Garbage Hill

Rating: Null/10 (5 February 2004)

Let's see... we'll put three big stars in an adapted screenplay from a best-selling romantic war novel. Can't miss, right?
Wrong.
Anthony Minghella's script for "Cold Mountain" is completely unbelievable. Nicole Kidman's southern belle is just too glamorous for the Civil War (the South went through hard times and then LOST, remember?). Jude Law is okay. But the worst performance easily is Renee Zellweger's. She wasn't believable for 5 seconds as the mountain girl who helps Nicole. Even the ever-reliable Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a preacher whose role is such a cliche in the film that I wanted to walk out of the theatre, I really did. The whole "Marry Me, Marry Me" thing that was shown in the theatrical trailer was so fake! Aaargh! It's too late to get my money back!
The worst part is, Renee Zellweger is a very talented actress, but she is completely unconvincing here. Yet she's the odds-on favorite for this year's Best Supporting Actress award. If she wins, this will be the film she's remembered for! Aaargh! I truly hope this film gets the same "shut out" treatment that the awful "Gangs of New York" got last year. Kidman, Law, and Zellweger have all done far superior work, and all three of them should hope that this film is quietly forgotten.