Nice music, loved "The King", but....

Rating: Null/10 (15 August 2002)

I watched this film in the cinema, and thought it was pretty mediocre, but bought the video, expecting to pick up on a lot of things I missed first time around.
Hmmmmm. I'm still missing a lot of things.
I just don't get Spacey's character, for one.
He is clearly portrayed as a complete clutz in the first quarter of the film - letting his briefcase spill open, tripping up in the aisle etc. But he doesn't physically LOOK like a clutz. He looks like K Spacey, Oscar winning actor. I found it very hard to believe this whole clutz thing.

Which brings me to my main point, being, as viewers, we are really given no clue as to why Lester has this complete head transplant. We see very little of his job, tho we eventually discover he earns approx $60k a year - not bad for a loser/clutz. He is married to a beautiful woman, and has a slightly weird ( though not overly weird) daughter.
What happened to make him change so violently ? No psychobabble please....
In a drama such as this, which I believe sold itself on character realisation, I just couldn't believe in, or have any real sympathy for the main character.So I had to give this film a D-.
This rating takes into account the wholly overplayed use of the roses metaphor - which is pushed in one's face at every opportunity - the soap opera stereotypes, and the poorly conceived, written-on-the-back-of-a-napkin ending.
But I'll move it up to a C+ for the excellent music, The King, and Annette Bening, who is truly my ideal of a friends mom.
Now please excuse me while I go buy some G13.....