Sentimental Mediocrity

Rating: 6/10 (25 March 2002)

Like myself and probably hundreds of thousands of others we are all wondering exactly how such a mediocre schmaltz ridden film ever got nominated, let alone won an Oscar for best picture. It's certainly not a really bad movie it's just horribly middle of the road and only ever generates small moments of interest in an overlong plodding story. The subject should have been shown a lot more respect and also been given to a director with courage to show the whole story, rather than this sanitised version.
Apart from maybe Apollo 13, Howard's films have frequently been too safe and bland and unsurprisingly this is no exception. What should have been a memorable fascinating story about a very complex man is littered with so much pap dialog, sentimentality and swirling orchestration, we end up not caring about anyone. Russell Crowe is a brilliant actor as he has proven in most of his previous incarnations, but with this role he really needed a braver film maker to let him loose again.
For lessons in how to film the story of a troubled mind, remember gems like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Jacobs Ladder - both far from sentimental but both totally moving and un-forgettable.