LET'S ALL OPEN OUR EYES

Rating: 3/10 (6 January 2002)

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The movie: Big noisy, gaudy box. Empty inside. Hey, that's like the vain playboy/peacock David Aames. Mimics many other recent movies, but is as superficial as its protagonist. It's an uninteresting and dishonest puzzle that says nothing new. Style over substance.
The philosophy: "The sweet isn't as sweet without the sour." 4th grade Mediocrates.
It's only that David never experiences the sour except in a dream. The real sourness of life drove him to suicide. (At least one scenario within this movie mess.) The movie's whole love affair was in his dream/imagination. That aint love, unless you accept the dreams of a self-centered narcissist as real love. I know there's a big draw in the idea of a perfect romantic fantasy, but Sofia wasn't even a real person, but a creation of David's imagination: a nearly blank slate and puppet of his will, since it was all his dream. Sounds perfectly sweet to me. Where do I sign?
He's offered his face back and another chance in the distant future. Might not seem so fair to someone who hasn't had the bucks or technology to cure some handicap or disease. He sidesteps the hassle of having to form a persona that's not driven by a handsome face that opens doors and kills the ladies. Sounds really sweet to me. "Look ma, no consequences!" "Money conquers all!"
"Happiness is found in the small things in life." Erma Bombeck? Peking Express?
The only small things in this movie were the minds who conceived and executed their very small ambitions.
"Open your eyes." anonymous
He never does in this movie. David needed a spiritual awakening but got an explanatory lecture. Glenda the Good Witch of Tech Support, with all that justifying on the rooftop, was a totally unconvincing proof of David's change. A soothing lecture is a lot cheaper to pull off than portraying real character development, isn't it? Having something preached at you is no substitute for learning, accepting and owning the Truth. Seems as though he was ready to take a leap and repeat it all again. Maybe he should have been asked to open his ears to hear that "still small voice" instead. But with Glenda droning and the soundtrack blaring I doubt he'd have heard that either.
"Maybe in another life, when we're cats." That about says it all.