Elegance

Rating: 8/10 (15 July 2006)

The impressive feat of this film is that it took an obvious preachy subject matter and didn't make it preachy. Instead it's elegant, refined, mature film-making the likes of which we rarely see anymore. The fear of course is that with the failure of education, the proliferation of fanaticism, greed and sloth, there's no guarantee that a movie like this can communicate as well as Edward R. Murrow did when people actually had the time to listen. In this day of overexposure of information, it's hard for one single truthful idea to impact the millions it seeks to address. We need more movies like this. My only criticism is that the secondary storyline with Robert Downey Jr and Patricia Clarkson was irrelevant and unconnected in theme and importance to the issues at hand. A good time to refill your popcorn.