Sappier than a tree

Rating: 3/10 (18 September 2003)

I'll admit there's some good to be found in The Green Mile, but not nearly as much as people seem to think. The characters are mostly one-dimensional, the plot developments seem to get progressively worse as the movie progresses, cumulating in an ultra-pretentious ending, and the whole film is way too long. All this is supposedly justified by the touching nature of the picture and its themes of humanity and kindness. Had these been driven home with a slightly lighter sledgehammer, perhaps the movie would have been redeemed. As it is, one would do well to skip back to The Shawshank Redemption.