Am I the only person who couldn't stand this movie?

Rating: Null/10 (23 April 2000)

Was I the only person on the face of the Earth who didn't succumb to the completely dumbed-down storyline of this movie? I took a guess at what the "big twist" would be within maybe the first 5-10 minutes of this film, and for the next two hours, I had to sit and be forcibly spoon-fed every possible indication the my assumption was correct. Yeah yeah, Haley Joel Osmont IS a very talented young actor, and I have no doubt he's going places... but I have never seen Bruce Willis have less range in character (as Malcolm) in any movie he's ever done. He sits (or stands... either way, he never seems to move) for the entire duration of the film, looking haggard and hung over, whispering 90% of his dialogue, and speaking the remaining 10% in a dull monotone. *yawn*
If I have to actually sit and think to myself during a movie about whether or not it will end the way I know it will, then I'm obviously not getting into it. Osmont's character Cole was interesting, indeed, but the remaining characters, aside from Malcolm, had little if nothing to do with the plot other than to bolster our belief in the central character. Once they get their screentime, they really didn't have to be there anymore, and so, why not introduce entirely unrelated characters and events to further the plot? The Sixth Sense's storyline does that in spades.
I find it VERY hard to believe that so many people are so lacking in their intelligence and/or attention span that they never picked up on what the "big twist" was until the end. It couldn't have been more obviously spoon-fed if they just came out and told you what it was at the beginning. I don't feel that the resolution was effective either (I can't even remember a climax... unless that was the "big twist"?). It seemed to leave every question answered and little to question or remember the film by.
I was sincerely disappointed with The Sixth Sense. I expected a fairly decent mystery/drama/ghost story with some intelligent, well-thought-out story development, and a good cast of characters. Instead there is little intelligence needed by the viewer to enjoy the movie, and one good character to get interested in. I think my cat even knew what was going on with this movie... probably why she wanted to leave before it was over.

Martin Lettvin