SimonJack Talk about a midlife crisis. Kevin Spacey's character, Quoyle, has one with such bizarre contributors as only a novelist could conjure up. Annie Proulx won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her 1993 novel of this same title. The story wreaks soap opera throughout except for its setting and a slower, more deliberate layout of the plot. Most soaps have that confined indoors look and feel, and the outdoors of Newfoundland in this film go against that. But the story is one huge melodrama. Drawn out and slowed down, but quite a melodrama. I first saw this film in the theater. Seeing it again years later, I have the same reaction. It's a strange story, maybe the start of a happy ending, but just sort of dull. This film doesn't have much life, but then that may be what the point is – at least at the start. I just don't find that sort of thing very enjoyable. I understand that some people may, and that's fine for them. It's passable mostly because of the setting and the good acting we see. Besides Spacey, principals are Julianne Moore as Wavey Prowse and Judi Dench as Aunt Agnis. I liked some of the minor performances as well – Pete Postlethwaite as Tert Card and native Newfoundlander Gordon Pinsent as Billy Pretty. This type of film isn't for everyone – even most folks perhaps. If one is in the doldrums, it's not recommended. If one is in a chipper mood, this might even nip that back a bit.

barbara-364 This was a film I hadn't seen before and I hadn't read the book, so I could assess the film on its own merits. I was interested to see Kevin Spacey was starring as I have enjoyed a few of his productions at the Old Vic in London. It was on late and I had been watching a programme on TV abut Judy Dench. I found the film engaged my attention from the start. I had no idea how the story would develop. By the time the bleak landscape of Newfoundland was revealed I was completely engaged in the film. With its undertones of child abuse, incest and neglect, this film was disturbing in some ways, but the portrayal of the village newspaper, the remote community life, the bleak landscape and the stormy coast, gave it a powerful impact, which stayed with me long after it was finished. There were top notch performances by a strong cast, not least, the child who played Bunny. In fact a lot of it deals with how children cope with abuse and neglect and can come to terms with it, even when they are adults. The last words in the film, spoken by Kevin Spacey, "A broken man can heal", perhaps sum up the film's ultimate message of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds.

phurface-480-80691 If you have time to kill and watch great actors deliver bad acting, watch it. With such names as Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, I was expecting a great drama. Instead I waste precious time when I could have been watching reruns of 3rd Rock From the Sun and LMAO! I should sue to get this time back. And I expected much more from AP. The dialogue from Moore, Dench and others at times was impossible to discern what was being said. Maybe I should watch it again with the closed-captioning turned on. I'm just so disappointed in KS from his past performances in 'American Beauty', '21', 'Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil', 'K-Pax'.

suite92 Ecch, voice-over. Keven Spacey narrates from early childhood (the not quite drowned cliché) to adulthood, where he's an ink-setter in Poughkeepsie, NY, and where he meets his first wife, Petal. The word 'clueless' keeps coming to mind.They spawn a daughter, much to Petal's disgust. Petal leaves him with another man after his parents kill themselves in a penniless state.Petal and the interloper drive off the road into a river and die. Nice. They had sold Bunny (the daughter) to a black market adoption agency for 6,000 USD, and had a receipt to prove it. That's how the NYSHP tracked them down and recovered Bunny.Agnes Hamm (his father's half sister) visits, helps him relocate to Newfoundland, helps him move into a house the family still owns, and has not been lived in for 44 years. The house needs quite a bit of repair, and is quite a story in its own right.He gets a job with the local newspaper, and is assigned by Jack to do the shipping news and car accidents. He learns to write in a journalistic style. Agnis comes out of retirement to help bring in more income. He gets advice and learns more about writing.Bunny likes Wavey's son. Wavey and Quoyle become friends.Quoyle shows quite a skill at finding out unfortunate buried facts. Quoyle gets into a disagreement with Tert over shipping news content. It is not pretty, but Jack sides with Quoyle. Later, he finds a body and a head at sea, and manages to lose his boat in the process. Quoyle discovers a number of other secrets, like the bad behavior of his ancestors, his father's bad treatment of his aunt, and the like.By the end of the film, Quoyle is part of the community, and much more at peace with himself.Scores-----Cinematography: 8/10 The majority of the film's frames are on the dark side, almost to the point where some camera/light source changes might have been called for. On the other hand, the film's locations are northerly with frequent overcast skies.Sound: 10/10 No problems. The incidental music was excellent.Acting: 8/10 Kevin Spacey is both the worst (as the younger Quoyle) and the best (older Quoyle) actor in the film. Judi Dench delivered another fine performance. Cate Blanchette's performance was quite repellent, but that was her assignment. Julianne Moore was good. Scott Glenn was delightful. Pete Postlethwaite was great.Screenplay: 8/10 Nicely done, except for the early material. A separate actor for the younger Quoyle would have been much better.