A disappointing mess

Rating: 7/10 (3 August 1999)

As a fan of Stanley Kubrick, I had been eagerly anticipating this film. I can now say how disappointed I am. While Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, and the rest of this cast are all solid, the story, and especially the way it is delivered both takes forever to develop and frustrates.

The dialogue takes forever for the actors to say, and I often felt like if I made hand gestures, it might help to speed up the story out of their mouths.

Certain aspects of the story, characters, and entire scenes serve no purpose at all in this film, other than to elongate it.
However, as for the now-famous orgy scene, it is certainly one of the most fascinating and bizarre sequences in recent film.
I can't help but feel sorry for the cast and crew, who, while they put forth such a strong effort, end up in such a mess.