Reviews

I have watched this show multiple times and felt like I was some sort of alien for not laughing while everyone else in the room laughed hysterically. In fact, I felt a mixture of annoyance and a sense of unreality. I know that humor is subjective and different people find different things funny. However, it was surreal just how so many people adored a show that to me, seemed below mediocre. If you've ever had to sit through a comedy that didn't even make you smile, you'll know what this was like. Add to that wondering why everyone else in the room seems to be having the most entertaining time of their lives, and you'll probably be able to understand what I was going through.

At first I thought that part of my problem was that I had just been ruined by something like the British Sherlock and that I needed something more like that while watching a detective show. I thought that maybe I was just used to the real excitement I felt while watching it and that I just got attached to the acting and intriguing plot-lines I found there.

But then I realized that I can just blame the comedy in the show. To me, nothing about this show is funny. To other people, this show is comedic genius. And you know what? That's okay. Humor is completely subjective. When I want a physical comedy, I go to other places. My sense of humor tends to center a lot more around language or needs to be a bit more subtle than this show. If I wanted physical comedy, I'd go watch Lucille Ball, Robin Williams or even Melissa McCarthy before I'd watch these guys.

While it might have felt painful for me to sit through, and don't get me wrong, I don't plan on subjecting myself to this again, I don't want to insult what people love. When something brings other people joy, I'm still glad it exists. I thank my lucky stars that I have so many other options that do keep me laughing and entertained, but I'm also glad that other people have this. I rated it how I honestly felt in comparison to everything else out there, but if so many people really get laughter out of it, more power to them.

I felt a very strong connection to the characters in this film, the character of Anne, in particular. I was experiencing her emotions right along with her; more so than in any other film I've ever watched. Amanda Root does a splendid job in conveying Anne's emotions from mere facial expressions and gestures. She has very little dialog in the really emotional scenes. This reminds me of old Hollywood style films: the director paying special attention to the actress's reactions with closeups. You rarely see closeups that mean so much in newer films, newer Hollywood films anyway.

Anne is quietly in love with a man 8 years after she was persuaded to refuse his proposal. When he unexpectedly arrives in her social circle once again, she must stoically bear the consequences. Knowing that she cannot tell him how much she still loves him, she sees fit not to call attention to herself, and certainly never to tell him how she feels. Her regret for having denied his love once before causes her to think that she deserves to stay out of his way, and therein suffer a penance for refusing his proposal years earlier. Perhaps most of us can relate to the jolting reality apparent on Anne's face when her rejected love's name is mentioned in conversation. Her careful mask of an expression when he tells of his life at sea is so relatable. I know that I at least, have felt similar emotions before. She tries her best not to display her feelings for the man she loves and must wait in pained agony while she listens to him speak, her love amassed merely by being in his company.

Anne's character is one which is unlike most shown in film. She is kind, quiet and complacent. She isn't confrontational. But that does not make her love any less real than that of your standard heroine.

This film is lovely to me. It displays two characters whose story speaks to us universally, a love story which may seem simplistic, but doesn't need all the bells and whistles found in most romances. These individuals are confined by their circumstances and are not able to tell one another their feelings. Their struggle is fascinating to watch. This film is done well enough that you're enveloped by the characters' struggle, and distracted by nothing else within the film. Unrequited love's inner struggle is a reality portrayed beautifully here, in a way I've never seen equaled.

While the film makers didn't exactly have that much to work with (let's face it, Stephenie Meyer didn't give them much of a plot or character development,) she laid out exactly what the characters' looks were, and mentioned their apparently interesting characteristics quite often(each character has their flaws or physical appearance mentioned almost non-stop throughout the book; as if we couldn't surmise for ourselves that Bella is clumsy from the dozen times she trips, she has to tell us this herself... and I think Edwards honey/topaz/golden/whatever-color eyes are mentioned to the point of being excessive as well.)

But, while reading Twilight, I was able to create some nice pictures in my mind and could, at times, relate well to Bella's character. The movie however, often had me cringing at its stupidity. To each his own I guess, but the script is often my favorite part of a movie. And the script for this movie was, for the most part, laughably bad. Granted, Stephanie Meyer didn't really give them much interesting dialog to work with, but honestly, I think monkeys were mentioned at least twice in the movie as an affectionate term (did somebody who worked on this movie have some kind of monkey fetish? I never once read about a spider monkey in the book and I definitely don't remember any being mentioned in the baseball chapter)and the infamous forest scene used in the trailer had some of the most unnatural sounding dialog I've ever heard. Stephenie Meyer has mentioned that she prides herself on trying to portray realistic characters and reactions in extraordinary circumstances. Kristin Stewart's hollow list, during which she let's us know that Edward's "skin is pale white and ice cold...(he's) impossibly strong...and fast..." to be capped off with the hilariously over dramatic "Say it!"...."Vampire!" was just waiting to be mocked when the first trailers came out online. (The spoof on youtube is highly entertaining, I'd recommend it.)

I know everybody's bashing the acting and all, but I thought Robert Pattinson did a pretty good job. He sold me, which surprised me, because I didn't initially find him attractive, but I still believed him to be the character. And Kristin Stewart did pretty well as Bella, I thought. Really, the parts that made me laugh had more to do with the way they were told to act: Jasper's pained expression was odd to me, and Edward's first smelling of Bella in Biology was so blatantly shoved down our throats (his hand went right to his face and he got this pained expression like he was about to vomit, really, in the book he is described as looking angry and grips the desk in order to control himself. As if a well-conditioned vampire would cover his nose and mouth like in such a wimpy fashion!)

And don't even get me started on the useless bits added in that were not in the book and did not add to the movie at all. They certainly could have filled these useless portions with more development for the love story, greater character development, or just more views of the beautiful scenery, which I thought was done quite nicely. The leafy Washington landscape had just the murky, wet feel that I expected and made me really want to take a trip there. And while we're on the subject of artistic direction, let me say that the cool closeup of Robert Pattinson's eyes was pretty spectacular. I mean, with the many mentions Stephanie Meyer makes of them, I guess they'd better look awesome.

I give it 4 stars for its look and decent acting. I can forgive many of the actors not being as I pictured them, but I cannot forgive such lousy screenplay, script, and whoever it was who told the actors to exaggerate the way that they did (I'm assuming it was the director?)

I've come to a concession. Those who give the film 10 stars seem to be either very generous and forgiving, know nothing about what makes a decent film, blinded by Robert Pattinson's looks, just plain obsessive or crazy, or a combination of all of those. Honestly, calling it the "Best Movie Everrr!!!" is going a bit far, even if you really liked it. Anyone who looks at it objectively can see that it's got its problems. Even if you're willing to forgive those problems, you can't exactly call it a cinematic masterpiece, can you?