rixrex The best thing I've seen said here and likely to come from this adaptation is that it may cause some viewers to read the novel. That would definitely be recommended because the film does not give depth to several 'lesser' characters, a depth that can be found in the novel.This is partly understandable as time limits tend to shunt aside certain characters in order to develop others more fully. The down side of this, however, is that the characters left undeveloped are interesting as well and deserve more than simplistic or stereotypical presentations.When presenting characters that are deserving of interest, they ought to be developed more fully, otherwise what they do doesn't really ring true. It's particularly important when these characters impact the main characters lives greatly, as happens in this drama.Generally I find the average IMDb rating of 7 to be okay, but I gave it 5 because the film had thin moments, fell back to stereotypes occasionally, had some humor that seemed forced, and had a really corny and maudlin epilogue that almost wrecks everything done beforehand.Also, Helen Hunt's character was really hard to watch and almost embarrassing in over-the-top intensity. That's the fault of the director, for Hunt has proved herself to have talent and can handle things with more subtlety when asked to.

Cory A Morrant Its pretty obvious that the author wrote the screenplay here... given that his pontificating prose makes the transition to the film as voice-over narration. Come to think of it... I didn't see a credit for the narrator, and I didn't recognize the goofy voice either... I wonder if this guy could possibly be THAT self-indulgent.Anyway, this movie is OK. I'd say about half the scenes are good and half are bad. It's pretty inconsistent in its level of phony-ness.It is overall an interesting and engaging story, but I think it is greatly hindered by the cheap crutch of a purely evil character.Hoffman and Robin Wright Penn were both really good in the flash backs. William Fichtner struck me as the only guy who carried his weight in the modern scenes. Dennis Farina was good, but it was a one note job.The glove box and the cat were painful.I have to say, my jaw about hit the floor when a lowered newspaper revealed Josh Lucas in a cameo as a young Paul Newman... it was a brief but unbelievable scene.

sacusanov As an acting smörgåsbord, few films of the last year compare to Empire Falls. And I mean Smorgasbord in the sense that not everything is of the same quality, but, damn, sometimes bounty is its own reward. Ed Harris is an actor who only ever plays a few notes in a film, and you have to go back over the films to see the breadth of his talent. Paul Newman seems to have gone out of his way to pick a role that expanded his body of work, but there are some scenes where you see the mechanism creaking. Helen Hunt takes a giant leap away from her solid and likable safe zone into the most unlikable and outrageous character in a film of unlikable and outrageous characters and somehow makes the character both the most real and sympathetic. She seems like an actor poised for artistic greatness, if only there were any roles out there for her to sink her teeth into.

shanepb I witnessed the filming of a movie in Maine back in 1986 so was curious to see how they'd do in another town. I think they did a good job. I found myself looking as much as details as following the storyline. My only complaint is that they did not have a voice coach, or if they did, s/he had a hearing problem. While Maine has many dialects, the vowels are fairly consistent per speaker. It's rare to hear someone use START and CAHD. It's STAHT and CAHD or START and CARD. It's the inconsistencies that tend to drive the locals crazy, and there were plenty in this film.But the story was poignant, and piercingly accurate in so many ways. The flashbacks were wonderful, and they segued into the present almost seamlessly. The set and wardrobe were unassuming, as they are in real life, and that which stands out is an individual perception. Just like life.