block).

The cemetery where the final showdown occurred is Graceland on Clark Street, as everyone who has toured or visited this landmark would know. It was an agony to watch these historic monuments being blown to bits - I had to keep chanting "it's only a movie, it's only a movie".

But the readiness of the Kentucky family to jump into the fray was very real. That wonderful scene of the pickup truck on its northbound trek up Lake Shore Drive has its counterpart in everyday life, so I've been told.

Liam Neeson is a revelation. It's hard to believe that the same actor who plays to perfection this tight lipped, lean and mean mountain man, will later be nominated for an Oscar for his heart-rending portrayal of a sophisticated German industrialist.

Truman Gates may be my favorite Patrick Swayze character. There's plenty of blood-and-guts action, but it's easy to believe that a concert violinist would fall madly in love with this exciting, unusual cop. Helen Hunt, as his wife, and Michael J. Pollard as a benighted flophouse manager, are excellent in their roles.

See this movie for a good story, authentic characterizations, and non-stop interest.

I have lived in Chicago my whole life and can tell you two things for certain: one, no honest cop(least not the ones I know) could afford a house like Truman's, secondly, the area where he lived is typically crowded with cars; there is no way the mob guys could have just pulled right up in front of it. Liam Neeson was completely believable as a hillbilly,and the train jumping scene was fun to watch. The flophouse he was staying at is EXACTLY where someone like that would end up. And I must say, that Patrick Swayze added a nice visual interest. Is a shame that his real life wife didn't recieve credit for playing the violin. But, if you're a native Chicagoan, rent this movie...just to see the sights. Lake Shore Drive never looked better.

This movie though very good, as well as being an endless supply of one-liners would have done well to follow the book more closely. If it had, people would understand that "Tommy" was a COMPOSITE of many people Henry knew, and that Henry's first "pinch" was for passing counterfeit 20's, not selling cigarettes. I won't give away everything, but, READ the BOOK! Also, Henry had a brief stint in the armed forces. (Morrie WAS real, 'so forget money; Morrie's wigs don't come off!) And... Thank you, spider!!

Like most action movies, this one has an improbable plot and some impossible sequences. But this can be forgiven, since the movie is primarily a comedy. Patrick Swayze strikes the right note of comic, underclass insouciance, but the film does attempt to say something about parental responsibility and father/child bonding. It also raises some disturbing questions about the predicament of children in state foster care.

There are no love scenes, and little violence. With some language dubbing, this might be suitable for family viewing.

Note to Patrick Swayze fans: Even in his goofy rayon shirts, he's still gorgeous. And we never have to see him in prison clothes.

This is a Disney family movie, and the lead character is 12 years old. This means that the target audience is still in grade school, and the moral lesson is as subtle as Paul Bunyan's blue ox. But if you're willing to relax and put on your mouse ears, you might enjoy seeing Pecos Bill ride a cyclone and John Henry compete with a steam engine. The barroom scene with Calamity Jane is a treat for lovers of Old West humor, and Texas son Patrick Swayze is perfectly cast as Pecos Bill. Sadly for us, his gorgeous looks are all but hidden under his mustache, prairie dust, and 10-gallon hat.