A Mind-Blowing Film That Demands a Second Screening

Rating: 8/10 (31 December 2008)

Having seen some bad reviews of this movie, Ebert (a God to me) among them, I wasn't sure whether to take my 13-year-old daughter to this one or not. She's a romantic at heart, and loves to cry at movies, as do I, so we went. We weren't sorry. I won't give anything away except to say that whoever cast this movie was a genius, as there are many "lesser-knowns" who simply jump out at you with their brilliance. I loved Captain Mike, because Jared Harris has really come into his own. This guy deserves a star role in something bigger than an indie film, folks! You can see a lot of his late father in him, but he's become such a good actor now that the first time I wasn't sure it was a Harris boy! (I'm a Richard Harris-phile). Still, his Dad would have been proud. The photography is gorgeous. Yes, those Gulf of Mexico sunsets/sunrises really ARE that beautiful. I was there this past April.
The Tom Button character was intriguing and might have been fleshed out a bit better. And what of the mysterious clock? Were others affected by it? It gets fuzzy in the details.
However they managed to trick us into believing that was Brad Pitt in those scenes was much more impressive than any big blockbuster space or superhero movie. I'm not a huge Cate Blanchett fan, as she comes across as cold and indifferent in nearly every movie I've seen, and this one is no different. The "Queenie" character was just wonderful. I agree with another user commenter who said the fancy flashbacks and stuff sort of distracted from the story, but in the end, it was still riveting. Stock up on popcorn and don't drink a lot of fluids before going, or else you'll miss something important! I certainly plan to see it a second time. I predict many awards for this movie, and certainly one for Brad Pitt. There are enough great quotes in here to fill a book, oh, that's right! F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the story, didn't he? ;)