Movie of the Week

Rating: Null/10 (23 March 2001)

Two words save this movie from being a Movie of the Week or a bad movie on Lifetime--Julia Roberts. With anyone else in this role, this movie would have been a brief blip on the movie horizon. But, you get Julia Roberts and you are guaranteed an automatic hit. I'm not here to tear apart her performance--it was fine. Fine, that's it, certainly not Oscar Worthy. So we get to see a 'different' side of Julia, a side that dresses trampy and swears. Great. Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream gets my Oscar vote this year.
I know this is based on a true story, and maybe that's the problem. There's no suspense. We know going in that they're going to win, so all we do is get to watch how they get there. Not very exciting, if you ask me. The plot plods along, we get to see some problems she has at home, problems with her boyfriend, blah, blah, blah. Albert Finney is enjoyable to watch, but other than that, nothing stands out as being spectacular. I just don't understand why everyone is raving about this movie. Can someone please help me understand? This sounds like another Hollywood snowjob to me. (Along with Soderburgh's other movie this year, Traffic. He's the new whiz kid, it seems.)
I like to get something out of a movie, and this one failed to deliver. So, I should relinquish my college degree, show some skin, talk trash, and I'll make millions? This must be the new American dream. I've watched this movie twice, because I was convinced I must've been wrong when I watched it the first time and hated it. Nope, still hated it the second time.
I don't recommend it, but you should probably see it anyway. I guess three bucks at Blockbuster isn't that much of a loss.