They say the movie feels dated and is all effort, overbroad humor, and nihilism. Everyone likes looking at Michael Douglas' polyester pompadour and capped teeth and Liv Tyler's suds-covered body, though they say she's acting way out of her range. The most positive reviews say it's funny if you go in for froth and cynicism. Lots of unfavorable comparisons to Woody Allen pictures.
Critics love the acting and the visuals, though they find the central love story unbelievable.
It's as if the filmmakers realized that Nabokov's ending would not work but were afraid to abandon it. Reviewers say this effectively conveys a sense of fragmentation and suffering as well as the historical facts and a glimpse of life before the genocide. Yael Schacher is a Slate intern. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.