One fantastic ride!

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2006)

Hopkins performance is outstanding. I forgot he was Anthony Hopkins almost immediately. Everything about the movie was predictable but the storytelling was so rich and emotional that I didn't mind a bit. We all hear about amazing people who over come tremendous obstacles to do amazing things, this story is about an eccentric but mostly ordinary person who does some pretty difficult things. Subtly he endears people to himself; they in turn help him accomplish his high but ultimately realistic goals. By drawing people kindly into his dreams he is able to do a lot with limited resources. And everyone involved feels invested in his accomplishments. In the end it is not Burt who is learning what Burt and his motorcycle can do but everyone around him who sees what they might be able to do. On the negative side Hopkins's performance is so good that at times the others around him seemed bland and shallow by comparison. The gratuitous sexual encounters seemed more or less pointless. No bountiful romance or highly impacting relationship here just little sexual romps to show his already obvious humanity. I like sex just as much as the next guy most of us know that there are lonely people out there. I also found the commentary on the war thrown into the movie to be laborious and contrived. There was no need to somehow find a way to squeeze a lot of social commentary in to this very good movie and the movie ultimately suffers for it. A little more work and this movie could have been a 9 or a 10. Still there is much to recommend it and I would suggest it without hesitation. It's not a chick flick or a guy flick but more a family feel good film. There is some minor language but the sex is not very racy at all. Hope you enjoy it.