Annette Bening

Average customer rating:

Fantastic
This is BY FAR the best movie that I have had the chance to lay my eyes on!
Heavy Irony on Amazon
not my genre
Not an "American" issue...

American Beauty (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Annette Bening , Thora Birch , Chris Cooper , Peter Gallagher , and Sam Robards
Director: Sam Mendes
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

A Beautiful Mind (Widescreen Awards Edition)
American History X
Almost Famous - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Usual Suspects (Special Edition)
Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00003CWL6
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Amazon.com essential video

From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave.

It's an audacious start for a film that justifies that audacity. Weaving social satire, domestic tragedy, and whodunit into a single package, Alan Ball's first theatrical script dares to blur generic lines and keep us off balance, winking seamlessly from dark, scabrous comedy to deeply moving drama. The Burnham family joins the cinematic short list of great dysfunctional American families, as Lester is pitted against his manic, materialistic realtor wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening, making the most of a mostly unsympathetic role) and his sullen, contemptuous teenaged daughter, Jane (Thora Birch, utterly convincing in her edgy balance of self-absorption and wistful longing). Into their lives come two catalytic outsiders. A young cheerleader (Mena Suvari) jolts Lester into a sexual epiphany that blooms into a second adolescence. And an eerily calm young neighbor (Wes Bentley) transforms both Lester and Jane with his canny influence.

Credit another big-screen newcomer, English theatrical director Sam Mendes, with expertly juggling these potentially disjunctive elements into a superb ensemble piece that achieves a stylized pace without lapsing into transparent self-indulgence. Mendes has shrewdly insured his success with a solid crew of stage veterans, yet he's also made an inspired discovery in Bentley, whose Ricky Fitts becomes a fulcrum for both plot and theme. Cinematographer Conrad Hall's sumptuous visual design further elevates the film, infusing the beige interiors of the Burnhams' lives with vivid bursts of deep crimson, the color of roses--and of blood. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-06-22

American Beauty is the greatest movie ever made.

If you haven't already, watch American Beauty by yourself and give yourself some time afterwards to think it over. You will never, ever look at life the same way. It does exactly what movies are meant to do - give us a window into ourselves, and American Beauty does that better than any other film has ever done. No word of dialogue is unnecessary, no character exaggerated, everything is perfect...but if you have seen American Beauty you should know that already. Once you look closer at this movie, and see Beauty in every frame, it becomes so much easier to look closer and see Beauty in everything around you. You think I'm waxing poetic? Then you must not have seen the movie. Every character is a part of each of us: the Lester Burnham of change, the Carolyn of uncertainty and failure, the rebellion of Jane, the defeated Barbara, the false control of Angela and the Colonel, and the real control of Ricky. To me Ricky, not Lester, is the center of this story; he somehow controls or sets in motion the heart of Lester's rebirth and downfall. There are several parts of this movie where I lose control every time I see it, and none more so than the paper bag scene. To me that scene is simply the greatest monologue ever written.

I listened to the message of American Beauty - look closely and you can find Beauty in anything - and it changed my life. I rose out of a long, deep depression and started out into the world. Sometimes there is so much Beauty in the world, I can't even stand it, and it feels like my heart is going to burst.

This is the most beautiful movie I have ever seen.

This is BY FAR the best movie that I have had the chance to lay my eyes on!.......2007-06-15

Let's get this out of the way: Annett Bening (Carolyn) totally steals the show. She shows so many different sides to a human being, especially the extreme. She's super peppy and I almost loved to hate her in the movie. Kevin Spacey was pretty good. He plays a depressed man named Lester who's highlight of the day is pleasuring himself in the shower in the morning. In many ways I could relate to this character. Actually, most of the characters are relate able. Lester and Carolyn have a daughter by the name of Jane. She's pretty mean to her parents and wishes they would just disappear. I liked her character, but Mina Servari's character was even better. I like the scene where some girl says "You're no goddamn Christie Turlington." Her response to that was very funny.

The ending was quite exciting with many things going on so I was definitely sad when it was over...I'm glad they never made a part II to it too because they probably would have tainted the name.

I left a lot out but I'll just say that if you haven't seen the movie, you really need to. Rent it, buy it, borrow it from a friend; whatever. Just get your grubby paws on it. It shows how beautifully messed up life can be. Bittersweet really. :)

Heavy Irony on Amazon.......2007-06-06

I'm always surprised by how many people do not appreciate this movie. The reasons people give for not liking it ARE OFTEN INCREDIBLY IRONIC.....think about it.

The movie says that morals (and pretty much everything else in life) are relative and subject to being perceived in every possible way...

Hell, Shakespeare said "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." -Hamlet

Society is often so focused on nonsense that we all accept it without really stopping to think.

People read beauty magazines so they think people will love them more, and in turn people loving them will make them love themselves (Caroline). Many women have ingrained themselves so strongly in this that eating disorders have become a rampant problem in the U.S. With television shows like "The Swan," "American Idol," and who knows what else...it's no wonder this is the case.

Who says that smoking marijuana is "bad?" Who says that being fat is "bad?" Who says that being a homosexual is "bad?" Who says that never being afraid of anything is "bad?" In fact, why are we all so afraid of everything?? WHO is telling us to always be afraid? I think this is a very very important question in today's society.

Who says that a bag floating in the wind (litter) is necessarily "bad?" To really be content in life you have to perceive "reality" the way you want to. Not the way people (and the media) tell you to.

The fact that Lester Burnham chose to work at a fast-food restaurant, smoke pot, and lust after an underage girl (was she under 18?) is irrelevant.

He could have done anything other than what he was doing. He could have chosen to get up and follow his dream of starting a business, take over the world, become a monk in the mountains...IT DOESN'T MATTER. Was what he really did that "bad?" That's what made him content because that is the role HE WANTED to play in this world, but never had the guts to actually play out for himself.

If you've seen Fight Club the concept is pretty much the same (also came out in 1999, coincidence?) I like Fight Club, but this movie is much better. I believe Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) makes a statement like, "People do it everyday. They look into the mirror and see the person they'd like to be, but don't have the guts to run with it like you did."

The point is that THIS is what LESTER wanted to do. NOT Caroline, not his boss, and most importantly NOT SOCIETY.

Of course there are limits to this. Hurting people is never a good route. I doubt the movie was advocating people with the dream of being a serial killer to become a serial killer...Though of course Shakespeare's quote also applies here. Think about it...

The movie is saying that people need to stop being robotic automatons and become the person that they want to be, not what everyone else "thinks" they should be.

THINK. It's the greatest gift you'll ever have.

not my genre.......2007-05-24

I really liked "existentialist" lit and those Russian literary genres (pathetic character dramedy) when I was a teenager but can no longer stomache them. I never cared for the work of Kaiser Soeze. I find mid-life crisises to be a boring subject. Many of the details are absurd and hard to swallow. I'm not a fan of fractured plots esp. plots that start with the ending - what could be more played out? starting with the main characters death is not new or clever (like in "The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas"from the 1800s -or a more direct cinamatic comparison "Sunset Boulevard" with the main characters voice over and sympathetic conclusion to the love triangle before the big finale).

But I do appreciate that amalgam of literary, theatrical and clean cinematic/TV writing styles that went into the story. And I liked the look of the film. I'm sure it deserves all it's praise.

Not an "American" issue..........2007-05-05

I enjoyed all the feedback and interesting comments and points of view about the "issues" this movie conveys. But a sad truth that we all seem to miss is that the United States is a huge country with people from many different races and cultures all mixed and blended together. Add to this mix a society and culture that thrives on materialism and self-centeredness and you have what American Beauty attempts to communicate and raise our awareness about.

Needless to say, this movie does not portray an "American" issue, it effectively raises our awareness that IT IS a world issue because of the fact that most nations around the world make up what we like to call our "American Society and Culture." I DO agree with Mrs. Walker when she stated, "...it's a sad day when a movie likes this says something this important about who we are as a culture. A sad day indeed..." People like to say that this movie displays an "American" issue and it thrashes its culture, but it is a sad world out there where all nations and cultures have been "sedated" with its own desires for personal gain and power. BUT, thank the Lord that there is still "good" out there, around the whole globe...but we are just too "blind" to see this subtle beauty that surrounds us daily...

Average customer rating:

A lot of politics and some romance.
The Perfect President (if you have liberal views)
DPollard
The most wonderful movie
The American President

The American President
Starring: Michael Douglas , Annette Bening , Martin Sheen , Michael J. Fox , and Anna Deavere Smith
Director: Rob Reiner
Manufacturer: Castle Rock
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Satire | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Dave
Sabrina
You've Got Mail
French Kiss
While You Were Sleeping

ASIN: 6305236518
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Amazon.com essential video

What sounds like the high-concept romantic comedy pitch from hell--widower president falls for smart lobbyist while the world watches--is actually intelligent, charming, touching, and quite funny. Granted, it's wish fulfillment all the way (when was the last time you saw a president who was truly presidential?), but in the capable hands of writer Aaron Sorkin (TV's Sports Night) and director Rob Reiner, The American President is incredibly enjoyable entertainment with quite a few ideas about both romance and the government. Michael Douglas stars as the president, who after three years in office starts thinking about the possibility of dating. When he auspiciously encounters cutthroat environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), sparks begin to crackle and the two begin a tentative but heartfelt romance. Of course, his job gets in the way--their first kiss is interrupted by a Libyan bombing--but darn it if these two kids aren't going to try and make it work! However, they hadn't counted on the president's Republican antagonist (Richard Dreyfuss), who starts carping about family values. The predictable plot--Douglas finally goes to bat for his lady and his country--is leavened by Sorkin's wonderful, snappy dialogue and a light touch from the usually subtle-as-a-sledgehammer Reiner. Both manage to create a believable White House-office atmosphere (with a crack staff including Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Anna Deavere Smith, and Samantha Mathis) as well as a plausible and funny dating scenario. The true success of the movie, though, rides squarely on Douglas and Bening; this is unequivocally Douglas's best comedic performance (ergo his best performance, period) and Bening, usually such a good bad girl, takes a standard career-woman role and fleshes it out magnificently. You can see in an instant why Douglas would fall for her. One of the best unsung romantic comedies of the '90s. --Mark Englehart

Description

The world's most powerful man has met his match! Michael Douglas is the widower President wooing environmental lobbyist Annette Bening in this romantic hit by Rob Reiner.DVD Features:
Interactive Menus
Production Notes
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

A lot of politics and some romance........2007-06-16

The American President is a lot or politics with some romance thrown in for good measure. President Andrew Shepard and Sydney Ellen Wade, lobbyist, manage to light a spark in each other while overcoming turmoil in the political arena. Does it work? All I can say it that the President manages to walk away with a heart.

It's amazing really. I never think about the personal life of our President. I'm not sure exactly what I thought he did outside of the oval office (except fiddle around at his ranch a lot, but that's another story.) I guess this movie just puts things in to perspective. It made me realize there is a man behind the President.

And, It's really weird watching the political take on things before 9/11. So many things have changed.

The Perfect President (if you have liberal views).......2007-06-15

"The American President" is one of my confort movies...you know, the ones you watch over and over to cheer yourself up when you want to escape the world. Michael Douglas is the President I wish we had, courageous, funny, extremely bright and able to inspire a nation to step up to its challenges and face them honestly. As this is a romance there is a equally focused and idealistic love interest played by Annette Benning who does not water down her character or make her a simpering trophy wife.

The rest of the cast is wonderful too...Michael J. Fox, Martin Sheen and the rest of the President's "staff" are admirable, familiar characters in this nicely written script. If you are not a staunch conservative, this movie will inspire feelings of patriotism that ironically usually fall into the domain of right wing politicos....

The American President gives you a degree of comfort that we sorely need. To paraphrase Richard Dreyfuss in the movie...."the pride is back!"

DPollard.......2007-06-10

I love this movie. Regardless of your politics this does provide some insight into the political process. Plus it is a great love story.

The most wonderful movie.......2007-06-07

I watch this movie when I feel tired and with stress. It is refreshing and leaves the viewer thinking that falling in love is possible and wonderful. Yes, I really love this movie.

The American President.......2007-05-09

Very cute movie! Not very realistic though but still a cute movie!

Average customer rating:

LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very Surprising for a Kevin Costner Film
Open Range
Open Range~`When character meant something
Bringing back the western

Open Range
Starring: Patricia Benedict , Annette Bening , Abraham Benrubi , Kim Coates , and Diego Diablo Del Mar
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Epic | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

DTS | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Broken Trail [Region 99]
Lonesome Dove
Unforgiven
Louis L'Amour's The Sacketts
Tombstone

ASIN: B0000TANUI
Release Date: 2004-01-20

Product Description

Packed with epic action, OPEN RANGE is a powerfully gripping story that's never been told until now, and stars Academy Award(R) winners Robert Duvall (1983 Best Actor, TENDER MERCIES) and Kevin Costner (1991 Best Director, DANCES WITH WOLVES), and Academy Award(R) nominee Annette Bening (1999 Best Actress, AMERICAN BEAUTY). A group of free grazers, four men trying to escape their past, are driving cattle and living off the land on the open range -- a place where nature makes the only laws. When a ruthless, evil rancher tries to run them out of town, the men's peaceful existence takes a tumultuous turn and ends in the grittiest, most explosive gunfight on film as two men battle a town for honor, justice, and a way of life that's quickly disappearing.

Amazon.com

Released almost exactly 11 years after Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, Kevin Costner's Open Range proved yet again that the Western is the classic American genre. While it lacks the thematic impact of Eastwood's masterpiece, Costner's first film since 1997's ill-fated The Postman returns the actor/director of Dances With Wolves to the open prairies of America--in this case the free-range frontier of 1882--where legal "free-grazing" cattle drives were falling prey to empire-building land-owners. In the wake of territorial murder, free-grazing cowboys Boss (Robert Duvall) and Charley (Costner) seek vengeful justice against the ruthless rancher (Michael Gambon) who threatens their law-abiding survival. A feisty ally (the late Michael Jeter, in his next-to-final film role) and a doctor's sister (Annette Bening) offer support during climactic shootouts, masterfully staged with the shock and suddenness of real-life gunfire. Rich in character development and thick-hided humor, this handsome production redeemed Costner's directorial career with a well-told story (by Craig Storper, based on Lauran Paine's novel The Open Range Men), flawless performances, and stunning Canadian locations. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-06-11

This has become our favorite film...we have watched this every time it came on TV and now at least one or two times every week....It is very well done and there are no lags in it, and was cast very well.

Very Surprising for a Kevin Costner Film.......2007-06-09

I'm really not a big fan of Costner movies, especially when he gets involved with the production/direction of the film. Dances with Wolves - Extended Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) is probably an exception but Waterworld and The Postman were just plain bad productions. Over blown and over written. So here comes "Open Range" and even though I'm a huge western fan I'm questioning if I want to chance it.

I was surprised on so many levels. Of course the cast is exceptional with Robert Duval and Annette Benning staring with Costner. But the story was great, the flow of the film kept you interested, and the look of the movie was outstanding. Costner took the time for character development in his main characters, making each into complex people. Add a great musical score and what else could you hope for.

The story is your basic mean cattle baron trying to wipe out a good-hearted but smaller outfit. In this case the smaller herd is a "free-Grazer", an outfit that travels from range to range. Robert Duval is perfect as Boss Spearman, the tough but fair owner of the herd. Costner plays Charley Waite, his top hand. Along with their two other hands, Mise Harrison & Button, they pitch camp on a range claimed by the local rancher who hates free grazers. After the rancher attacks the camp, killing Mose and severely injuring Button, Boss and Charley decide they must defend their outfit and their way of life. Along the way we discover that Charley used to be a gunfighter. The story builds to the normal Expolsive ending but not before we get to look into each of the main characters and discover their inner-most secrets.

Again, this was such a surprise. As soon as this film came out on DVD I ran right out and bought it. If you are a western fan do not pass this up.

Open Range.......2007-06-02

This is the very best Western movie that has come along in recent times.
There are no frills or cliched dialogue to disrupt what is a gutsy plot and the actors are all at their best in the rolls they play. Authentic costumes and period gear add to this well filmed motion picture.
I recommend it highly to all western buffs.

Open Range~`When character meant something.......2007-05-13

Excellent movie- I saw it on AMC and had to have it.
It reflects the simple method of confronting wrong doers directly, no explanations of why they were evil and wrestling with their motivation. Face them and eliminate the threat. The movie and characters demonstrate that fact throughout the movie and some politicians and the media would do well to emulate this proven methodology.

Bringing back the western.......2007-05-07

If you like westerns, this movie is for you. According to the narration in the "extras", a great deal of thought was done on the sound in addition to the visuals. That is extremely apparent during the first few scenes done in a thunder storm. I actually jumped at one thunder crack. The audio during the final "shoot out" was recorded at a higher volume. As explained inthe narration, that guns like these were really loud. All in all, a good story wrapped up in a good western.

Average customer rating:

One Laugh After Another!
You Gotta Love The Outdoors!!!
Great Movie
John Candy movies are classics!!
"Don't you know what those are made out of????"

The Great Outdoors
Starring: Dan Aykroyd , John Candy , Stephanie Faracy , Annette Bening , and Chris Young
Director: Howard Deutch
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Slapstick | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Uncle Buck
Summer Rental
Funny Farm
Armed & Dangerous (Ws) [Region 99]
Who's Harry Crumb?

ASIN: 0783227884
Release Date: 1998-07-01

Amazon.com

This hit-and-miss 1988 comedy pairs John Candy and Dan Aykroyd in a story of one family's summer vacation all but ruined by the uninvited appearance of another, more loutish family. Howard Deutch (Some Kind of Wonderful) directs from a half-hearted John Hughes script, which reduces Hughes's jokes-and-epiphanies formula (The Breakfast Club, Home Alone) to true gaudiness. On the other hand, Annette Bening makes her screen debut here. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, production notes, trailer, optional French soundtrack, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

One Laugh After Another!.......2007-02-07

This film cracks me up! I have watched it numerous times over the years and I still find every scene just as funny as I did the first time I watched it!

Two families come together to make this a great film. John Candy plays the kind, caring family man out to enjoy a family vacation with his wife and two sons at a cabin out in the wilderness in an area he enjoyed staying in as a boy with his family. Dan Aykroyd and his wife and two daughters decide to surprise Candy and his family by joining them on their vacation. Candy's character and Aykroyd's character are brother-in-laws and they are complete polar opposites in every sense of the word. Aykroyd's character is an annoying creep that thinks he's better than the next guy and is always doing the oneupmanship thing whenever he can. Mix Aykroyd's character and that of Candy's character and you have one laugh after another! Sit back, watch and enjoy this film!

You Gotta Love The Outdoors!!!.......2007-01-10

I think this is another one of John Candy's really funny movies!! I can't stop watching it!!!

Great Movie.......2007-01-10

If you like John Candy then you will love this movie - a true Candy Classic.

John Candy movies are classics!!.......2007-01-03

John Candy movies have become classics - I grew up watching him and now I am buying the DVDs so my 2 children can enjoy him, too. He always lit up the screen and made some enjoyable family movies. My 5 year old laughs and laughs at his antics on screen.

"Don't you know what those are made out of????".......2006-11-13

This is by far one of the greatest comedy films of all time, along side classics such as animal house, caddyshack, and the Vacation Series. John Candy and Dan Aykroyd are brother in laws who end up coming together by "chance" at a Cabin in the north woods. Over the vacations time, the families discover new things about each other, strengthen their bonds, oh, and make you laugh until your sides split. This movie has it all, animal talk, overeating, stupid human tricks, "scary stories", action, thrills, and romance. What more could you want in one package. Buy this movie, well worth the price, cause you'll watch it over and over again.

Average customer rating:

Agony vs Curiosity
Deffantley not a comedy
No More Whining About Your Childhood
Dysfunctional family at it's best
Couldn't Relate

Running With Scissors [Region 99]
Starring: Annette Bening , Brian Cox , Joseph Fiennes , Evan Rachel Wood , and Alec Baldwin
Director: Ryan Murphy
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Domestic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Babel
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Hollywoodland (Widescreen Edition)
Little Miss Sunshine
The Prestige

ASIN: B000M5B98A
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

Annette Bening is the stand-out highlight in this dysfunctional "family" comedy based on the bestselling memoir by Augusten Burroughs. Although fans of the book may be slightly disappointed with the film's uneven and somewhat campy rendition of Burroughs' twisted adolescence in the 1970s, there's plenty of pleasure to be found in the work of an excellent cast led by Bening, who gives a subtle dare-to-hate-me performance as Burroughs' mother Diedre, a would-be poet who's so aloof about her teenage son Augusten (played by fresh-faced newcomer Joseph Cross, from Flags of Our Fathers) that she allows him to be legally adopted into the eccentric family of her psychiatrist, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox). As the half-crazed Finch overmedicates Diedre into a haze of semi-conscious madness, he also turns Augusten's life upside down while his wife (Jill Clayburgh) and daughters (Gwyneth Paltrow, Evan Rachel Wood) indulge their own eccentricities and Augusten enters into an intimate relationship with one of Finch's adopted patients (played by Joseph Fiennes).

<td>

As adapted and directed by Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy, Running with Scissors lacks the singular voice of Burroughs' dryly comedic first-person narrative, but even as the film struggles to find a consistent tone, it's so full of wacky behavior that you can't help laughing. It's a messy, patchwork quilt of a movie, blessed by authentically garish '70s production design and a soundtrack of familiar '70s hits. In rendering Burroughs' indelible portrait of weak, irresponsible adults and the people they victimize, Murphy and his well-chosen cast (which also includes Alec Baldwin as Diedre's ex-husband) find moments of touching pathos amidst the madness. For her part, Bening delivers an acclaimed performance that gives the film a dramatic weight it otherwise lacks. The rest is for anyone who enjoys a laugh at the freak-show expense of damaged and damaging characters. --Jeff Shannon

Stills from Running with Scissors (click for larger image) <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

</td> </tr> <tr align="center" valign="top"> <td><img border="0" src="http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/sony/rws/RWS3med.jpg">
</td> <td><img border="0" src="http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/sony/rws/RWS4sml.jpg">
</td> </tr> <tr align="center" valign="top"> <td><img border="0" src="http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/sony/rws/RWS6sml.jpg">
</td> <td><img border="0" src="http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/sony/rws/RWS5sml.jpg">
</td> </td>

</tr> </table>

More Running with Scissors on Amazon.com

<td><img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000H5TH20.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg">
More Films staring Annette Bening</td>

<td><img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004TJJX.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg">
More Films about Eccentric Families</td>

</tr> </table>

Product Description

Based on the personal memoirs of Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors is a wickedly funny, brave and moving tale of surviving a most unusual childhood. Augusten's (Joseph Cross) mother (Annette Bening) is a deluded aspiring post with bipolar disorder whose marriage to his dad (Alec Baldwin) is in ruins. Soon, she is seeing a very eccentric therapist named Dr. Finch (Brian Cox), while Augusten is left in the care of Finch's wackly family, including his tightly-wound daughter (Gwyneth Paltrow). Abandoned by his parents and adopted by the Finches, he finds a kindred spirit in youngest daughter Natalie (Even Rachel Wood) and motherly support from Finch's long suffering wife Agnes (Jill Clayburgh). Constantly recording the events of his life in his journals as a way to cope, Augusten finds himself avoiding school, learning about love from an older man (Joseph Fiennes), and making big decisions at the tender age of fifteen.

Customer Reviews:

Agony vs Curiosity.......2007-06-18

I have read Augusten's book which was witty despite it being somewhat 'shocking' the bunch of dysfunctional weirdo's in the mix.

I watched the movie in agony. Excrutiating. All the humour was missing, although if they wanted to portray all the agony and discord, they did get it right x 100%

There was one laugh out loud bit, rather amusing, the poetry reading by Neel.....

The cover I saw had on it 'hilarious, amusing' It is anything but. Not for the light hearted.

Deffantley not a comedy.......2007-06-08

i don't understand on how this is a comedy it's more of a drama. who ever said the funniest movie of the year was trippin'. it's not funny at all on what happens to the main character. i gave it two stars for effort, but it's something i waon't watch again.

No More Whining About Your Childhood.......2007-05-16

Friends and family alike have tried to scare me away from this movie. They never really gave a good reason why, only that the mere thought of somebody else watching it gave them the heeby jeebies. Unfortunately for them the film stars Evan Rachel Wood so they were fighting a lost battle. And besides that I have always been a fair weathered fan of "Nip/Tuck" and was curious to see where Ryan Murphy would go now that he had ventured off into film. Murphy turned out to be a very important weak link and possible causation of the films failure, but for a first time director I can hardly complain. Sure, he really has no control of his tone as it shifts all over the board with no clear idea as to what type of film this is supposed to be. And when things hit rock bottom, which they do with authority in this story, we the viewer are left to watch but are not invited to feel the pain along with these characters. Murphy has at least created something that is real, especially compared to the idealized, bleached versions of adolescence that are always hanging about. This might be one hideous look at one domestic situation but in it we can all find things to relate to. Weren't all of us confused and abandoned and neglected and highly medicated at that stage of our own lives? Weren't we all searching for family and approval, just like young Augusten Burroughs?

This movie is based on his book which recollects his eventful childhood where he was given away by his self-proclaimed poet of a mother to her shrink. His dad (Alec Baldwin, playing a character surrounded by a family desperately in need of being called "thoughtless pigs") is too busy dealing with his own issues/getting sloshed at the bar to care. So Augusten moves in with Dr. Finch, his wife, and their two daughters. Now what this movie is really about is how nutso this family clan is and to show it Murphy marches out their eccentricities in a strong and steady stream. They move from cute (keeping the Christmas tree up year round) to unbelievable (eating of previously deceased and buried kitty cat) to disgusting (scientific examination of feces). But for all that craziness the film plods along as though we were visiting Dullsville. Normally this material would be right up my alley but here there is something missing. Annette Bening is okay here as the mother, but she seriously needs to stop playing the same character. As the sisters Gwyneth Paltrow and Evan Rachel Wood seem miscast and not all that interested in trying that hard. Joseph Cross is left to play young Augusten and attacks the role with a moroseness that serves him well enough. The performance is perfectly good, just nothing to stop the presses over. His character needed something of a dark side. And while my friends and family may have been right, this is not a good movie; there really is no reason to fake outrage over this mediocre mess. **3/4

Dysfunctional family at it's best.......2007-05-15

This family that the movie is about is so outlandishly dysfunctional it is funny. It is a movie of poor choices and where they lead one in life. It is also a story of a "therapist/psychiatrist" and his greed for money. It is also a story of very "twisted" lives of those people around the family and "therapist/psychiatrist". This movie takes dysfunctionality to the extreme. Watching this movie I found alot of parts of the movie very funny to watch and I was also sympathetic to those characters involved in the "big picture". I think it is one of those movies you are either going to "love or hate". I highly recommend this movie for anyone that thinks that they have a dysfunctional family. Maybe after watching it, you won't think that way after all.

Couldn't Relate.......2007-05-14

I can certainly understand some of the issues driving the story, but I can't relate to this film. I feel nothing for any of the characters. Visually and performance-wise, it's terrific. Storywise, I guess I prefer more sober approaches to telling a story. I understand that this script is based on fact, however, if that's the case, they are people toward whom I shrug with a "so what?" I can appreciate off-the-wall humor; I loved "The Royal Tenenbaums" for instance but "Running With Scissors" doesn't work. Sometimes it's just that strange x-factor which, for me, is in play here. I can't recommend this film at all.

Average customer rating:

A refreshing film!!
Hooray for Tom Jones!
Very funny classic retro movie!
THIS MOVIE IS TOPPS
All star cast keeps the laughs going

Mars Attacks!
Starring: Jack Nicholson , Glenn Close , Annette Bening , Pierce Brosnan , and Danny DeVito
Director: Tim Burton
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Alien Invasion | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Aliens | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Comedy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

BEETLEJUICE (DVD)
Galaxy Quest
Edward Scissorhands (Widescreen Anniversary Edition)
Sleepy Hollow
Ed Wood (Special Edition)

ASIN: 0790731452
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

It's enlightening to view Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! as his twisted satire of the blockbuster film Independence Day, which was released earlier the same year, although the movies were in production simultaneously. Burton's eye-popping, schlock tribute to 1950s UFO movies actually plays better on video than it did in theaters. The idea of invading aliens ray gunning the big-name movie stars in the cast is a cleverly subversive one, and the bulb-headed, funny-sounding animated Martians are pretty nifty, but it all seemed to be spread thin on the big screen. On video, however, the movie's kooky humor seems a bit more concentrated. The Earth actors (most of whom get zapped or kidnapped for alien science experiments) include Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rod Steiger, Michael J. Fox, Lukas Haas, Jim Brown, Tom Jones, and Pam Grier. The digital video disc features an isolated track for Danny Elfman's score, as well as a few other clever and nasty little Martian surprises. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

A refreshing film!!.......2007-06-15

A refreshing and quite funny film. I saw this film years ago on TV (or on the cinema)and have since tried to obtain a DVD of this classic film. Fortunately amazon has it. It's quite "different" (quirky), but quite entertaining. You won't be dissappointed.

Hooray for Tom Jones!.......2007-05-08

This movie has an all star cast and great visuals. There are a lot of sight gags, and the humor is timeless.

Very funny classic retro movie!.......2007-03-28

I've always loved this movie, the special effects are incredible and the cast surprised me (I didn't know Jack Black was in this movie until recently). I always liked the way they made the movie very retro looking, since it was based on trading cards from 1960's. If you're into wacky sci-fi comedies, I HIGHLY recommend Mars Attacks! It's a shame there are no extras on this DVD, but the movie is worth getting, especially at under $10.

THIS MOVIE IS TOPPS.......2007-02-02

Yes, I bought the TOPPS "MARS ATTACKS" trading cards when they first came out...and I still have them! So when this movie came out I ran to the theater to see it, expecting to be disappointed. Not so. I found Tim Burton's film to be both funny & scary, true to the spirit of the original cards & a great send off of 1950's sci-fi flicks. I consider MARS ATTACKS a classic of the genre. This is a great treat for sci-fi fans!...and I'm partial to Tim Burton's "ED WOOD" as well. Enjoy.

All star cast keeps the laughs going.......2007-01-13

Mars is a classic comedy that I hadn't see in a long time that doesn't have the best script, but it's witty and funny in spots. The special effects are typical of that time and a little cheesy, but it's still an enjoyable movie.

Average customer rating:

Doubt I can add anything useful
DELICIOUS AND POISONOUS
A great concept falls a little flat...
Modern Richard
Watched this when I didn't know what it was

Richard III
Starring: Ian McKellen , Annette Bening , Jim Broadbent , Robert Downey Jr. , and Nigel Hawthorne
Director: Richard Loncraine
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Murder & Mayhem | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)
Henry V
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice [Region 99]
Othello
King Lear

ASIN: 0792844041
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Amazon.com

This film adaptation of a critically acclaimed stage production of Shakespeare's historical drama stars Ian McKellen in the title role. The setting is a comic-book vision of 1930s London: part art deco, part Third Reich, part industrial-age rust and rot. The play's force is turned into a synthetic high by art directors and storyboard sketchers, all of whom have a field day condensing the material into disposable pop imagery. This is a fun film, more than anything, so infatuated with its own monstrous stitchery that even the most awkward casting (Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr.) seems a part of the ridiculous design. McKellen is the best thing about the movie, his mesmerizing portrayal of freakish despotism and poisoned desire a thing to behold. Directed by Richard Loncraine (Bellman and True). --Tom Keogh

Description

Shakespeare's immortal tale of ambition, lust and murderous treachery is brilliantly updated and brought to life in this riveting, 20th-century masterpiece. Boasting breathtaking performances, unforgettable imagery and two OscarÂ(r) nominations*, this astounding wartime spectacle is mesmerizing...it will rivet you and shock you (Jeffrey Lyons, 'sneak Previews ). In 1930s Britain, a savage, civil war between two royal families has just concluded. But even as the newly installed King Edward (John Wood) takes the reins of power, his ruthless, younger brother Richard (Ian McKellen) sets in motion a monstrous scheme to claim the crown for himself. Enlisting the aid of equally duplicitous allies in the court, Richard embarks on a merciless, single-minded campaign of betrayal, seduction and cold-blooded murder to achieve the goal that has obsessed him all of his tortured life: to beking...at any price. *1995: Costume Design, Art Direction

Customer Reviews:

Doubt I can add anything useful.......2007-05-07

An excellent adaptation and a good film on its own. Ian McKellen gives a brilliant performance.

DELICIOUS AND POISONOUS.......2007-04-14

Generally I don't care much for modern adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, but in this case the work has been done so extremely well, and with such pathological flair, I'm absolutely convinced.

Wonderful idea to set RICHARD III in the 30s, and to parallel his rise to power with the rise of Fascism in Europe. Somehow, they managed to rise above the obvious, mostly by being so cold-bloodedly realistic about the time, the social class, and Richard's personal nastiness. The language remains intact, though there are judicious cuts, but the production has the rare distinction of looking like a film, as opposed to a filmed stage play; that's hard to do, but it succeeds very well here. The result is outrageous.

McKellen is wonderful in every sense of the word, playing everybody's favorite villian; the man you love to hate. But, but, playing deftly, intelligently, and with taste and a light, sardonic touch. To my mind, this is one of the few successful film versions of any Shakespeare play, on a level with Orson Welles' OTHELLO for inventiveness and verve; or Olivier's HAMLET, or the Zeferelli SHREW. Definitely one for your collection.

A great concept falls a little flat..........2007-04-03

I had long wanted to see this adaption of one of my favorite plays, intriguingly set in World War I Britain, and thought it would be the perfect way to introduce a friend of mine to Shakespeare. The film begins with great promise, with an exciting opening sequence showing the end of the War of Roses and Henry VI and a thrilling take on Richard's opening monologue. Within thirty minutes, however, the film begins to drag and lacks any driving action throughout. While individual scenes feature stand out performances and excellent use of the language (the immortal Sir Ian shines, of course, as a true master of his art), there are often long breaks between scenes and long periods without dialogue. Just like on the stage, long silences in Shakespeare tend to make the whole thing fall flat and the audience (me, in this case) begins to find it all a bit tedious by Act 4. I tried to remain hopeful, however, as the film seemed to be ramping up to a final showdown, and I was eager to see Sir Ian's deliciously evil Richard get his just reward at last. The ending, when it finally arrives, is jarringly abrupt (cutting the last scene of Shakespeare's play entirely), and so bizarre and unsatisfying that I found myself watching the credits in disbelief.

In general, an example of project with high quality individual elements (a solid cast, a fairly good cutting of the text until the end, and a fascinating concept and setting) that just weren't combined skillfully enough to make the film rise above the level of mediocrity. Those with a love of the play and of Shakespeare in general will find much of it interesting, but, as I discovered, it is not a good choice of a film to win over the Shakespeare disinclined among us.

Modern Richard.......2007-01-22

I enjoyed this brilliant film, it must be one of the finest I ever seen. The political framework of this long and complex story is perfectly detected thanks to its modern setting: the '30s in Europe are the most well-chosen time for the Richard's dictatorship. The all-star cast is perfect and each of them hits the target.

Watched this when I didn't know what it was .......2007-01-10

and it was a little while ago, so my review isn't as reliable or useful as others would be. It was on TV, and I didn't know it was rated R, or I would never have watched it. If only they would cut out the sex parts, this would be a GREAT film. Although I have never read this Shakespeare, I have read others (Hamlet, Macbeth), I really liked the transition from play to film. McKellen's Richard was totally evil, but interesting to watch. I loved the characters of both Elizabeths and Richmond. The costumes and 30s swing music were great.

Average customer rating:

Harrison and Annette...
EXCELLENT LITTLE KNOWN FILM ONE OF FORDS BEST!
Very good message
Harrison Ford fans will love this movie.
Much better than its reputation, if you have a heart...

Regarding Henry
Starring: Harrison Ford , Michael Haley , Annette Bening , Stanley Swerdlow , and Julie Follansbhee
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Working Girl
Witness (Special Collector's Edition)
The Doctor
Sabrina
Six Days, Seven Nights

ASIN: B0000A2ZNP
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Amazon.com

Get shot in the head and become a better person. This 1991 Mike Nichols (Wolf) film stars Harrison Ford as a big-shot cold-hearted lawyer who gets a bullet in his brain during a holdup. The film de-emphasizes the traumas of recovery to focus on the title character's personality change after the fact. The canny Ford gets to work from his full, familiar palette of arrogance to boyishness, and even builds Henry from top to bottom after the wounded fellow awakens with no memory. But this is a slow and unremarkable film from Nichols, its sentimentality eclipsing all else, most of all profound insight. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Harrison and Annette..........2007-06-16

...shine in this movie! If you don't love it, there is something wrong with you! Highly recommended!

EXCELLENT LITTLE KNOWN FILM ONE OF FORDS BEST!.......2007-04-08

This a really good film that has not received it's due. Ford plays a very successful work-aholic lawyer that gets dealt a pretty bad hand.....at least so it would seem at first. This is not to be missed!

Very good message.......2007-03-14

A realistic and heart warming story of a couple and their daughter who go through a difficult trial. Coming out knowing the true value of love and life as it should be.

Harrison Ford fans will love this movie........2007-01-12

A wonderful story line and a rare opportunity to see Harrison Ford in a completely different character than usual. Great acting by all, a story about life the way it really is, and a happy ending!

Much better than its reputation, if you have a heart..........2006-10-04

I recall most critics trashing this film 15 years ago when it was new. I heard an especially vicious critique on NPR, of all places. Then I saw it, and liked it very much. Of course it is sentimental and manipulative, but all films are manipulative. I liked Harrison's work, and I even liked Annette Bening, which does not always happen for me. Most of us wonder whether, if we suffered a serious brain injury or a spinal cord break, if we would survive, and cope. This film shows one fictional guy facing that crisis, and becoming a better man for having lost some of his mental toughness and job skills. Those who sneer at this touching film perhaps have already lost the humane sense that Harrison Ford's character acquires through suffering.

Average customer rating:

LOVE AFFAIR - JUST ANOTHER UPDATED CLASSIC THAT DIDN'T WORK
i love the original but it was still romantic
Get the Original Instead!
Doesn't hold a candle to the original
A pleasant enough trifle

Love Affair
Starring: Warren Beatty , Annette Bening , Katharine Hepburn , Garry Shandling , and Chloe Webb
Director: Glenn Gordon Caron
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

An Affair to Remember
Love Affair: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack
Sabrina
The American President
Regarding Henry

ASIN: B00005RRJZ
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Amazon.com

You can hear the big gears clank in this glossy, oh-so-watchable remake of the classic 1939 film (and the popular An Affair to Remember). Instead of updating the story with contemporary attitudes (as Warren Beatty did so successfully with Heaven Can Wait), this is a virtual carbon copy of the other films. The early scenes succeed as the two love birds (Beatty and real-life wife Annette Bening) banter with smart, fun talk. But the dramatics never really work in the modern era and romance doesn't blossom. Do we have to visit the Empire State Building again? Why couldn't the man be the victim? Everything looks wrapped for Christmas: a lovely score, nice use of old songs, rich designer clothes, familiar faces popping up everywhere, all surrounded by ace Conrad L. Hall's glowing, luscious light. It comes off like a big still-life, no zeal with two big exceptions: Garry Shandling's comic portrayal of lawyerhood as Beatty's agent and the reappearance of Katharine Hepburn. Seen for maybe 10 minutes, she packs more magic in her work than the entire rest of the movie. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

LOVE AFFAIR - JUST ANOTHER UPDATED CLASSIC THAT DIDN'T WORK.......2006-06-08

Many of the reviews I read felt strongly in favor of this remake, but some of the people had not seen "An Affair to Remember". Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr had the spark so lacking in this "Love Affair" remake. The original "Love Affair" with (forgive me, I can only remember Irene Dunne as Terry, and my opinion that film was not as good as this "Love Affair", however. I missed hearing the original scoring of "An Affair to Remember", but Annette Benning's music with the children was lovely.

As most of the reviews that stated they were in favor of "An Affair...", I missed the climactic ending with Cary Grant's reactions, and also the shipboard scene where he want's to be "worthy of her love".

I don't wish to underrate or "dump" on this film, but I wish all reviewers would watch the Grant/Kerr version just once. I believe they will become "old movie buffs" too. Thanks for reading my review.

i love the original but it was still romantic.......2006-02-18

This was so romantic, i love the original so much bascially i love them both. I think some old school might only stick to the original but for my generation i think being 24 they were both acceptible..

get your girlfriends and let lose and enjoy...

Get the Original Instead!.......2006-01-03

This is a remake of the classic "An Affair to Remember" starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. A good try, but it just doesn't compare to the original. Warren Beatty is no Cary Grant--in looks, general appeal, or acting ability. Annette Bening is wonderful, but loses some credibility--it's just hard to believe that this beautiful, competent, all together woman would dump urbane and caring Pierce Brosnan to fall for notoriously unfaithful jock Warren Beatty, whose favorite line seems to be "I love to watch you move."

A lot of the dialogue and plot follow the original closely, but several changes were made to modernize the story. I kept wondering how they would pull off the last scene, since Beatty's character was now a retired football player and coach, not a painter. The concept that within those 3 months apart (in the original, it was a more believable 6 months to adjust their lives), Beatty had coincendentally been asked to paint a picture for a New York restaurant and was able to execute a portrait of Bening in his aunt's shawl well enough the she recognized it was far-fetched at best.

The most moving part in the original came when Cary Grant found the portrait in Kerr's bedroom and realized that she was paralyzed. Watch the emotions that play over his face, and then view Beatty's rendition. There is simply no comparison.

IMO, there's also an inside story kind of approach here--we all know that in "real life" Beatty and Bening are married, and I guess the director assumed that this casting would make us believe more in the attraction and deep love developing between these two. I found the attraction between Bening and Michael Douglas in The American President far more believable, and for all I know they may not even like each other in "real life!" Go for the original--sure it's dated, but the acting is superb, and I guarantee it will give a greater pull to your heartstrings.

Doesn't hold a candle to the original.......2005-02-28

This is a remake of An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah and it does not work. Some movies just should not be remade. The ONLY thing good about this movie is Katharine Hepburn's appearance. Get the original!

A pleasant enough trifle.......2005-02-18

I remember the legend of Warren Beatty trying to sweet talk Katharine Hepburn into appearing in this remake of AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, which is in every way a better picture. Hepburn made some outrageous demands and Beatty (as producer) just smiled and gave in everywhere, for he knew that he would need one last gasp of the old Hollywood to give this remake what luster it had, the way that RAGTIME floated by on the coattails of Jimmy Cagney's great return to the screen.

Earlier in his career Beatty had successfully transplanted HERE COMES Mr. JORDAN and made it into HEAVEN CAN WAIT, displaying a casualness about the title that made some of us wince (for HEAVEN CAN WAIT was a different old movie, all its own, and totally different than the reincarnation plot line Beatty and Buck Henry "borrowed" from the old Robert Montgomery classic. But turning AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER back to LOVE AFFAIR (its original title) Beatty came a cropper. Parts of the movie are cute, and Bening is a wonderful actress, and almost a star, but it needed someone (I think) who is 100 per cent a star and she's only about 95 per cent.

This was the first time that his fans noticed the heavy gauze veils through which our aging Adonis Warren was now forced to photograph himself, otherwise he'd look rotten as old scungilli. In some shots the gauze droops a little and it looks like another actor entirely, it's disconcerting. Director Glenn Gordon Caron had previously worked some chemistry magic between feuding co-stars Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis, actually making them look as though they could tolerate each other, on their TV series MOONLIGHTING, but the magic isn't there for LOVE AFFAIR. Is it true what they say, that box office dwindles when you put a married couple in as the leads of your film? Seems like it here. What a disappointment.

Average customer rating:

A choice between a novel and the film
Scene Missing from the DVD
Definatively Better Than Dangerous Liasons!
Annette Benning, we hardly knew you
Extremely enjoyable!

Valmont (Ws Dub Sub Dol Dts)
Starring: Colin Firth , Annette Bening , Meg Tilly , Fairuza Balk , and Siân Phillips
Director: Milos Forman
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( V ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Advocate
Dangerous Liaisons
My Life So Far
Hope Springs
The Importance of Being Earnest

ASIN: B000069I02
Release Date: 2002-09-17

Amazon.com

Talk about too little, too late. A year after Stephen Frears's marvelous Dangerous Liaisons, Milos Forman released this film, based on the same material: the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Shot at the same time but held so as not to compete, it suffered by comparison. The story--about a pair of aristocrats, former lovers, who wager that the man cannot seduce a particularly chaste woman--is still awash in lust and intrigue. But, while Forman's craft was exceptional, his cast couldn't match the power of its predecessor. In particular, Colin Firth, as the game-playing title character, lacked the snaky charm of John Malkovich, and Meg Tilly couldn't compare to the tragic beauty of Michelle Pfeiffer. Annette Bening, though born to play a vixen, seemed callow and insubstantial next to the sinister depths of Glenn Close. --Marshall Fine

Description

Based on the classic novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, this delectable thriller stars Colin Firth (Bridget Jones's Diary) and Oscars® nominee* Annette Bening (American Beauty) as embittered aristocrats who weave a wicked web of cruel intentions and savage seductions. Directed by Oscar® winner** Milos Forman, Valmont is a darkly amusing period drama that issimply a piece of high entertainment (The Hollywood Reporter). In 18th-century France, a cruel and calculating playboy, Valmont (Firth), makes a malicious wager with the equally wicked Madame de Merteuil (Bening): Valmont must dishonor the married Madame de Tourvel (Meg Tilly) by sleepingwith her. If Valmont succeeds, he gets the privilege of Merteuil's bed as well. But when Valmont sets out on his task, the unexpected happens...he falls in love with Tourvel! And now Merteuil will stop at nothing to destroy Valmont's newfound passion. *1990: Supporting Actress, The Grifters; 1999: Actress, American Beauty *1975: Director, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; 1984: Director, Amadeus

Customer Reviews:

A choice between a novel and the film.......2007-06-18

I would like to know the actual story from a novel version for this film.

Judging from the following reviews, they should've left this film in its most original form as oppose to producing other remakes like Dangerous Liasons and Cruel Intentions which made the actual story lose its comical air.

I really enjoyed all the plots of the film and believe all the actors did an excellent job in creating an essence of European society where sex was considered taboo.

Scene Missing from the DVD.......2007-06-15

Pretty important one too. Has to do with Valmont giving instructions to his footman to get him "roses."

Definatively Better Than Dangerous Liasons!.......2007-02-27

I wish they had released this right after it was made instead of allowing DL to take all the limelight. A much better film, by far! Can you say lustfully poetic and subtley seductive? Colin Firth has more depth and is exceedingly more handsome than Malchovich could ever be. Fairuza as a mere child is already a powerful actress and ravishingly beautiful at that!

Annette Benning, we hardly knew you.......2006-12-17

I still remember Annette Bennin