Mix 1 part Homer's Odyssey, 1 part Gone with the Wind. Chill.

Rating: 4/10 (8 February 2004)

If someone had told me they were making a movie based in equal parts on Homer's Odyssey and Gone with the Wind, I'd have said "That could be good." And indeed, it could have been good. But this isn't.
The director seems to have decided, for one thing, that the best way to make the audience really feel the passage of three years is to keep them in the theater for as significant a fraction of that time as possible. The book this movie is based on is about 350 pages long. About two-thirds of the way through the movie, I began to feel like I was in for a page-per-minute interpretation.
As little regard as I have for her, I must confess that Renee Zellweger is the only reason to see this movie. Her comic relief, in addition to being much needed, is wonderfully done, and she comes closest to having anything like an accurate dialect.
If you've heard like I did that this film got snubbed for Oscar nominations because (a) Nicole looks too glamorous or (b) it was filmed in Europe instead of on location in North Carolina, let me assure you: there are hundreds and hundreds of good reasons this movie didn't get more nominations. You can count them on your watch.
Original grade: 6 out of 10, 1 mark above "never should have been made"
Revised grade (3/7/2012): 4 out of 10. Bad. Significantly flawed but gets credit for a worthy attempt.