See The Ice Storm instead!

Rating: 1/10 (12 April 2004)

For movie goers who want to see the same subject matter covered with real depth and nuance, I suggest you see The Ice Storm released in about the same time period and totally overlooked by the Academy Awards.
I'm no prude as is evidenced by my recommending The Ice Storm, however, my idea of an opening scene in a movie is not seeing Kevin Spacey masturbating in a shower. I found this movie to be crude, shallow and hugely overrated. Kevin Spacey's acting job is nothing special in this movie and he most definitely did not deserve an Academy award for acting in a lead role! Mr. Chris Cooper was much more effective and affecting in his smaller role as the conflicted ex-military neighbor.
This movie, like Blackhawk down, has all the earmarks of being directed by someone who came out of the MTV school of filmmaking (one of my harshest condemnations! All style, no substance).
I'm already seeing this movie noted in film critic's annual MOVIES THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE WON AN OSCAR articles!