Hard to judge this film, but what the heck...

Rating: 7/10 (2 September 1999)

I've heard people say "If 'Eyes Wide Shut' was done by anyone else, people would be disappointed." In my case, that is why I'm disappointed. Because Kubrick was unable to maintain his extreme brilliance in what ended up being his final film. It was not a bad movie. Despite popular opinion, Tom Cruise's performance was fine in my eyes. Also, Nicole's limited opportunities didn't exactly scream "Oscar!" (but what has in 1999?) The story was interesting to a point, but after 159 minutes, I had almost lost interest and noticed that many of the people in the theater had as well. Slightly over 2 hours would've been much better for the film's pace. The thoughts that ran through my mind:
-- Haven't I seen this before? A different plot but the same idea done in a better way by Martin Scorsese in "After Hours." True, "AH" might not be as profound, but that works to its advantage, anyway; EWS wasn't all that deep.
-- Kidman pulled off the stoned act rather well. Either that, or everyone I've been in company with that was high acts the EXACT same way.
-- After bragging to all my friends about how the almighty Kubrick had released another masterpiece, I realize I have a lot of phone calls to make once we get home.
But it wasn't bad. I'm just venting my frustration. I will undoubtedly add this to my video collection and maybe even watch it once or twice. It just will not get the same workout that my Full Metal Jacket, 2001, and Clockwork tapes get.