This wasn't supposed to be comedy... oh, well

Rating: 9/10 (6 November 2001)

Like "Pearl Harbor," (AAAHHH!) this film had comedy despite the fact that it was a drama. For example, when Andy is ordered to turn off music that is annoying to the Warden (but not to the rest of the prison... they just listen), Andy turns it up!
But, unlike "Pearl Harbor" (AAAHHH!), this film actually needed a bit of GOOD laughter, whereas "PH" (AAAHHH!) was laughable in itself, with unneccesary BAD comedy.
Anyway, I read the novella first and let me tell you, the film (edited-I watched on TNT) has many differences and add-ons. For example, that bit of comedy wasn't in the book (heck, NO comedy was in the book). Also, (spoiler) when Andy has disappeared, the Warden didn't throw his hand-carved chess pieces at the poster-he tore it down. Also, the novella wasn't 100 pages, whereas this movie (on TNT, with commercials and edits) was 3 hours whole!
I am STILL deciding on where to put this better-than-most-films-these-days movie on Favorites list. I am tempted to put it near the top (not at the top-there are better films), but somewhere online someone said that it was a middle-movie (an okay one). Another person declined, but after watching again, they agreed. So, I'll put it somewhere in the middle.
I liked it very much, but it's not my favorite movie ever, nor the second. Rather... ah, heck, I can't decide right now!
Rating: 4.5/6