read the book instead

Rating: 1/10 (6 November 2003)

The book was much better. I broke my cardinal rule never to see a movie based on a really good book I'd read. I won't make that mistake again. While I Love Penn, Bacon, & Robbins, I thought there characters seemed very unnatural - watching Robbins attempt to cry was painful. Penn was the most convincing followed closely by Bacon (due mostly to his pairing with Fishburne). Whoever wrote the screenplay did a horrible job. They left out significant details that would have made the film more cohesive, and included information that it didn't need (the film could have survived without the estranged relationship between Bacon and his wife). If you didn't read the book, I don't see how the movie could have flowed comfortably for you.