Eileen-Atkins Movie Reviews

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VHS movie reviews for "Eileen-Atkins" sorted by average review score:
Wit
Released in VHS Tape by Hbo Studios (05 February, 2002)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Mike Nichols
Starring: Emma Thompson
Deservedly hailed as one of the best films of 2001, Wit makes it clear why top-ranking talents seek refuge in the quality programming of HBO. Unhindered by box-office pressures, director Mike Nichols and Emma Thompson turn the most unglamorous topic--the physical and psychological ravages of cancer--into an exquisite contemplation of life, learning, and tenacious, richly expressed humanity. In adapting Margaret Edson's compassionate, Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Nichols and Thompson open up the one-room setting with a superb supporting cast. But their focus remains on the hospital experience of Vivian (Thompson), a fiercely demanding professor of English literature whose academic specialty--the metaphysical poetry of John Donne--is the armor she wears against the cruel indignities of her cancer treatment. While losing all that she held dear, she reassesses her life as an aloof intellectual, and Wit illuminates her bracingly eloquent and deeply moving struggle for dignity, meaning, and peace at life's ultimate crossroads. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:

Sad but wonderful
Emma Thompson and Mike Nichols team up to bring us a heart-wrenching adaptation of Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Emma stars as Vivian Bearing ("B-E-A-R-I-N-G")--a scholar and professor of the metaphysical poetry of John Donne--who is going through chemotherapy ("the full dose") for Stage 4 metastatic ovarian cancer ("there is no Stage 5").

Emma is absolutely believable in this tough role. She brings the sickness to life while making us sympathetic towards an unsympathetic (and "uncompromising") woman. I bought it all the way. Also of note are Audra McDonald as Nurse Susie, and Jonathan M. Woodward as Jason, a former student of Vivian's who is now her doctor.

Nichols and Thompson adapted the screenplay (teleplay?) and expanded the setting, making it a fuller experience. As this was made for HBO, they were not tied down by expectations of box-office success and were thus able to create the true film that needed to be made. This is one of those rare films that is perfect in every way.

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH...
This brilliant adaptation of Margaret Edison's Pulitzer Prize winning play is simply superb. Beautifully directed by Mike Nichols, it is peppered with superlative performances by its cast. It is almost hard to believe that this profoundly moving and poignant film was released for HBO, rather than as a major box office, big screen release.

Tautly written, this remarkable film focuses on an intense and brilliant professor of English, forty eight year old Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson), whose academic focus has been metaphysical poetry. She has just been diagnosed by a noted oncologist, Dr. Kelikian (Christopher Lloyd), as having stage four ovarian cancer. She agrees to undergo an eight month long clinical trial to fight this illness, which at the juncture of its discovery is, invariably, terminal. This course of experimental treatment is Professor Bearing's only hope, as she realizes that there is no stage five.

As she undergoes agonizing medical procedures which, it is hoped, may save her life, Professor Bearing muses on a number of life issues in the form of droll monologues. It is these reflections on her life and her illness that drive home to the viewer her humanity, as she struggles to reconcile the abstract with reality. An aloof, spare woman, with a penchant for being a demanding and exacting teacher, Professor Bearing is now trying to hang on to her humanity and dignity, as she is reduced to being a mere lump of flesh.

Made to suffer the indignities imposed by an experimental medical treatment that is brutally aggressive and by the ravages of an illness that is relentless, Professor Bearing keeps a stiff upper lip throughout, never letting down her guard, until the end draws near. During her medical oddysey, she is buoyed by the ministrations of her compassionate, primary care nurse, Susie (Audra McDonald), who seems to be the only member of the medical staff interested in her as a person, rather than as just another cog in the world of medical research. Susie is a perfect foil to the ambitious medical treatment fostered by a callow, though brilliant, young doctor, Jason Posner (Jason M. Woodward).

The most singular scene in this film, however, occurs near its end. It is the scene in which Professor Bearing's mentor, Professor E.M. Ashford (Eileen Atkins), visits her one time protege at the hospital. Heartrending, poignant, and infinitely beautiful, it is a scene so richly drawn that it that will haunt the viewer long after the film is over.

Ms. Thompson gives a consummate, beautifully nuanced performance, as does Eileen Atkins. Audra McDonald gives a tender perfomance, and Christopher LLoyd and Jason M. Woodward are, likewise, excellent in their respective roles. Harold Pinter does a wonderful, though brief, turn as Professor Bearing's father. All in all, this is a deftly directed, outstanding film with award calibre performances by the entire cast. Bravo!

a must for those in the medical profession
as a nursing student i have just watched this movie in class and i couldn't emphassize enough the need for anoyone entering teh medical profession to watch this movie, especially doctors. you flinch everytime one of the "doctors" enters the room. Emma thompson's performance was brilliant. the stark realism of this movie made it all the more poignant. "death be not proud" takes ona whole new meaning after this movie.

Jack and Sarah
Released in VHS Tape by Polygram Video (28 April, 1998)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Tim Sullivan (III)
Starring: Richard E. Grant and Samantha Mathis
Average review score:

Deeply touching
What I really enjoy about this movie was the way how it shows the moral disorder of Jack's (Richard E. Grant) after loosing his wife. His life is ruined but he has to go on to take care of his little daughter. It is really difficult to find motivation for further life when you lose everything you cared of. Jack & Sarah is absolutely incredible in all of the movie's aspects. Actors are briliant and the story is original and touching. If you don't know what to do with your life - you must see this film.

Jack & Sarah
My VHS of Four Weddings and a Funeral included a preview of Jack & Sarah. I searched video stores looking for a copy for over a year. When I fianlly was able to rent it I was glad that I had not stopped looking. I have since seen it on the Romance Channel and I think that some scenes have been edited. Hopefully this film will be released in VHS or DVD soon. If your a fan of Richard E. Grant check out the three Scarlet Pimpernel movies he made with Elizabeth McGovern. He is the perfect dashing, rogue!

Jack and Sarah
Richard E. Grant plays this young lawyer who's wife Sarah is going to have a baby. With much excitment he proves to be on top of his world. Than when the baby came, his wife dies, leaving him to care for an infant. Without a mother, he had only one thing to do hire a nanny. He found one in the American woman Amy, who worked in a cafe before working for him. Amy loved Sarah like know one else could. Suddenly Amy was falling for Jack, and Jack wasn't taking the hint, with his own pride he ran her off. Jack and Sarah became lonely after Amy left. So when the time came, he got his desire Amy back into his life again, and a daughter he loves so much.

The Dresser
Released in VHS Tape by Columbia Tristar Hom (29 August, 1995)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Peter Yates
Starring: Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay
It's life in the Theater with a capital T in this film adaptation of the London and Broadway hit by Ronald Harwood. Though we see other people, the film is really a duet between Sir (Albert Finney), an aging actor-manager who runs his own theater company, and Norman (Tom Courtenay), his dresser, who gets him into costume and, ultimately, into shape to go onstage each night. Sir is on his last legs; Norman is alternately his cheerleader, his parent, and his whipping boy--whatever it takes to get Sir up to performance level each night. Finney perfectly captures the vainglorious insecurity of this aging ham, whose career has never quite matched his expectations but who has to convince himself each night (with Norman's help) that a performance in the provinces is as big a deal as treading the boards in the West End. The film lives and dies, however, with Courtenay's neatly nuanced performance as Norman. No man is a hero to his valet--but Courtenay finds the affection along with the disdain that are part of this character. A great backstage tale. --Marshall Fine
Average review score:

"STOP THAT TRAIN"!
A stunning performance by Albert Finney. The great Bard,s works are on display here even offstage.( in a sense)

Pillar To Post acting by the rest of the cast and a treat to see Mr. Tom Courtenay on the screen again. Mr. Courtenay has made only a handfull of films it seems and in each one he has really stood out. In this film he is totally and eternally "The Dresser"

If you like Shakespeare and the English, You'll Love This
England, 1940, during the blitz: all the young actors are in uniform, hospital, or dead. Albert Finney, playing an aging Shakespearean, carries on as best he can, leading his troupe of women, and men too old or damaged to fight. Actually, he doesn't lead, but rather is daily cajoled into carrying on by his dresser (played by Tom Courtenay). Courtenay is wonderful as the fussy, loyal, oh-so-English man behind the man, maintaining a desperate hold on his good humour even as his life is coming apart in shreds as Finney disintegrates.

It is easy to see that Finney was classically trained, and that his booming stage voice must have rung through many a theater. The snatches of Shakespeare that we do see are great fun, as is the byplay between the old man who can do them in his sleep and even the most humble members of the crew, who by now know all the cues. But mainly this is the story of two men, one an artist who is used to taking what he needs from those around him, and the other who gives his life over to that man, and to some idea of carrying on the great work. This is not a happy film, but it is a great one.

Magnificent
An acting tour-de-force! Ok, sounds like an ad-blurb, but it's true. A beautifully scripted and acted film. Adapted from a stageplay,taking place mostly in a theatre, The Dresser somehow manages, at least to my mind, not to seem like a stageplay at all. This film should be compulsory viewing for any acting student. As far as the complaints that Finney chews the scenery a bit, ummmmm, how do I put this...he's playing an, aging, egotistical scene-chewing actor! That could be why. Yeeesh. Highly recommended to any fan of great acting. "I'd like a nice, cup of tea with my coffee...."

Cold Comfort Farm
Released in VHS Tape by Universal Studios (09 November, 1999)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: John Schlesinger
Starring: Eileen Atkins, Kate Beckinsale, Sheila Burrell, and Stephen Fry
This hilarious spoof on British costume dramas based on great literature stars Kate Beckinsale (Much Ado About Nothing) as a strong-willed, young woman named Miss Flora Poste, who finds herself orphaned and without means in the 1930s. Moving in with some half-savage relatives on a country farm, Flora is hardly daunted by their primitivism (as she might have been in a novel by Thomas Hardy) but instead takes charge and imposes hygiene, order, and good manners on the dirty, superstitious lot. John Schlesinger directs this brisk, infectious adaptation of the 1932 novel by Stella Gibbons. Beckinsale is wonderful, and the rest of the savvy, inspired cast perfectly send up a host of literary clichés. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

An engaging treatment of a quirky novel
"Cold Comfort Farm", the novel, was a parody of naturalism. The melodramatic and eccentrically rustic Starkadders- like Seth, a lusty young man who loves "the talkies," Amos, a fire and brimstone preacher, and Great Aunt Ada Doom, who saw something nasty in the woodshed- are interesting enough in their own right, but are really parodies of the way people were portrayed in the Faulkneresque novels of the time. The movie manages to capture some of the parody in the book, but not all of it. It did include many of my favorite bits from the novel, and some truly stellar performances. If you are an Ian McKellan fan, don't miss him as Amos. Eileen Atkins also does a grand job as the Emma-esque Flora. The film is well worth a watch, but one needs to read the novel first in order to best understand and appreciate it.

A wonderful book brought to life masterfully...
Stella Gibbon's comic novel, Cold Comfort Farm, written in the 1930's, is brought to perfect fruition with this 1995 adaptation. It's the story of a young woman (Flora) who's parents die leaving her with only 100 pounds a year--not nearly enough to keep her living in the high-society style to which she's becomed accustomed. So she writes to her relatives and picks one to go live with--the Doom family of Cold Comfort Farm. Flora plans to tidy up their lives, and collect material for the book she plans to write when she's 53--after she's lived life.

Cold Comfort Farm is filled with a fabulous collection of characters who Flora systematically converts to a Higher Sensibility. The film is well acted, cinematically superior, and perfectly captures the spirit of the book--a wonderful read that I highly recommend as well!

I love this film, and have found it the perfect addition to my rainy day/sick bed viewing library. If you like british eccentrism, you'll love this movie!

Wonderfully British Comedy
I love this movie and can see it over and over again. The humor is typically British and fantastically thought out. The locale is rich and the characters extremely well portrayed by their actors. The start is a bit slow, but builds. If you are a fan of old films and subtle satire, you'll love the last third of the film. This is one of my MUST-HAVES for my video library.

The Lost Language of Cranes
Released in VHS Tape by BBC Video (14 August, 2000)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Nigel Finch
The damage caused by long-kept secrets lies at the heart of The Lost Language of Cranes. Rose (Eileen Atkins) believes that "keeping certain secrets secret is essential to the general balance of life," but her son Philip (Angus Macfayden) disagrees. He decides to tell his parents that he is gay, and his honesty precipitates a crisis that threatens to tear the family apart.

Philip's father Owen (Brian Cox) leads a secret life, hiding his own homosexuality from Rose while spending his Sundays in porn cinemas. Owen has been crippled emotionally by years of deceit, and he is incapable of having an honest relationship with his wife, his son, or any of the men whom he meets.When he learns that Philip is gay an emotional dam breaks, years of self-loathing pour out, and he decides to tell the truth.

This powerful drama does a wonderful job of portraying a family undergoing catastrophic change. Philip and Owen find a kind of freedom when they unburden themselves, but in many ways Rose's dilemma is the key to this film. Philip's revelation helps her to understand that on some level she has known about her husband's homosexuality all along, and that keeping secrets is far more damaging than revealing them. Yet she is left feeling "like the punch line of some terrible joke" even as her husband and son are set free. The Lost Language of Cranes is a compelling examination of the consequences of honesty, both good and bad. --Simon Leake

Average review score:

A Good Adaptation of an Excellent Book
This film is a textbook example of how difficult it is to translate a book into a movie. Good as it is, as well cast and acted as it is, the movie still cannot get into the interior of the characters the way that David Leavitt's book does. The change of setting from New York to London works well because the basic issues are universal.

For those people struggling with the issues that this movie presents, it is a godsend. There is no sugar coating of the marital issues that Owen and Rose must face. Eileen Atkins is marvelous in her subtle portrayal of the suppressed rage, resentment, frustration and fear mixed with love that she feels towards Owen. Owen's dilemma is well portrayed and his breakdown and reaction to his son's coming out is perfectly on target. One wishes that the episode of the botched phone call were better filled in. In the book it represents a cry for help and an almost blind reaching out that is thwarted by the reality of indifference and mocking irony of the target of a prank. The movie glosses over and changes the situation making the impact much less.

The movie was produced for television by the BBC and WNET and the scale is right for the small screen. The only jarring and inexplicable note are the interludes of the disturbed child and the crane. This is taken directly from the book and is equally jarring in that setting. The author is making a metaphoric point but it eludes me.

That said, definitely see the movie but if you can, please read the book as well. You will find it enlightening, moving, and perhaps life-changing.

Well-acted tale of a family eroding from long-kept secrets
This film is based on David Leavitt's book of the same name, which takes place entirely in New York City. When the film version was made, with Leavitt's blessing, the scene is switched entirely to London. However, the core lesson of the film, about deep-seeded family secrets and how they erode the facade of a middle class family, stays in tact.

Brian Cox and Eileen Atkins, two of Britain's best character actors, are incredibly good as the parents, Owen and Rose Benjamin. Owen is an Academic, and Rose is a Book Editor. The irony of Rose being in a profession where she needs an eye for detail is not lost as it contrasts to her own life. She has somehow managed to overlook that her husband is a closeted homosexual. In their generation, if a man felt or knew he was gay, he married, procreated, and carried on with life in most cases. The Benjamin's marriage could be like most long-term marriages without passion. Rose has had her affairs, mainly for the physical love she is missing from her husband. Owen wants desperately to explore the side of his life he has been repressing, but, so far, spends a good amount of his free time roaming gay cinemas.

Adding to all of this is that their son, Phillip, a handsome book editor, very well-played by Angus MacFayden, is also gay. He is out to his friends, but not to his parents. He is madly in love with an American graphic artist, Elliott, played by Corey Parker. Phillip's belief that he has found the love of his life leads him to finally come out to his parents. But, he has no idea of the can of worms he has opened in the life and marriage of his parents. Rose would have been content to keep secrets indefinitely. However, Owen's son's admission opens the floodgates and propels Owen toward his new life.

The film is still fairly faithful to the book, which I also recommend very highly. The acting is top-notch, as often seems the case in British-made films. The story is engrossing in its brevity, and strong in its lessons of honesty, betrayal, and the ultimate destruction of long-held secrets.

This is the most important movie of my life!
I sat on the floor of my suburban home watching this movie,40 years old, tears streaming down my cheeks. I could feel the pain the father in this film felt, the life his son had, that he himself had not lived. It was like a great hole in the middle of my being. This was all it took for me to come bursting out of my closet. My life was finally starting!

The Lost Language of Cranes
Released in VHS Tape by Twentieth Century Fox (29 December, 1993)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Nigel Finch
The damage caused by long-kept secrets lies at the heart of The Lost Language of Cranes. Rose (Eileen Atkins) believes that "keeping certain secrets secret is essential to the general balance of life," but her son Philip (Angus Macfayden) disagrees. He decides to tell his parents that he is gay, and his honesty precipitates a crisis that threatens to tear the family apart.

Philip's father Owen (Brian Cox) leads a secret life, hiding his own homosexuality from Rose while spending his Sundays in porn cinemas. Owen has been crippled emotionally by years of deceit, and he is incapable of having an honest relationship with his wife, his son, or any of the men whom he meets.When he learns that Philip is gay an emotional dam breaks, years of self-loathing pour out, and he decides to tell the truth.

This powerful drama does a wonderful job of portraying a family undergoing catastrophic change. Philip and Owen find a kind of freedom when they unburden themselves, but in many ways Rose's dilemma is the key to this film. Philip's revelation helps her to understand that on some level she has known about her husband's homosexuality all along, and that keeping secrets is far more damaging than revealing them. Yet she is left feeling "like the punch line of some terrible joke" even as her husband and son are set free. The Lost Language of Cranes is a compelling examination of the consequences of honesty, both good and bad. --Simon Leake

Average review score:

A Good Adaptation of an Excellent Book
This film is a textbook example of how difficult it is to translate a book into a movie. Good as it is, as well cast and acted as it is, the movie still cannot get into the interior of the characters the way that David Leavitt's book does. The change of setting from New York to London works well because the basic issues are universal.

For those people struggling with the issues that this movie presents, it is a godsend. There is no sugar coating of the marital issues that Owen and Rose must face. Eileen Atkins is marvelous in her subtle portrayal of the suppressed rage, resentment, frustration and fear mixed with love that she feels towards Owen. Owen's dilemma is well portrayed and his breakdown and reaction to his son's coming out is perfectly on target. One wishes that the episode of the botched phone call were better filled in. In the book it represents a cry for help and an almost blind reaching out that is thwarted by the reality of indifference and mocking irony of the target of a prank. The movie glosses over and changes the situation making the impact much less.

The movie was produced for television by the BBC and WNET and the scale is right for the small screen. The only jarring and inexplicable note are the interludes of the disturbed child and the crane. This is taken directly from the book and is equally jarring in that setting. The author is making a metaphoric point but it eludes me.

That said, definitely see the movie but if you can, please read the book as well. You will find it enlightening, moving, and perhaps life-changing.

Well-acted tale of a family eroding from long-kept secrets
This film is based on David Leavitt's book of the same name, which takes place entirely in New York City. When the film version was made, with Leavitt's blessing, the scene is switched entirely to London. However, the core lesson of the film, about deep-seeded family secrets and how they erode the facade of a middle class family, stays in tact.

Brian Cox and Eileen Atkins, two of Britain's best character actors, are incredibly good as the parents, Owen and Rose Benjamin. Owen is an Academic, and Rose is a Book Editor. The irony of Rose being in a profession where she needs an eye for detail is not lost as it contrasts to her own life. She has somehow managed to overlook that her husband is a closeted homosexual. In their generation, if a man felt or knew he was gay, he married, procreated, and carried on with life in most cases. The Benjamin's marriage could be like most long-term marriages without passion. Rose has had her affairs, mainly for the physical love she is missing from her husband. Owen wants desperately to explore the side of his life he has been repressing, but, so far, spends a good amount of his free time roaming gay cinemas.

Adding to all of this is that their son, Phillip, a handsome book editor, very well-played by Angus MacFayden, is also gay. He is out to his friends, but not to his parents. He is madly in love with an American graphic artist, Elliott, played by Corey Parker. Phillip's belief that he has found the love of his life leads him to finally come out to his parents. But, he has no idea of the can of worms he has opened in the life and marriage of his parents. Rose would have been content to keep secrets indefinitely. However, Owen's son's admission opens the floodgates and propels Owen toward his new life.

The film is still fairly faithful to the book, which I also recommend very highly. The acting is top-notch, as often seems the case in British-made films. The story is engrossing in its brevity, and strong in its lessons of honesty, betrayal, and the ultimate destruction of long-held secrets.

This is the most important movie of my life!
I sat on the floor of my suburban home watching this movie,40 years old, tears streaming down my cheeks. I could feel the pain the father in this film felt, the life his son had, that he himself had not lived. It was like a great hole in the middle of my being. This was all it took for me to come bursting out of my closet. My life was finally starting!

What a Girl Wants
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Home Video (05 August, 2003)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Dennie Gordon
Starring: Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, and Kelly Preston
Fresh-faced Nickelodeon starlet Amanda Bynes stars in What a Girl Wants as Daphne, a 17-year-old girl in New York City who's spent her life pining for her absent father, a British lord named Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth) whom her mother (Kelly Preston) met during wilder days in Morocco. Tired of waiting for him to come to her, she decides to head to London where Dashwood is launching his political career--which could be derailed by her fun-loving, free-spirited attitude. Will her father choose the daughter he's never known or a position in Parliament? The plot of What a Girl Wants is ridiculously contrived, but the movie rides on the chemistry between Bynes and Firth. When, under Daphne's influence, Dashwood tries to break out of his stuffy shell and rediscover his inner rebel, the movie really starts to have fun. --Bret Fetzer
Average review score:

Colin Firth Fans Will Love This Delightful Fairy Tale Film!
"What A Girl Wants" is a delightful, fairy tale romp of a film. If you are a fan of Colin Firth's and don't mind very lite-entertainment, this is a must-see.

Once upon a time in Morocco, circa 1970-something, a young British Lord, Henry Dashwood, (Colin Firth), met American beauty, Libby Reynolds, (Kelly Preston), a young rock singer, and the two fell madly in love. A Bedouin tribal chief married them by the light of an African moon. Blessed with thoughts of 'happily ever after' they returned to London, the noble Dashwood family manse, and the real world of the British upper-classes. Dashwood retainers and advisors encouraged Libby, a commoner, to leave her husband for his own good, his future career, etc. After all, she was terribly unsuitable. And so Libby left England, with no explanation and returned to New York City, a walk-up apartment in Chinatown, and a career as a singer.

Fast-forward 17 years. Apparently Libby left London with more than her luggage. She is the mother of a lovely and spirited teenager, Daphne, (Amanda Byrnes). Daphne Reynolds has almost everthing a girl could want. She's smart, caring, beautiful and possesses great flair. She has completed high school and has college and a lifetime of possibilities ahead of her. Her relationship with her Mom is open and loving, if somewhat unconventional. But she feels incomplete. Daphne knows all about her father, whom she has never met but has always longed for. Dashwood is totally unaware of his offspring's existance. Daphne always believed that someday her father would discover he had a daughter and come for her. After all these years of no-show Dad, she finally decides to take-off for London and make herself known to him. And the fun begins.

Dashwood is engaged to a snobby, aristocratic bore, whose baggage includes a teenage daughter, even more boring than her mother - if that is possible. He has also resigned from the House of Lords and is beginning his political career running for office in the House of Commons. Enter Daphne. Surprise!

The interaction and chemistry between Amanda Byrnes and Colin Firth make the film fun. The wicked stepmother and step-sister-to-be are terrific villains. You'll want to hiss and boo everytime they appear on screen. And Eileen Atkins, as Lady Dashwood, Henry's Mum, is wonderful. As her new found granddaughter hugs her, Atkins says, "No hugs, dear. I'm British. We only show affection to dogs and horses." Oliver James, who plays Ian Wallace, Daphne's love interest, is charming and has a great voice. He's in a British rock band...what else?? The sound track is also quite good.

"What A Girl Wants" will never receive an Oscar nomination. If you miss this film it is no big loss, unless you're a Colin Firth fan. This is an unusual role for him and he pulls it off really well. Great eye-candy! I enjoyed it and would recommend it for a few hours of fun entertainment.
JANA

Great movie-Amanda Bynes & Colin Firth kept me laughing
I'm a fan of Colin Firth but have only seen him in characters that are on a more serious side. Colin & Amanda Bynes had me laughing, they worked so well with each other. I bought the movie before seeing it because of Colin Firth. I really thought it would be some teen movie but was completely surprised how much I loved the movie. I bought the movie 4 days ago & I've watched it everyday, sometimes more. I love it when Colin tries on his leather pants & rocks out in front of a mirror. My son's girlfriend wants to borrow it, I just don't want to let it go. I also bought Bridget Jones Diary the same day, which I had on VHS. Colin Firth needs more comedy roles, he played this one so well. Kelly Preston was so beautiful & I was surprised of what a beautiful singing voice she has, she was excellent as she is in any movie she's in. The entire movie had so many great funny characters. Excellent movie, that's my opinion anyway.

A movie without violence, bad language, or bare everything??
Yes this is a predictable, happily ever after film. It is nothing like the awful Princess Diaries (which this film has been compared). Because of this comnparison I didn't bother seeing "What a girl Wants" in the theater. I am pleased to say that this is one of those films which is just fun to watch. It wasn't meant to change the world but is entertainment that the entire family can see together. Amanda Byrnes and Colin Firth are wonderful together as father and daughter. Kelly Preston is beautiful in the part of Daphne's mother. In my opinion this film is more like a cross between: Cinderella (because of the future evil step-sister), Snow White (because Amanda finds her prince), and Parent Trap (because....can't say because that would be giving the end away).

What a Girl Wants
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Home Video (05 August, 2003)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Dennie Gordon
Starring: Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, and Kelly Preston
Fresh-faced Nickelodeon starlet Amanda Bynes stars in What a Girl Wants as Daphne, a 17-year-old girl in New York City who's spent her life pining for her absent father, a British lord named Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth) whom her mother (Kelly Preston) met during wilder days in Morocco. Tired of waiting for him to come to her, she decides to head to London where Dashwood is launching his political career--which could be derailed by her fun-loving, free-spirited attitude. Will her father choose the daughter he's never known or a position in Parliament? The plot of What a Girl Wants is ridiculously contrived, but the movie rides on the chemistry between Bynes and Firth. When, under Daphne's influence, Dashwood tries to break out of his stuffy shell and rediscover his inner rebel, the movie really starts to have fun. --Bret Fetzer
Average review score:

Colin Firth Fans Will Love This Delightful Fairy Tale Film!
"What A Girl Wants" is a delightful, fairy tale romp of a film. If you are a fan of Colin Firth's and don't mind very lite-entertainment, this is a must-see.

Once upon a time in Morocco, circa 1970-something, a young British Lord, Henry Dashwood, (Colin Firth), met American beauty, Libby Reynolds, (Kelly Preston), a young rock singer, and the two fell madly in love. A Bedouin tribal chief married them by the light of an African moon. Blessed with thoughts of 'happily ever after' they returned to London, the noble Dashwood family manse, and the real world of the British upper-classes. Dashwood retainers and advisors encouraged Libby, a commoner, to leave her husband for his own good, his future career, etc. After all, she was terribly unsuitable. And so Libby left England, with no explanation and returned to New York City, a walk-up apartment in Chinatown, and a career as a singer.

Fast-forward 17 years. Apparently Libby left London with more than her luggage. She is the mother of a lovely and spirited teenager, Daphne, (Amanda Byrnes). Daphne Reynolds has almost everthing a girl could want. She's smart, caring, beautiful and possesses great flair. She has completed high school and has college and a lifetime of possibilities ahead of her. Her relationship with her Mom is open and loving, if somewhat unconventional. But she feels incomplete. Daphne knows all about her father, whom she has never met but has always longed for. Dashwood is totally unaware of his offspring's existance. Daphne always believed that someday her father would discover he had a daughter and come for her. After all these years of no-show Dad, she finally decides to take-off for London and make herself known to him. And the fun begins.

Dashwood is engaged to a snobby, aristocratic bore, whose baggage includes a teenage daughter, even more boring than her mother - if that is possible. He has also resigned from the House of Lords and is beginning his political career running for office in the House of Commons. Enter Daphne. Surprise!

The interaction and chemistry between Amanda Byrnes and Colin Firth make the film fun. The wicked stepmother and step-sister-to-be are terrific villains. You'll want to hiss and boo everytime they appear on screen. And Eileen Atkins, as Lady Dashwood, Henry's Mum, is wonderful. As her new found granddaughter hugs her, Atkins says, "No hugs, dear. I'm British. We only show affection to dogs and horses." Oliver James, who plays Ian Wallace, Daphne's love interest, is charming and has a great voice. He's in a British rock band...what else?? The sound track is also quite good.

"What A Girl Wants" will never receive an Oscar nomination. If you miss this film it is no big loss, unless you're a Colin Firth fan. This is an unusual role for him and he pulls it off really well. Great eye-candy! I enjoyed it and would recommend it for a few hours of fun entertainment.
JANA

Great movie-Amanda Bynes & Colin Firth kept me laughing
I'm a fan of Colin Firth but have only seen him in characters that are on a more serious side. Colin & Amanda Bynes had me laughing, they worked so well with each other. I bought the movie before seeing it because of Colin Firth. I really thought it would be some teen movie but was completely surprised how much I loved the movie. I bought the movie 4 days ago & I've watched it everyday, sometimes more. I love it when Colin tries on his leather pants & rocks out in front of a mirror. My son's girlfriend wants to borrow it, I just don't want to let it go. I also bought Bridget Jones Diary the same day, which I had on VHS. Colin Firth needs more comedy roles, he played this one so well. Kelly Preston was so beautiful & I was surprised of what a beautiful singing voice she has, she was excellent as she is in any movie she's in. The entire movie had so many great funny characters. Excellent movie, that's my opinion anyway.

A movie without violence, bad language, or bare everything??
Yes this is a predictable, happily ever after film. It is nothing like the awful Princess Diaries (which this film has been compared). Because of this comnparison I didn't bother seeing "What a girl Wants" in the theater. I am pleased to say that this is one of those films which is just fun to watch. It wasn't meant to change the world but is entertainment that the entire family can see together. Amanda Byrnes and Colin Firth are wonderful together as father and daughter. Kelly Preston is beautiful in the part of Daphne's mother. In my opinion this film is more like a cross between: Cinderella (because of the future evil step-sister), Snow White (because Amanda finds her prince), and Parent Trap (because....can't say because that would be giving the end away).

Wolf
Released in VHS Tape by Columbia/Tristar Studios (07 September, 1999)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Mike Nichols
Starring: Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer
Sophisticated to a point, this well-executed wolf-man tale works due to its clever setting and enormous star power. We all know Jack Nicholson can go nuts, but the script makes his character aware of his changes, sometimes for the better, early on. The setting, a publishing house in the middle of a takeover, gives the characters dramatic life before the horror elements kicks in. A senior editor about to get the boot, Nicholson's character becomes a new man after being bitten by a wolf. He takes on challenges at work, lives a more robust life, and attracts a new love. But will his newfound energy consume him? Director Mike Nichols keeps the action alive in the first half, but the film peters out at the end with cheap theatrics and the overuse of slow motion. Michelle Pfeiffer has little to do as simply the love interest with a grittier than average personality. Better is James Spader as a smarmy colleague. Nicholson is in fine form, relying on his keen gift to spark interest (a twitch of the head, a look in the eyes), instead of heavy doses of movie makeup. Giuseppe Rotunno's sweeping camerawork sets the mood quite well. Easy to recommend, with the added feature it's hardly gratuitous. --Doug Thomas
Average review score:

A movie with a modest bite
Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) is the senior editor of a big book company and his life isn't as great as he would like it to be. However, things drastically change, and mostly improve, for Will after he is bitten by a mean looking wolf. Will soon finds out that he is changing more and more every day and that he is becoming like a wolf. Before long, he has better vision, hearing, and a spectacular sense of smell, but not everything has improved for Mr. Randall. Since he is now a lot more like a wolf, animals are now afraid of him and he becomes a murderer, just by following his wolf instincts. Will Mr. Randall find out what he's becoming, and is there a way to stop it?

"Wolf" is a pretty good movie. The makeup and the special effects in the movie aren't some of the best, but they get the job done. Jack Nicholson does a good job of acting and so does Michelle Pfeiffer as Will's new love interest. "Wolf" is a moderately exciting movie, it doesn't have as much blood and gore as you would expect it to have. It also doesn't have as much action as I would've liked to have seen, but it was still an entertaining movie and I recommend anybody who likes horror movies to at least watch "Wolf."

Intelligent horror film/character study
This is an interesting film, because it's partly a character study of a tired, middle aged publisher and partly a horror film about werewolves. Jack Nicholson plays a publisher about to lose his job to his friend and protege, who also happens to be sleeping with his wife. He seems too worn out to put up much of a fight, until he is bitten by a dying wolf, and begins to feel as if he has taken on its spirit. He also falls for the incredibly beautiful daughter of his boss (Michelle Pfeiffer). This movie has top notch acting, an intriuging story and a cool ending. I recommend it.

TOP DRAWER WEREWOLF MOVIE...
This is a thinking person's werewolf movie. Well directed by Mike Nichols, it features a stellar cast who give excellent performances. Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Plummer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, and David Hyde Pierce all contribute to the successful execution of this sophisticated and subtle horror film. As an added bonus, those of you who are devotees of the TV series, "Friends", should look for David Schwimmer's cameo appearance in the film.

Jack Nicholson plays a middle aged, married, senior book editor for a publishing company. Driving home at night from a business trip in New England, he hits an animal on the road. When he gets out of his car to check on the condition of the animal, he discovers it to be a wolf. What happens next will change the course of his life forever.

When Jack gets back to his office, he is feeling the after effects of his interaction with the wolf. He is also concerned about his job, as his publishing house has been taken over by Christopher Plummer. Jack initially plays his character as a somewhat laid back, nice guy, a good man who doesn't see the knife being plunged into his back by his young, ambition driven underling, played with obsequious perfection by James Spader, until it is too late. Publishing is, indeed, a dog eat dog world.

Betrayed by his underling who has been given his job, Jack finds himself undergoing a subtle, physical metamorphosis. He no longer needs reading glasses, his hearing is extremely acute, and he has a keen, very keen, sense of smell. It is these enhanced senses that lead him to discover that his wife, well played by Kate Nelligan, has shockingly betrayed his love and devotion, causing him to leave her. It is a betrayal that is to have dire consequences for her.

Finding himself more robust and aggressive, literally a new man, Jack goes on the attack and, and with the aid of his loyal underling, played to perfection by David Hyde Pierce, gets his job back. He aggressively asserts himself with Spader and lets him know, in no uncertain terms, who is top dog. There is a memorable scene to this effect. In the process of regaining his life, Jack falls in love with the boss's beautiful daughter, played with gritty charm by Michelle Pfeiffer, and she with him.

Still, Jack finds himself battling his inner demons over his change. The transformation of Jack is subtle, and there is very lttle use of special effects to enhance his metamorphosis. Jack is often able to convey to the viewer what he is undergoing with a flick of the eyebrow, a twitch of the nose, a curl of the lips. It is a wonderful piece of acting and a tribute to the power of suggestion.

Certain events transpire that make Jack fear that his transformation will result in injury to Michelle. She eventually buys into his fear, misinterpreting certain events that take place. What he and she ultimately discover is that they both, in fact, have a great deal to fear, but that their initial fear was misplaced. Look to a great finale.

If you are the type of horror film fan who likes excessive gore, as well as many high tech, special effects, this is not the film for you, as there is very little of that in this film. This is a subtle, multi-layered, symbolic type of horror film that will leave the viewer analyzing what they just saw. It is simply a great werewolf film.

Let Him Have It
Released in VHS Tape by New Line Studios (29 August, 1995)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Peter Medak
Starring: Tom Courtenay and Christopher Eccleston

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