cliched movie with poor acting

Rating: 6/10 (7 October 2001)

i am amzed at how many people think the acing in this movie was good. nicolas cage has one expression & tone throughout the movie and penelope cruz has none.
the story in many parts was very predictable and stale. the saving graces in the movie were the excellent locales, beautiful cinematography & the lilting music. i dont much care for the "historical inaccuracies" - i mean after all this is cinema for god's sake. so no complaints there.
the worst thing was the total lack of ingenuity in the plot. apparently its a great book, i havent read it. the movie is a bit of a pot-boiler with a little bit of everything thrown in for good measure.
having said all this, the movie is comfortable to watch and lightly handled, no melodrama here. well not much anyway. the best scenes are with john hurt as the elderly Dr. & father. the standout scene is when he explains what love is to his daughter, was a very moving & touching scene. especially, when he points out the difference between love & being in love. a whole new perspective and a really memorable scene. however, scenes of such caliber are in short supply.
an average 6