Three writers and this was the best they could come up with.

Rating: 1/10 (23 December 2002)

After delaying release for nearly a year, the only message most properly conveyed by this patronizing, colloquial, two-hour-forty-five-minute, nonsensical film is that too many cooks spoil the broth. What started out as a riveting story dealing with love, ethnicity, and family, turned into an unsubstantiated testimonial on American patriotism and the disgrace of upper-class domination. Please understand, there is nothing wrong with making a movie with these always-important social themes, but to convert them from backdrop to centerpiece in the middle of the movie was one of the worst cinematic mistakes ever conceived. The onscreen chemistry between DiCaprio and Lewis was successfully diverting my attention away from Leo's `Irish' accent, which he picked up by way of Yorkshire and Australia. The supporting characters portrayed by Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, and John C. Reilly were well established and intriguing. This then all fell apart during the end of the second hour as characters went by the waste side and plotlines vanished as the epic story of retribution was conquered by cannonballs - literally. I urge any who read this who have not yet see this movie to spend your earnings on other cinematic adventures or at least give it to charity.