Too Many Cooks Spoiled the Broth

Rating: 7/10 (20 September 2000)

A beautiful film, at times. Director Martin Brest hit his stride with "Scent of a Woman," and that style is evidenced here-- the scene when the young Ms. Parrish meets the Man in the Coffee shop, at the beginning, is a truly beautiful scene, and it is moments like this that the director, and the film, thrive upon.
The moment immediately after it, coupled with the ending of the film, simply do not gel. Without giving the ending away, there was simply no thought put into it. Every individual moment in the film works superbly on its own terms, but as a whole, the film fails. This can only be the fault of *SEVEN* credited screenwriters, four people trying to update a screenplay written by two people, working from a play written by a single man. Hollywood overkill in its purest form.
This film was great, almost. One more rewrite and it could have been there, it's a pity this version got made. It's like a really beautiful sports car, excellent interior, exterior, sound system, but it's missing a radio. You can enjoy it on so many levels, but it really feels like it's missing something.
7/10, and a wish that Brest reads his next script before he shoots it.