Reviews

I think that when you're a kid, there are movies you just watch over and over and whether they're any good or not, you associate certain things with that movie. This is one of those movies. I think that my favorite scenes were the musical numbers -- when Annette sings the song about not being able to make ends meet, when the Gypsies come to town (especially that part!) the forest of no return number. It was just a cool movie with those sort of cheesy sixties special effects. I don't know if kids today would like it -- too much Pokemon and other stunning special effects and insane animation. But I think it's worth a shot.

This was such a great film -- the thing that's really easy to miss about a movie is what they're really trying to show the audience. "Nurse Betty" is about a woman (Renee Zellweger) who is really unhappy with her life -- she has dreams, it's just that she can't really act upon them. She's married to one of the biggest jerks in movie history -- a man who sells cars and drugs (unbeknownst to Betty), and sleeps with his secretary on the side. He is cruel to her and it's almost a relief when he is killed by the two men who were in on the drug deal with him. Betty witnesses it from the television room while she is watching the tape of her soap opera "A Reason to Love." This soap opera is probably the only thing she has in her life that has not let her down -- including the handsome Dr. David Ravell (Greg Kinnear). The trauma of seeing her husband killed is absorbed by the scene she is watching, where Dr. Ravell says that he knows there's something really special out there for him. That becomes her mission -- she sort of goes crazy with the idea of there being something special out there for her. She believes that she is a part of the world of "A Reason to Love," and she goes out to Hollywood to look for the hospital from the soap opera, Loma Vista. Hilarity ensues. The meanwhile, the two hitmen are looking for her the whole time. Charley, played by Morgan Freeman, becomes obsessed with her as he learns more about her -- she is his last mission, and he transfers all of these amazingly strange hopes onto her -- it's something you have to see for yourself. The relationship between Charley and Betty is what really makes the movie unusual and it's something deserves a lot of attention from the audience as they watch. Wesley, played by Chris Rock, is an interesting character to have next to Charley -- he's hysterical and really does amazing things with this part. Greg Kinnear is so right on with his portrayal of an egotistical soap actor that it was scary. The rest of the cast is great, too, but Renee Zellweger and Morgan Freeman are the ones who MAKE the movie. The script is really original, and that's why it's important not to be distracted by the basics of the plot -- the feelings and motivations behind the characters are what makes this movie so great. This is so absolutely worth seeing!

Why do networks constantly formulate these amazingly funny shows and then take them away? With Boston Common, they it moved around all the time, often to the most Godawful time slots and didn't advertise what they were doing. I was so happy to find the reruns on USA. Of course, these were cancelled eventually, too. I don't see why they would set a show up to fail. That's what they did with Boston Common. No other show has made me laugh like this one did -- if one ever does again, you can be sure it will be cancelled as well. What's strange about Boston Common is that it's by the same people who put out Will and Grace. That show is a gigantic hit. The network treats it like gold. There are even some of the same jokes and I even noticed a sweater that seemed to make it's way from Boston Common to the wardrobe of Will and Grace. Who can explain it?

Peter O'Toole is hysterical in this film, and quite easily, is the glue that holds it together (contrary to popular opinion). While this film suffers its share of problems, (such as a few holes in the plot, a little shoddy acting here and there) it makes me laugh as few other movies have. O'Toole's drunken wisdom and fights with his drunken, ghost-talking mother are great. Steve Guttenberg does fine, Daryl Hannah is okay. The Irish country side is lovelyand haunting (incidentally, the movie was filmed in a castle in Limerick,Ireland, where Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes grew up); the set ofthe castle itself is the stuff that fairy tales are made of. The effort that the staff makes to haunt the cynical guests is great, in particular the Lady Godiva/Broggan Banshee fiasco.

While the whole spouse-swapping aspect of the movie is a little hazy, Beverly D'Angelo and Liam Neeson are grand. The entire plot is somewhat goofy, as are some of the transitions to get from Point A to Point B, but it is the humor that keeps it alive. It received terrible reviews, but it's absolutely worth a viewing if you're ever in the mood for something a little absurd that will make you chuckle.