Dianne-Wiest Movie Reviews

Basic plot outline; Mom, Jodie Foster, learns early on that there is something special about her little boy. She has a hard time coming to terms with the fact that this child is, quite possibly, one of the smartest kids on the planet. Some one tries to take him away to a better school, and she is offended that she cannot give him the intelectual stimulation he needs. So, she makes things difficult. The rest, you will have to see.

The movie is very good and well worth purchasing. I only have the VHS, so I don't know if the special features are anything special, though I doubt they would be very impressive. It doesn't have special effects, therefore, there probably aren't fifteen "behind the scenes" documentaries. It generally drives me a bit crazy when "the making of" of a movie is longer than the movie itself. Ex. The Matrix.

Gentlemen: this is a good movie to share with a ladyfriend. You'll look like a hero, and you will actually enjoy the movie. And, you won't even have to pretend you got something in your eyes. . No real tearjerking :)

epc

Basic plot outline; Mom, Jodie Foster, learns early on that there is something special about her little boy. She has a hard time coming to terms with the fact that this child is, quite possibly, one of the smartest kids on the planet. Some one tries to take him away to a better school, and she is offended that she cannot give him the intelectual stimulation he needs. So, she makes things difficult. The rest, you will have to see.

The movie is very good and well worth purchasing. I only have the VHS, so I don't know if the special features are anything special, though I doubt they would be very impressive. It doesn't have special effects, therefore, there probably aren't fifteen "behind the scenes" documentaries. It generally drives me a bit crazy when "the making of" of a movie is longer than the movie itself. Ex. The Matrix.

Gentlemen: this is a good movie to share with a ladyfriend. You'll look like a hero, and you will actually enjoy the movie. And, you won't even have to pretend you got something in your eyes. . No real tearjerking :)

epc

Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock star as the witch sisters who approach their upbringing in magic very differently. Bullock's character, the level headed and pragmatic Sally, wants nothing more than to find true love and live a normal life while her sister Gillian (Kidman) wants to live it up and change the men in her life like most people change their socks.

The two join magical forces when one of Gillian's assorted men emerges as a sinister character played by Goran Visnjic. Their adventures seem to have gone well until a lawman (Aidan Quinn) shows up with all too many questions and seems all too familiar to Sally.

Perhaps even more appealing than Kidman and Bullock from the standpoint of screen presence, Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing star as a couple of enchanting -- almost Victorian -- aunts of our two heroines that are absolutely spellbinding and unforgettable.

Practical Magic, regardless of the theme, is not a Halloween flick like Hocus Pocus and should not be avoided by any who might think that it has seasonal appeal.

An enchantingly entertaining film!

Douglas McAllister

Gillian: Have you ever spread your arms up and spun around really really fast? Well, that's what love is like.

Sally: Since when is being a slut a crime in this family?

Now, I'm going to go read the book and leave you with the words of Aunt Jet:
"There's a little witch in all of us."

Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock star as the witch sisters who approach their upbringing in magic very differently. Bullock's character, the level headed and pragmatic Sally, wants nothing more than to find true love and live a normal life while her sister Gillian (Kidman) wants to live it up and change the men in her life like most people change their socks.

The two join magical forces when one of Gillian's assorted men emerges as a sinister character played by Goran Visnjic. Their adventures seem to have gone well until a lawman (Aidan Quinn) shows up with all too many questions and seems all too familiar to Sally.

Perhaps even more appealing than Kidman and Bullock from the standpoint of screen presence, Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing star as a couple of enchanting -- almost Victorian -- aunts of our two heroines that are absolutely spellbinding and unforgettable.

Practical Magic, regardless of the theme, is not a Halloween flick like Hocus Pocus and should not be avoided by any who might think that it has seasonal appeal.

An enchantingly entertaining film!

Douglas McAllister

Gillian: Have you ever spread your arms up and spun around really really fast? Well, that's what love is like.

Sally: Since when is being a slut a crime in this family?

Now, I'm going to go read the book and leave you with the words of Aunt Jet:
"There's a little witch in all of us."

Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock star as the witch sisters who approach their upbringing in magic very differently. Bullock's character, the level headed and pragmatic Sally, wants nothing more than to find true love and live a normal life while her sister Gillian (Kidman) wants to live it up and change the men in her life like most people change their socks.

The two join magical forces when one of Gillian's assorted men emerges as a sinister character played by Goran Visnjic. Their adventures seem to have gone well until a lawman (Aidan Quinn) shows up with all too many questions and seems all too familiar to Sally.

Perhaps even more appealing than Kidman and Bullock from the standpoint of screen presence, Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing star as a couple of enchanting -- almost Victorian -- aunts of our two heroines that are absolutely spellbinding and unforgettable.

Practical Magic, regardless of the theme, is not a Halloween flick like Hocus Pocus and should not be avoided by any who might think that it has seasonal appeal.

An enchantingly entertaining film!

Douglas McAllister

Gillian: Have you ever spread your arms up and spun around really really fast? Well, that's what love is like.

Sally: Since when is being a slut a crime in this family?

Now, I'm going to go read the book and leave you with the words of Aunt Jet:
"There's a little witch in all of us."

Sean Penn stars as Sam, a mentally-challenged Starbucks clerk who excitedly clings to the role of father when the homeless woman he gets pregnant skips out on him. Somehow (the movie never tells), he manages to display the skills to bring Lucy up to seven years old (when the narrative of the film swings into full play).

The incredibly lovely Michelle Pfieffer does an admirable job pouring life into a vastly underwritten role. As a jetset lawyer, she's torn between her job, her role as a wife, and her role as a mother ... all of which she, arguably, is failing at. However, Ms. Pfeiffer manages to give her character, Rita Harrison, a sense of reality and a sense of history that lifts an otherwise secondary role into a more interesting person, one that the viewer wants to get to know. Sadly, the scenes of development with her husband and her son were either never written, never filmed, or left on the cutting room floor.

Dakota Fanning, as Lucy, is simply marvelous. A true talent in the making, she manages to steal every scene she's in without a touch of mirth to her performance.

Laura Dern pops up in the obligatory cameo-sized role, and, when her mother-wannabe sentiments forces her to face the bittersweet reality of choosing between breaks, the viewer feels her pain.

All in all, I AM SAM is not a great picture, as it feels more like a big budget Lifetime or perhaps HBO-cable movie, but it's passable entertainment with some acting heavyweights showing their stuff.

Sean Penn has certainly come a long way in his acting career from surfer dude Jeff Spicolli in (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) to the incredibly powerful performance he gives as a mentally challenged father who fights for the custody of his daughter Lucy.

I Am Sam will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you realize that the best thing you can do for any child as a parent is show them love and affection. Michelle Pfieffer's character, as Penn's lawyer, goes through a transformation in the film. She begins as a cold hearted, money hungry woman who seems to care about nothing but her job and herself. However after meeting sam she is transformed into a caring, loving human being.

If you want a great movie, with a great story, a lot of emotion and Academy Award worth acting then you MUST SEE I Am Sam. If your the emotional type may I suggest you get your box of tissues ready because you'll need them.

UltraLord has spoken!

Sean Penn stars as Sam, a mentally-challenged Starbucks clerk who excitedly clings to the role of father when the homeless woman he gets pregnant skips out on him. Somehow (the movie never tells), he manages to display the skills to bring Lucy up to seven years old (when the narrative of the film swings into full play).

The incredibly lovely Michelle Pfieffer does an admirable job pouring life into a vastly underwritten role. As a jetset lawyer, she's torn between her job, her role as a wife, and her role as a mother ... all of which she, arguably, is failing at. However, Ms. Pfeiffer manages to give her character, Rita Harrison, a sense of reality and a sense of history that lifts an otherwise secondary role into a more interesting person, one that the viewer wants to get to know. Sadly, the scenes of development with her husband and her son were either never written, never filmed, or left on the cutting room floor.

Dakota Fanning, as Lucy, is simply marvelous. A true talent in the making, she manages to steal every scene she's in without a touch of mirth to her performance.

Laura Dern pops up in the obligatory cameo-sized role, and, when her mother-wannabe sentiments forces her to face the bittersweet reality of choosing between breaks, the viewer feels her pain.

All in all, I AM SAM is not a great picture, as it feels more like a big budget Lifetime or perhaps HBO-cable movie, but it's passable entertainment with some acting heavyweights showing their stuff.

Sean Penn has certainly come a long way in his acting career from surfer dude Jeff Spicolli in (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) to the incredibly powerful performance he gives as a mentally challenged father who fights for the custody of his daughter Lucy.

I Am Sam will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you realize that the best thing you can do for any child as a parent is show them love and affection. Michelle Pfieffer's character, as Penn's lawyer, goes through a transformation in the film. She begins as a cold hearted, money hungry woman who seems to care about nothing but her job and herself. However after meeting sam she is transformed into a caring, loving human being.

If you want a great movie, with a great story, a lot of emotion and Academy Award worth acting then you MUST SEE I Am Sam. If your the emotional type may I suggest you get your box of tissues ready because you'll need them.

UltraLord has spoken!

Sean Penn stars as Sam, a mentally-challenged Starbucks clerk who excitedly clings to the role of father when the homeless woman he gets pregnant skips out on him. Somehow (the movie never tells), he manages to display the skills to bring Lucy up to seven years old (when the narrative of the film swings into full play).

The incredibly lovely Michelle Pfieffer does an admirable job pouring life into a vastly underwritten role. As a jetset lawyer, she's torn between her job, her role as a wife, and her role as a mother ... all of which she, arguably, is failing at. However, Ms. Pfeiffer manages to give her character, Rita Harrison, a sense of reality and a sense of history that lifts an otherwise secondary role into a more interesting person, one that the viewer wants to get to know. Sadly, the scenes of development with her husband and her son were either never written, never filmed, or left on the cutting room floor.

Dakota Fanning, as Lucy, is simply marvelous. A true talent in the making, she manages to steal every scene she's in without a touch of mirth to her performance.

Laura Dern pops up in the obligatory cameo-sized role, and, when her mother-wannabe sentiments forces her to face the bittersweet reality of choosing between breaks, the viewer feels her pain.

All in all, I AM SAM is not a great picture, as it feels more like a big budget Lifetime or perhaps HBO-cable movie, but it's passable entertainment with some acting heavyweights showing their stuff.

Sean Penn has certainly come a long way in his acting career from surfer dude Jeff Spicolli in (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) to the incredibly powerful performance he gives as a mentally challenged father who fights for the custody of his daughter Lucy.

I Am Sam will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you realize that the best thing you can do for any child as a parent is show them love and affection. Michelle Pfieffer's character, as Penn's lawyer, goes through a transformation in the film. She begins as a cold hearted, money hungry woman who seems to care about nothing but her job and herself. However after meeting sam she is transformed into a caring, loving human being.

If you want a great movie, with a great story, a lot of emotion and Academy Award worth acting then you MUST SEE I Am Sam. If your the emotional type may I suggest you get your box of tissues ready because you'll need them.

UltraLord has spoken!