stancym-1 I only give it a 2 instead of a 1 because Julie Christie is always such a joy to watch.The problem is, you can't figure out what is going on much of the time. Plot lines seem to make no sense. Example: at the end, Christie is crying. Has her daughter died or not? That is never made clear. If not, what is she sobbing about? Then there is the scene where Christie tries to seduce husband Nolte. She is attempting to repair their marriage. It is not clear why he rejects her, he seems to love her and it was she who had called off their sex life, not he. There is no discussion of this event afterward to clarify things.Characters throughout behave in ways that seem very unlikely and you can't figure them out. If a movie is going to be this surreal and confusing, it should be funny or suspenseful. This is neither. The Jonny Lee Miller character is peculiar beyond belief and that is never resolved. You can't figure him out at all,even at the end.Enough said, avoid this movie. You can see Christie in Away from Her, a far superior film.

WMOLSTAD I enjoyed this movie. I suppose that I had the problem of NickNolte and his funny-looking, scruffy macho self, but it fit thecharacter. My favorite character was the sexually modest andcompletely cold executive Jeffrey Byron played by Jonny Lee Miller,fresh from Trainspotting. When he slightly slips his accent, it isreally fun to hear. Since it takes place in Canada though, it isawesome that he particularly lets it out on words like "about" - "ay- boat". Slight Spoiler.... Even though the character was mean, cold, and he was the onethat provoked his wife into the main problem in the movie early on,I felt as if he was almost the protagonist. The setting of Montrealwas beautiful, the cinematography varying between lush andclassy, and the characters very well thought-out. The Phyllis Manncharacter was entertaining. And Jeffrey's wife Marianne was funny,but you almost hate her for the way she goes in this movie... This movie would have been much better without Nick Nolte - hisfacial expressions were just perfect, but his presence can becontinuously irritating. He'll also turn off half of the ladies watchingthis. Considering that it's themes are wonderful for a femaleaudience, that's bad. But does the movie want you to hate himanyway? Oh well. 8 out of 10 in my point of view - deducting onepoint for Nolte and one point for the overusage of adultery in theplot. If you aren't into romance-drama plots and character studies,avoid this one. If you like Nick Nolte, grab it. If you don't, you mighthave to stomach him. A worthy rent.

Alex-372 Some movies need a good murder. This one needs a good serial killer, like Michael Myers. Instead, what we get is a slower than molassis character study, from Montreal, about aging actors and a sexual comedy of errors. Freudian symbolism is shoved down our throats - lots and lots of "tools", ever recurring sigars and intergenerational sexual relationships (did anyone say "Oedipus"?). It isn't that I dislike all Canadian movies, but when they stink - yikes. Slow, uninspired, insulting the viewer's investment of time. On the other hand, I've read several (paper) reviews of people who liked it, and I suppose that _if you like this genre_, it's ok. And it's nice to see Julie Christie again (last time I saw her was in "Don't Look Now" with Donald Sutherland).

simon_sparrow Julie Christie is magnificent as Phyl Mann, wife of Nick Nolte's Lucky "Fix-it" Mann. Age has not been kind to the couple until they find an odd path to revitalization. Nick Nolte makes the offbeat casting work, and Charlotte Rampling has a magnificent supporting role.