"Long" does not equal "classic"

Rating: 6/10 (22 March 2004)

Like the curate's egg, OUTIA is good in parts. The sets are evocative, the camerawork masterful, the actors excellent. But there's got to be a plot here somewhere, boys and girls, and it's just not in evidence. Things happen, of course, and there are flashbacks to titillate the critics, and as I said the thing looks and acts beautifully. But there is no point to the whole, no compelling storyline to cling to through four hours of mishmash. My expectations were high, admittedly--OUTIA carries a lot of critical weight--but even if I had come into this movie cold, I would still have found it wanting. And I never, ever want to see it again.