bloated and overdone

Rating: 5/10 (16 December 1999)

I can only dictate in so many words how disappointing this childish film is. It is so blatant with its characters and plot line that one can see every twist(if you want to call them that) 20 miles and 40 minutes ahead. All the cinematography, character development and artistic relevancy of "Shawshank" is missing here. The storytelling is slow, the humor is forced and cheesey, while at the same time the movie feels as though it has something important to say...but what? I am not some anti-sentimentalist...I did tear up at one point, but I also do at long-distance phone commercials, and I consider neither art. It is not bad in the way Armageddon was bad, but it left me confused with its hoaky approach. Comparing this film with "Shawshank" is a joke.