Overrated Oscar-bait Garbage

Rating: 4/10 (21 February 2009)

After having seen The Reader, I found myself in a state of shock, amazement, and disbelief that the same film I had just wasted 2 hours of my life on had been recipient of so many awards, as well as having the seemingly unanimous admiration of film critics lavished upon it.
The lovely and talented Kate Winslet stars as a secretary for a high-ranking Nazi Officer who years later will end up on trial for her role as an accomplice for many of the heinous crimes committed by her despicable low-life employer.
What ensues is an odd mix to be sure: a statement on Pro-literacy, an art house period piece, soft-core titillation, and a Holocaust/WW II epic. It unfortunately fails with all four.
In the film, Winslet's character carries on a torrid affair with a young man. Capitalizing on the well-known fact that Winslet is not shy in front of the camera, there are several explicit sex scenes featuring a fully nude Winslet - as is the case with countless previously released films in which she stars. I am no prude, but Winslet appears to be long past the point of being typecast in this type of role. Nothing wrong with that, but it has now reached a point where if she appears in a film in which her breasts are not bared, people in the audience may be asking for their money back.
Winslet is most certainly a fine actress, but the abundance of praise she has received for her turn in "The Reader" is mind-boggling to say the least. She has given far better performances in just about everything else I've seen her in.
Without question the sole motivation for any studio greenlighting material such as this are for Oscars. As a film fan and Oscar telecast viewer, it is rather disappointing to see the clout of Big Hollywood producers strong-arming the Academy year after year so exercises in mediocrity like "The Reader" monopolize the nominations in big categories. To see superior films such as "The Wrestler" and "Gran Torino" get snubbed in the top category is a real shame for movie fans.
Time would be much better spent reading a book for 2 hours than seeing this garbage.
Three stars for Kate, one star for Ralph Finnes portraying the boy as an adult, ZERO for the film.