An outstanding movie that could have been even better if....

Rating: 8/10 (5 January 2004)

This was a truly outstanding movie, filled with wonderful performances, played against beautiful scenery. Renee Zellweger stole every scene she was in, and deserves an Academy nod. The only thing that knocked my own rating down a notch was the unnecessary explicit sex scenes. I'm not a prude, but these scenes broke the flow of this otherwise elegant story and film. I rated it an 8, but would have given it a solid 9 with sex scenes that were more appropriate to the overall tenor of the movie. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this film.