Spoilt by the last ten minutes

Rating: Null/10 (23 February 2002)

While the quality of the performances here is extremely high, the film betrays them with its absurdly OTT ending that just makes you find the whole thing pat and exploitative, rather than the thoughtful and humane movie it is until that point. Would Ellen Burstyn's character really have been treated that way, and with such lack of compassion? And likewise Jared Leto's? The ending sets out to be as unpleasant as possible,with the same kind of mentality as a Farrelly brothers gross-out, sacrificing credibility and alienating the audience from sympathy with characters who now just aren't real. What a waste.