Not quite my cup of tea.

Rating: Null/10 (28 February 2006)

A well made drama yet somewhat aloof and restrained. Robert Redford's fourth film as a director has been widely praised but it is not quite as wonderful in my opinion. Some characters are well defined yet others are very broad or stereotypically portrayed. John Turturro is over the top, Rob Morrow is especially weak and Ralph Fiennes gives a somewhat mannered performance. Paul Scofield is tremendous however as Charles Van Doren's father. The era is vividly recreated with a keen eye for detail,The film should have been more powerful yet it is distinguished and intelligent. The major problem seems to be that is not terribly compelling despite the good intentions of its creators.