So - so

Rating: 4/10 (20 January 2002)

Many people seem to be in love with this movie. I am very hard-pressed to know why. I found it to be a confusing, overrated, over-acted mess of a film.
When I saw the words, "Intellectual" in some ratings, I was prepared to be challenged in an interesting way. Unfortunately, I wasn't. I thought the movie needed some serious editing.
Certainly, the opening sequence, in an unpopulated New York Times Square is fascinating to look at, but the movie never lives up to that for the remainder of the running time. (Which was easily 45 minutes too long.)
Maybe they thought that things could be wrapped up in a surprise ending. (Don't worry, I won't expose it here.) I love surprise endings. But, once they get to that portion, Tom Cruise, Kurt Russell, and another actor simply sit and talk about it for minutes on end. I kept thinking, "GET ON WITH IT, ANYWAY!!"
I know that a movie is not working when I find myself looking at my watch and estimating how much is left. I should not have the experience of sitting in a theater and thinking, "Well, let's see. I'll be out of here in an hour!"
A superior film, with an unforgettable surprise ending, was "Angel Heart" from 1987 and starred Mickey Roarke and Robert DeNiro. Get that one and blow off "Vanilla Sky".
My personal rating of "Vanilla Sky": *.5 out of ****.