A Wonderful Film, Critics be Darned

Rating: 9/10 (13 December 1999)

I found this film to be powerful, heart-wrenching, and simply everything I expected. I have read the complete book (twice), and this film exceeded my expectations. I didn't think it would generate such an emotional response after getting emotional while reading the book, but it did. And it did for most of the people in the theater; I heard sniffling and the ruffle of tissues all over the room. During both of my viewings.
As for the movie's length, and the flak it's getting as a result, all I can say is that if the people who are complaining about the length of the film actually read the book, they'd understand that everything in the film was necessary to drive the story. What's the problem with our world today? Have we reached the point where people lack the attention spans to not only shun literature, but also disapprove of films that are longer than two hours?
This film tells a wonderful story. The story development flows almost perfectly. It has the perfect blend of humor and drama. Everybody in the cast (and I mean everybody) did a superb job (Michael Clarke Duncan IS John Coffey, swear to God), and knowing exactly how everything would turn out did nothing to turn me away from being captivated by the whole film experience. If I had to find fault with something, it would have to be the ending, which seemed to be "slapped together" to tie things up (Of course, the ending of the book had the same feel, as well). So I give it a 9/10. Go see it!