Sluggish, like a wet sponge

Rating: 2/10 (18 September 1999)

This movie stunk. There. I said it. I'm not going to give in to peer pressure and say, "Oh, this was a well-acted wonderful movie that is one of the best of all time and features great performances from Kelly Preston and Kevin Costner." No. Maybe what would've saved this garbage is if Kevin's full-frontal scene would have been left in. No, even then it would've stunk. The acting was atrocious by the two leads--Preston only gets recognition because she's married to John Revolta and Costner hasn't been in a good film since JFK. There were some awful bits of dialogue("I'll remember you the most, Scarecrow.")and incredibly overdone soppy scenes. I thought I would need an insulin shot just to remedy all the sweet sappiness and sugar that I had just been injected with. It was awful. Scenes were badly staged from left to right. I went to the bathroom, figuring I wouldn't miss much, and I was right. I came back, and most everybody was slumped in their seats, nearly asleep. Okay, okay, I'm not a coldhearted individual here; I like a good romance just as much as anybody, but this was ridiculous. Each time the two leads would come close to kissing, Costner would stiffen up and remain wooden for the rest of the scene. It was excruciatingly awkward. Some good things(and there are a few): The supporting cast is good--I've always thought that Jena Malone is one of the most talented young actresses out there, and she acquits herself nicely. John C. Reilly has some good lines as Billy Chapel's buddy. Sometimes, the cinematography/photography was pretty good. But, for the rest? It stunk. Miss this one at all costs.
One star out of four.