Eyes Barely Open

Rating: 2/10 (9 May 2000)

Stanley Kubrick is a brilliant director that has a unique style, a vision for details, and an eye for the obscure. But I don't know where his artistic ability was for this film.
Knowing this was Kubrick's final film, I salivated for a great movie. But this movie definitely does not deliver the goods. Nor does it deliver a climatic finale.
From the B-rated running of credits, and throughout the movie, I waited for the flavor that shocks the senses that Kubrick knows how to manipulate. But that never happens.
This movie lives on the coattail sympathies that it was Stanley Kubrick's last movie. That's the only redeeming quality of this film. In a morbid way, it felt as though Kubrick died before filming the end of the movie.
Another irritating aspect of this movie was the soundtrack. The chanting at England's beautiful Highclere Castle was very long and annoying. And I really would like to know if Kubrick had a cat pounce on a piano for his climatic scenes. Seriously, I wouldn't put that passed him.
On the brighter side, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were very convincing in their roles. The scene where Nicole is telling Tom about her fantasy, almost made me feel that Kubrick confiscated one of their home movies. Sure, the half-naked Nicole is basically what makes this scene tolerable for some people -- but next time, I'll save the money, open my window wide, and watch my Springer-like neighbors go at it!
I give a 2 out of 10, just for the use of Christmas bulbs.
My apologies Stanley.