Settle down folks, it's not THAT good.

Rating: 6/10 (29 October 2003)

Mystic River is already being lavished with Oscar talk in a year that has seen precious few quality movies.
While the movie is certainly worth seeing, I'd hardly call it great. I think it's gotten inflated notices from the major critics simply because of the star power involved, especially Clint Eastwood.
"Solid" and "Assured" are the most overused words in reviews when describing
Eastwood's directing style. Maybe those are euphemisms for unimaginative--I don't know. I think Eastwood is being unduly praised for this film.

Here are a few major criticisms -- some spoilers included.
1) The occasional "flashes" of memory, such as when Tim Robbins is staring at the pavement and "flashes back" to his childhood trauma, are unnecessary, and they actually undercut the tension created by the actors.
2) The scene in the bar, where Sean Penn's daughter comes in with her friends, rings so cheesy and false, it really shows how out-of-touch Eastwood is as a director. It reminded me of bar scenes in movies in the 80s like Top Gun or The Accused, where situations feel so staged and unrealistic. This scene in particular belonged on an episode of Nash Bridges, not an Oscar-worthy movie.
3) While Sean Penn and Tim Robbins deliver good performances, and Kevin Bacon holds his own, Marcia Gay Harden is horribly over-the-top. Eastwood should have reined her in for her own good and the good of the movie.
4) As he did with "Midnight in the Garden..." Eastwood lets this film go on way too long. The Sean Penn/Laura Linney scene in the bedroom at the end is bizarre and emotionally confusing. The parade scene seems to grope for an ending. He should have ended the movie with Penn and Bacon walking away from each other.
5) The entire subplot with Kevin Bacon and his estranged wife is handled so poorly, and given such short shrift, it should have been cut completely. Its use as an attempt to balance the tragedy of the story is almost cringe-worthy.

Mystic River is a decent film. But before we all get too excited and give a mediocre film the best picture and best director award (can anyone say "A Beautiful Mind"?) let's actually watch the movie with a critical eye.