brett-76260 This movie missed a lot of viewers because it was released shortly after 9/11. It has a great story and the acting is outstanding. Well worth watching...

NoFleshShallBeSpared I was hoping for so much more. There was the blueprint for a unique story that gets dissolved in so much schmaltz and allegory. I get that things are going to be left unfinished, but it seems this story wasn't finished and had to utilize cinematography and last-minute story-writing to finish what I would consider to be a lofty, yet noble, project of a motion picture.What I got was a laissez-faire attitude towards the commodification of teenage sexuality, family structure and all together communion of the soul. There are about 6 mini-stories at play, loosely connected to the main one, that warrant so much attention, but ultimately dissolve in hack endings and illusion to contentment. I can argue the vapidity of dipping in to these themes as a soft touch of narrative, but I can't argue for taking subject matter that is unique for John Q. Public, and ultimately giving it the brush off. Kevin Kline, Hayden Christiansen and Kristen Scott-Thomas carry the weight of this awkwardly shaped, yet airily light movie.Powerful performances still didn't distract me from the fact that Sam is painted in the most dismal light possible, and yet father-son bonding is supposed to be an all-healing experience for him! A great actor (and here we do see a young actor in GREAT form) still can't sell a measly product, especially one that doesn't ultimately give him a resolution rooted in reality. You don't take a paint-huffing, trick-turning, auto-erotic asphyxiating teenage boy and turn him into a strapping blue-collar vision of adjustment without some SERIOUS character changes.Even George's character could've been used to more effect, and he's the main story, the hero if you will. I see less resolution for Sam in George's parts, than I see a complexity in George's character that ultimately unwinds (to great effect, I'll admit) towards death. We see a man of great intimacy, yet commitment-phobic. Someone learning compassion bereft of social expectation. Ultimately all I see is potential dialogue that could benefit both characters, but prefers to lean on one.Then we're left with all the unanswered questions that lead me to wonder what's in the water this characters are drinking. The kind of isolation within individualism that gives this movie it's initium, again somehow becomes magicallydissipated into community. The magic of a house is wondrous, to be sure, but I can't help but feel the writer's wanted to stay away from the gritty soul-searching that this film hints at, and fails to deliver.

ramdi A good movie about marriage, broken families, what life promises and what we fail to deliver. It is also about finding love again, finding a path to the heart of someone dear, and finding a way to overcome your own weaknesses, and that we should never think that it is too late, because a moment of meaning is worth every effort. This movie hosts one of the best lines in all the inspirational movies I have ever seen: "I can tell you I love you as many times as you can stand to hear it and all that does, the only thing, is remind us, that love is not enough, not even close". This would be on all the lists of inspirational movies if it were not so real-life, down the nitty-gritty, filth, mistakes, infidelities and addictions of the characters. That rich and balanced mix is also what makes it so believable and so touching, moving and captivating. It is a tear-jerker and a good one at that, as such family-related dramas should be. I do not know if I will go back and watch this again once or twice a year like I do Shawshank Redemption or other inspirational movies. But it is definitely a keeper, to revisit, for some excellent scenes, good acting and beautiful scenery.

yeung-claudia When I watch this movie, it recalled many past scenes for my own - with my dying father on the hospital bed; my dying brother strolling along in a park and many other sweet and bitter things. Everything is not without a cause. Thanks for having made such a good movie which should be a classic in its own right. Should recommend to everyone to watch at least once in their lifetime, so that they would regret, revisit and rewrite something for not missing a life hard-earned. Sam is magnificent besides being extraordinarily handsome and youthful. Kevin Kline (George) could act even with his eyes. A bit odd is the come and go of Peter and would have been better and more clear if he went to see Sam in hospital. Robin's love for George and Peter is ambiguous, especially when she knew that George is terminally ill. Does she regret her earlier decision to return to George or is she worrying about her future? Anyway, a good movie with very good actors and actresses and beautiful scenery and setting.