It is a rare thing for a movie to bring me to tears, let alone, full fledged sobs. This movie revealed some of the most beautiful pictures of forgiveness, grace and freedom. Each character was a window into my heart. All the things I hate about myself, my stubborn will - my innability to forgive - and my capacity to hate. There was also the things that I would hope to be -- gracious, exceedingly forgiving, and always hopeful. I believe that the best movies are the ones that make you quiet for hours. That you walk away - not analyzing the movie itself - but exploring yourself. This movie made an impact on my life - not just my day or my top ten list.


See this film. Its fantastic.

Set in a Japanese POW camp in WW2, a group of Scots, Americans, English and Australians struggle to survive.

Robert Carlyle is superb as the lively POW who longs to escape, Kiefer Sutherland is captivating as 'Yanker', the American who gets beaten up by a spade in one of the film's most powerful scenes.

The show almost goes to the brilliant Ciaran McMenamin, the loner who tries to keep his morals and humanity in tact.

The sountrack is hauntingly brilliant, rent this film.

This is Oscar worthy in the league of 'The Thin Red Line'. Pity it didn't get a cinema release. Amazing film.

9 out of 10


An early John Wayne western that only ran for an hour, this was surprisingly entertaining. Since he was a beginning actor and this was a Grade B-type of production, I didn't except it to be so entertaining, although now that I've watched a lot of early '30s films, I am not surprised. Movies in that era were pretty fast- moving ones.

What makes this fun is the combination of western action, a few spooky things and comedy. The latter is mostly supplied by Blue Washington who plays "Clarence Washington Brown," a Mantan Morleand-like character. Yeah, I know this kind of role is demeaning to blacks and it's almost embarrassing to watch nowadays, but Washington was funny. The "western" part of the story is just so-so.


The IMDB plot summary erroneously makes it sound like it is Noah Taylor's movie, when Fairuza Balk is the central character. It is unbelievable how such a cast of established actors could have been in such an amateurish, pointless, non-movie. Balk breaks up with Boyfriend Taylor, sleeps with the Devil (I guess - played by Dempsey), and accidentally kills Taylor -- who follows her about for the rest of the movie as a ghost. May be the worst movie I have ever seen.


This flick, which is a.k.a. "Life In the Fast Lane" is easily one of the least entertaining movies I've seen in a long time. I think it was made in mind of the sick, twisted and jaded L.A. women who represent about .00000001 of the population in the States. The characters are all one-dimensional, even the lead. After she stabs her boyfriend in the head with some scissors, a cheap laugh is attempted (and unsucceeds) by sticking a cork in the boyfriend's skull to stop the bleeding. Oh, clever! Patrick Dempsey (whose movies are almost always a class act --sarcasm) plays this "devil" who changes her life - but from what we've seen, her life was this series of vignettes to begin with. No emotion, no laughs, no story. The only reason I give this a 2 is that Jeffrey Jones is ok as the priest and there is a bit of style (albiet zero substance) in the camerawork. Otherwise, one of the 5 worst films I've seen. Grade 2 out of 10 AN F! I think that even the most drugged out junkie who would laugh at a toilet seat falling would dislike this film. I can't stress enough how much you should stay away.


I don't like movies where the girl leaves the guy who doesn't do anything wrong within the relationship. That is just because I am insecure. Aside from that this is a pretty good movie. It is surreal at times, but doesn't go to far and become pretentious art schlock. If you are looking for something weird and fun, think about this one.


This has been a family favorite for years ! It also has waited that long to become part of our movie collection. DVD would be nice Mr. Turner (Hint, Hint) even if in a second movie collection ( FULL versions of Man in the White Suit, The Horses Mouth + All at Sea). Yes, although listed at IMDB as 'Barnacle Bill' it's actual release title is "All at Sea" this story of a sea sick sailor made hero tickles the funny bone and warms the heart. This delightful movie can be shown to all ages something we sorely miss with most of today's films.


Wonderful film with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humour. Alec Guiness is excellent as an descendant of a family full of (in)famous captains who has just one little problem to follow in there footsteps: he has a bad case of seasickness! So he decides to buy a 1000 foot pier and run it as a ship. The city-council though has other plans with de seafront and the pier does not really fit into their plans. The Captain can only do one thing: declare his pier as a proper cruise ship! This is a film that fits in with the other small masterpieces made by Ealing Studios in the fifties and I can really recommend it..


The great Alec Guinness gives one of his usual fine performance in this lightweight comedy, wrapped around a typically wacky Ealing conceit - the sailor who can't go to sea buying a pier and running it like a ship. The early set-up sequences, featuring a montage of Guinness playing his ancestors at sea through the ages, are the usual silly, slapstick fun, and our hero's exploits getting his 'ship' up and running, fending off the crooked local council, and generally having a good time are heartwarming and cannot fail to raise a smile. One sequence, where he tries to run a dance hall at the end of the pier and is merrily strutting his stuff on the dancefloor with some local hottie when the authorities arrive to complain, is particularly memorable if only for the mad grin on Guinness' face as he boogies. Lacking the deeper satirical bite or wealth of really hilarious moments and characters powering the true classics of Ealing, this is nevertheless a thoroughly enjoyable little film, featuring the standard role-call of vaguely familiar faces (watch out for a youngish Donald Pleasence in an early scene). Not brilliant, but fun.


As a true lover of the Ealing studio films, especially those of Alec Guinness, I am delighted to find this movie on television. Unfortunately, this is the only way one can view it, as it is not available on VHS or DVD. The story of the seasick prodigy of a navel family and his attempts to keep a British "stiff upper lip" in the face of adversity is endearing and hilarious. Also catch The Man in the White Suit, The Lady Killers, and The Lavender Hill Mob. You may also enjoy Hobson's Choice.


Alec Guinness is wonderful in this movie. As the movie starts, he wanders around London with a reporter in tow, carrying a keg of rum. He walks into a bank and bangs on the counter, demanding drinking glasses. A stunned Donald Pleasance, playing a bank clerk, stares back and says "we don't have glasses." Alec Guinness looks around in disbelief and says "No glasses? What do you do when famous people come in here?" It's this kind of humor that permeates the film.

Guinness purchases a run-down resort pier and strolls through the place, which is filled with bored pensioners watching cheap stage shows. The pier has been falling apart for decades, but he breathes new life into it by creating a dance hall and offering spirits. The local politicians have other ideas, and Guiness finds out that they have hoodwinked him and, through the rights of eminent domain, plan to purchase the pier back at half the price. He outwits them by registering the pier as a ship, enraging the politicians, and offers "cruises" for people prone to seasickness. It's a cruise that never goes anywhere, but offers food, dancing, music, and even a radar screen for the more mature folks. It's all very proper and charming. Guinness shows off his dance moves, there's a climax involving a dredging boat, and then a bouncy little song at the end accompanied by the ghosts of Guinness's ancestors (all played by him, of course); the song goes on just long enough to make you laugh like hell at the weirdness of it.

This might not be one of Guinness's best roles, but it's still a fun movie.


William Horatio Ambrose (Guinness) wants desperately to live up to the proud family tradition; the Ambroses have always been mariners, hence their family motto, Omnes per Mare (All at Sea). In six humorous vignettes, Guinness portrays some of them, starting with a confused caveman pioneer and ending with his own father's ignominious demise at the Battle of Jutland. Ambrose has a debilitating problem however: he gets violently seasick at the slightest excuse. As a result, his contribution to World War II consists of testing cures for the malady.

When he retires from the Royal Navy as a captain, he purchases a dilapidated amusement pier (the closest thing to a command of his own) with his life savings. The workers are an apathetic bunch, led by an insolent Figg (Victor Maddern), who quits as soon as the new owner begins imposing some semblance of discipline. With the assistance of his new second in command, Tommy (Percy Herbert), and much hard work, Ambrose soon has the pier repaired.

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This film is Brilliant and so funny and typical of the Ealing comedy's with a weird twist mind. The funny parts are Alec guinness's eccentricities, Especially the dancing when he is arrested by the police and also his house on the pier itself, So funny to see him pacing up and down in his LITTLE house quite literally up and down. The Ealing comedy's always seem to have an element of the small people overcoming the adversity's of the large institutions, This film is typical of this by Alec Guinness's sole attempts to fight the decision to pull down the pier. The weird twist is the CRazy idea of running the pier as a ship, and takes a while to get your head round this idea, But once you do you can appreciate the film even more, If you don't well you will think the films a load of old tosh... Love it or loath it... i personally love it.. Incidentally the pier used was the Old pier at Hunstanton that was there before the eyesore they have there now, Not too far from me some lovely shots of Hunstanton as well in the film real nostalgia. Ealing Comedys are excellent and are simply in a league of their own and this I feel should get more recognition, like Ladykillers etc


Although most Americans have little knowledge of his work other than Star Wars, Alec Guinness produced an amazing body of work--particularly in the 1940s-1950s--ranging from dramas to quirky comedies. I particularly love his comedies, as they are so well-done and seem so natural and real on the screen--far different from the usual fare from Hollywood.

This very odd little movie is about a navy captain who comes from a long family line of sea captains. The problem is, he gets so deathly seasick that his career is spent ashore! Out of the blue, he becomes the owner of a seaside amusement pier and begins to envision it as his "ship". He talks as if it's a boat and runs it with naval efficiency as well. See the film--it's funny and very absorbing!


I love Ealing comedies. I love Alec Guinness. So I looked forward to seeing this when it was shown on TCM a few days ago.

What a disappointment. The jokes are lame, the plot is stupid. A stupid plot does not automatically make a film a failure of course (is there a plot-line sillier than Passport to Pimlico?) but this plot is un-funny stupid. And what I especially resented was the sight of stalwart actor/comedians like Lionel Jeffreys and Maurice Denham trying to do their best with this witless material.

If you've an ambition to watch every Ealing Comedy ever made, then look it up. There is no other reason to waste your time with it.


I'm guessing that everybody knows the story of this movie by now, but for those who might not have had the opportunity to see this great movie, it's quite a simple formula. The Miami Dolphins mascot is stolen and by word-of-mouth advertising Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) is called into manic action. His job is to find the dolphin and return it before The Miami Dolphins' crucial game.

Jim Carrey is quite simply amazing, I never stopped laughing the whole way through the movie. This is surely Carrey's best work, even now. OK, Dumb and Dumber and The Mask are very funny movies too, but this takes the biscuit. Everything Ace does made me laugh, from whipping football player's with a towel to get a ring imprint to showing up at a mansion party and being his usual manic self.

100 laughs per hour, if you have a sense of humour, then this movie is for you!!!


Ace Ventura is the kind of comedy that stems directly from a TV show, and in this case, that show was probably In Living Color, where Carrey got most of his publicity before he became famous as a movie actor. A quick look through Carrey's filmography will prove that Ace Ventura is the film that really acted as a springboard for his career. He had a few small roles in films previous to Ace Ventura, the largest of which was probably his role as one of the aliens in the awful film Earth Girls Are Easy, but after Ace Ventura, his career skyrocketed. The Mask (hey, he's still new, give the guy a break), Dumb & Dumber, a sequel to Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, The Cable Guy (oops), The Truman Show (ah, better), Man On The Moon, Me, Myself & Irene, The Grinch, and there's no end in sight.

Sure, Ace Ventura does not compare to half of these movies, and is clearly more on the side of the bone-headed comedy that he was doing on In Living Color, but his talent is unmistakable. I first saw this movie when I was in high school, and I remember that I would ditch school and go to the theater to see it and I would laugh hysterically until my sides hurt every time I saw it. There's something about seeing a slob at a tremendously rich party who just doesn't care about the etiquette of the rich people. Did anyone not laugh when he was `testing' the food at Ron Kamp's I'm-the-richest-man-in-the-universe party and stuck his tongue out at that poor guy next to him? That whole scene at that party is classic!

And, of course, it only gets better with Ace's dealings with Lois Einhorn. The whole crying game idea may have gone a little too far, but it was always amusing. Jim Carrey saves Ace Ventura from sinking to the totally brainless level of more recent crapfests as the Scary Movies, and even makes this into one of the better comedies of 1994. This is not the type of movie that is likely to win any awards, but you will remember the hilarious dialogue and Jim Carrey's immediately recognizable rubber-faced antics in this film that served as a spring board to his career, which later brought us many more excellent movies. Way to go, Jim.


Jim Carrey, in his first film starring role after achieving genuine stardom being the "token white guy" on TV's 'In Living Colour', plays the title character, who is hired by employees of the Miami Dolphins football team to locate and retrieve Snowflake the dolphin, the beloved mascot of the team.

I really laughed hard when I went to see this in theatres ten years ago, and while I am smart enough to know how crude, silly, and infantile THE MOVIE ITSELF really is, I can't deny that I still laugh a lot. That is thanks in no small part to Carrey, who plays the role in all his manic, face-making, body-contorting glory. Carrey manages to be always funny in this role and he single-handedly manages to save the film from what might have been a disaster with a less talented comedic actor in the lead. As in "Liar, Liar" (which re-teamed Carrey with "Ace" director Tom Shadyac) everybody else is the straight man. There are no other funny roles. (Then again, that seems to have been the pattern for most of Carrey's comedies, hasn't it?)

Sean Young (in what turns out to be kind of an embarrassing role) and Courteney Cox both look great and there are some familiar faces in the supporting cast.

Some of the real-life Miami Dolphins at the time appear on-screen, including coach Don Shula and quarterback Dan Marino.

Network TV airings include a few minutes of footage not included on video and (I assume) DVD versions. This footage actually slows down the film and I can see why it wouldn't have made the theatrical cut.

"You really love animals, don't you?" "If it gets cold enough."

7/10


In 1994, a year that gave us Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Creek Productions and Warner Bros. Pictures came out with the funniest film of the decade, err, 1994, with the Jim Carrey super-vehicle, ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE.

Right off the bat, it is a Jim Carrey showcase: chasing missing albino pigeons, rescuing a pampered shiatsu, and making high speed getaways, this all works because it is Ace Ventura, a hilarious, live-action cartoon character who spouts one-liners like an M-16.

The premise of the film is that the Miami Dolphin's team mascot, Snowflake the dolphin, has been captured and needs to be found in time for the Super Bowl. Ace is hired and the sexy Courtney Cox is made his partner until the dolphin is recovered. With an assortment of funny situations like Ace falling into a great white shark tank (!), a montage of Ace searching for a missing jewel, Ace head banging in a CANNIBAL CORPSE concert, it's all gold, and as you have read, Ace is what drives this film into comedy genius!

It was a busy and successful year for Jim Carrey, as he came out with another pair of comedy blockbusters, the LOOSELY translated Dark Horse comic THE MASK, and his hilarious buddy comedy with Jeff Daniels, DUMB and DUMBER.

Thanks to Tom Shadyac for letting Carrey out of the bag and letting this damn funny Canadian strut his lanky stuff.

It has some offensive, adult-oriented material, but if caught on television, this is nearly perfect family entertainment: as long as you don't mind your kids talking from their a$$es for the next couple months.


We saw "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" right after "The Mask" came out. We could not have possibly predicted how wacky it would be. At the moment when Jim Carrey started butt-talking, my dad shouted out: "Lee, he's crazy!" And believe you me, he really was. Anyone who knows anything about the movie probably knows that Carrey plays the title character, who has to find the Miami Dolphins' mascot. But mostly, the whole movie is an excuse for him to be silly. And of course, the woman who played reporter Melissa (Courtney Cox) went on to play the reporter in the "Scream" trilogy.

Well anyway, Ace Ventura really is a master of disguise, and it's almost hard to believe that after almost ten years of stagnation in comedy, this movie came and changed the way that we think about humor. Hilarious.


I've always enjoyed Jim Carrey's films. But, somehow, I missed seeing "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective". Director Tom Shadyac does a wonderful job, and would go on to even greater success with Carrey in "Liar Liar" and "Bruce Almighty". Jack Bernstein's script (co-written with the star and the director) has some really brilliant gags, and is very bizarre.

If the film has one flaw, it is the low energy level of the supporting cast compared to Carrey. While he bounces of the walls, the rest hardly have his level of talent. That's not too big of a complaint, however, in a classic comedy such as this one.

7.2 out of 10


This was Jim Carrey's first official role and launched his brilliant career. He stars as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. "He's the best there is. Actually, he's the only one there is." The mascot of the Miami Dolphins "Snowflake the Dolphin" has been kidnapped. It is Ace's job to find this dolphin. He has help from Courney Cox (Arquette) and Sean Young who has a funny but sick story towards the end. There is also an appearance by legendary Miami Dolphin player Dan Marino (as himself). A hilarious film with wonderful slapstick and cuddly animals thrown in. The best part for me is seeing Ace being thrown about by a shark! Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls followed. Very good!


Ace Ventura ,Pet detective is about an animal lover!! The movie is funny and enjoyable for all ages. Its when the Miami dolphins have there mascot snowflake taken and by circle of gossip he finds himself looking for a bottle-nosed dolphin. In a strange way ace ends up in a murder investigation. If your interested in a great,action filled comedy that this is the movie for you. Sure liar liar is good but this movie blows off the competition.I was laughing through the whole thing , man this movie always gives me a laugh no matter how many times I've seen it i will still laugh 1000 times and more!I think if you ever saw it you would be laughing your socks off too!!! its a great movie too watch any day of the week.Even when your feeling low it'll get you up!!!!


Here it is, folks: the movie that made "Jim Carrey" a household name overnight--"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Although the movie's silly, crude, and often very childish, I still love the damn thing to death. It's a classic. Just one of those movies that you know's great but can't accurately describe why. Maybe because Jim Carrey's the only actor on earth who can pull Ace Ventura off without looking like a complete jackass. Yeah, I think that's it. Can you think of any other actor on earth who could bend over, talk through his rectum, and still manage being funny and make sense? That's what Carrey does here. Ace Ventura is obnoxious, but he makes sense and solves complex cases; he's no idiot. The plot's pretty good for a silly movie. Ace Ventura is hired by the beautiful Melissa Robinson (Courtney Cox) of the Miami Dolphins to retrieve their missing mascot dolphin--Snowflake.

This movie practically made Carrey a superstar overnight. (And even resulted in a funny but inferior sequel entitled--"Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.") Had this not been made, we'd of never experienced the hilarity of "Dumb and Dumber" or "The Mask." Jim Carrey's a comedic genius. I miss the Dumb and Dumber/Mask era, when Carrey was in his prime and never took himself or his audiences too seriously.

3 and a half stars


Jim Carrey burst into the movie scene with his trademark manic delivery in this mock detective story. There are no other real comedic talents in the movie, but it doesn't matter, Carrey is so forceful that he dominates the screen whenever he is in the picture with his big hair and wild Hawaiian shirts. The story itself is simply a detectives story with the detective more interested in his menagerie of pets than in the quarterback who is missing. That is one of the great scenes, watching the ever growing number of animals flock to Carrey as he lets out a wailing note as is the scene where he searches a bunch of Football players and personal with his head, a lighter, and a bottle of chloroform. The best has to the last scene where he battles Sean Young before unmasking her "little" secret. Along with Liar Liar, this is Carrey at his craziest.


Let it be known that Jim Carrey is a comic madman. He may not be the smartest cat on the stage, but there's no question that his act, especially in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," is the real deal.

Director Tom Shadyac saw fit to put the Man with the Rubber Face, later The Man on the Moon, in his own starring vehicle with this comedy hit from 1994. I've never laughed so hard in my life; that was from the first time I saw it. I saw "Shaun of the Dead" 10 years after Carrey's vehicle; that was another time when I laughed myself silly.

Sure, the humor is immature from time to time. But that's part of Carrey's act, as the colorful gumshoe of the title, who takes on the case of retrieving the Miami Dolphins' prized mascot, Snowflake, after it's stolen from its tank one night. Of course, as the title would lead you to believe, Ace Ventura is no ordinary detective. "I don't do humans," he asserts to us. His specialty is pets. It's hard out there for pet detectives, since it's a field that nobody takes too seriously, except Ace, that is. So when he gets the call for duty, he's all over the case.

His investigation pairs him with Melissa Robinson ("Friends" Courteney Cox), and the two uncover some startling details about the Miami team's history, and one of its most controversial players, who missed the field goal kick at the 1984 Super Bowl that would have won the game and blames Dan Marino for the whole thing. That player hasn't been seen since. Meanwhile, Ace runs afoul of Miami police department lieutenant Lois Einhorn (Sean Young), who seriously needs to take a chill pill and is hiding something more than just a gun under her skirt.

"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" is a comic tour de force. Of course Carrey has done plenty of better things since this flick, but for commercial purposes, so let's just leave that in the future. Ace Ventura is something that only he could have done, and made it work. Sure his methods are "unusual," but hey, he gets the job done.

I wonder if this flick helped to spark interest in a new law enforcement field?

10/10


Now, these movies can't be taken too seriously. The storyline is silly, the dialog is silly and the concept is silly, with one extraordinary exception: Jim Carrey, who, in contrast, uses his extremely intelligent wit and hugely humorous body actions to make this movie what it is, hilarious.

The fact is, this mans arguably a genius, he made a possibly average, run-of-the-mill, 'straight to TV' comedy into an all-time classic. You can switch your brain off and literally laugh yourself to tears watching the scenes in which he acts in. He CARRIES this movie, no doubt and his performance in this is extremely underrated. Being one of his first major roles and to actually manage to single-handedly make this movie what it is with his sheer brilliance at being a comedian-actor, well, it should not be overlooked.

But of course, it has it's flaws. The fact is, the scenes without Carrey (Albeit, they're not many of them) really just shows this movie doesn't have much else going for it besides the man himself. Many of the other actors/actresses (Including Courtney Cox) just aren't funny. But this movie, in my opinion, deserves an 8, because it's just really showcasing Jim Carreys excellence. Watch it and believe me, you'll get hooked!


Jim Carrey stoops to new highs in low comedy: Actually he bends over, flaps his cheeks and introduces the world to butt ventriloquism in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." A riot from start to finish, Carrey's first feature comedy is as cheerfully bawdy as it is idiotically inventive.

Carrey's physical clowning and mad brand of humor will be familiar to fans of TV's "In Living Color," for which he created such uniquely insane characters as the pyromaniacal Fire Marshal Bill and the steroid-stuffed bodybuilder Vera de Milo. While Ace Ventura has some attributes in common with Bill and Vera, he is much more endearing than either of those two pucksters. For one thing, he really, really cares about animals.

Ace's apartment resembles a petting zoo, with a skunk in the hamper, an otter in the toilet bowl and two penguins in the refrigerator in addition to squirrels, lizards, raccoons and a variety of more commonplace domestic animals. "I don't do people," explains Ace, who is hired to solve the kidnapping of the Miami Dolphins' mascot, Snowflake, which is followed by the disappearance of quarterback Dan Marino (looking embarrassed and uncomfortable). Ace agrees to locate Snowflake, but he leaves the finding of Marino to his nemesis, the mean-spirited and mysterious police Lt. Einhorn (Sean "What Career?" Young).

During his unorthodox investigations, he wins the heart of the Dolphins' demure marketing director (Courteney Cox), who sees the inner beauty beneath Ace's Value Village wardrobe, his Bob's Big Boy hair, beaverish overbite and completely inappropriate behavior. Watching him commune with her own pup, she is touched by his empathy. "You really love animals, don't you?" she asks. "If it gets cold enough," he retorts.

The ripostes and concept originated with writer Jack Bernstein, then were honed and supplemented by first-time director Tom Shadyac and kooked up by Carrey -- all three of whom are credited for the skeletal screenplay. A spoof of detective movies, the story touches all the bases. Ace has a good buddy -- the one who ends up talking to his butt. He is the precinct cop who reluctantly leaks him information. Then there's the aforementioned game dame, Lt. Einhorn, who has a secret stake in the whereabouts of Snowflake.

They act as foils for Carrey, who probably could have worked solo and still made the movie work, considering he's got more energy to expend than the Tennessee Valley Authority. As with the most memorable clowns, he's got enormous athleticism and flexibility. At one point he pulls himself into a cardboard box to elude the caretakers of an insane asylum. For this scene he is in a pink tutu and boxer shorts. Sometimes it's just Jim in his birthday suit.

Carrey will do anything for a laugh, up to and including stuffing a bathroom plunger into his mobile mouth. Basically, you have to see it to believe it. And if you love bawdy, gut-busting hilarity and stupid pet tricks then this is your "Ace."


To start, this is HILARIOUS. Although some of the jokes may be grotesque and stupid, you can't help but crack up. Jim Carrey's rubber-like face is funny on its own, but add great jokes and it's perfect. The acting is mediocre, and the story is...well...basically just put there to carry along the jokes.

This is the ultimate highlight of Jim Carrey's career, and his funniest. This is the funniest movie of all-time, with "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" in a close second.

9/10


Jim Carey plays Ace Ventura with a great spunk and funny, sometimes hilarious edge. An original plot line and amusing situations helps make this film better than average. You'd be happy to watch it around once every two years.


This movie is a laugh riot. Very funny. Jim Carrey is just hilarious. His zany antics made me laugh so much. This is one of the funniest movies ever made and Jim Carrey's funniest although Dumb and Dumber and Liar, Liar are close. I recommend this movie to everyone. GRADE: A


Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is my all-time favorite Jim Carrey movie. It has to be one of his funniest films ever! The story centers around the Miami Dolphins and that their prize mascot, Snowflake, has been stolen! Ace Ventura: Pet Detective must search through all of Miami looking for clues and motives on the kidnapping and makes a complete fool of himself at the same time! He's the best man for the job, actually he's the only man for the job! If you wanted to see Jim Carrey before he was the Grinch then this is the movie to see! Courtney Cox is also in the movie, playing an executive of the Dolphins named Melissa Robinson, Ace's love interest in the movie. Emilio (Tone Loc) is Carrey's police friend and Dan Marino (my favorite quarterback) has a role too! Lois Einhorn (Sean Young) is the bad cop in the movie, always belittling Ace for everything with the big fat cop guy, Aguado (John Capodice).

It's also funny because nobody takes Ace Ventura seriously because he is a pet detective. However, he is extremely intelligent and makes fools out of the Florida police on several occasions.

The cast of the film is great and it includes a cameo of former Miami coach, Don Shula. It has a much better cast than the second (and last) Ace Ventura film.

Some might say Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a horrible movie. The plot may be a bit unusual, but I assure you this is a hilarious movie with an interesting (albeit bizzare) twist. You will actually enjoy yourself watching a movie which is quite hard to do with most of the crap that has come out this year!

I recommend this on VHS or DVD, both are readily available. For the true hardcore fans of the film, you will be slightly disappointed like me. The NBC TV version of this film contains additional scenes that weren't on the DVD or VHS :(. The DVD is one of the older ones with no special features. Unless you consider the trailer and director comments to be special. I don't. However, if you're a Carrey fan then get it!

P.S. Some of the scenes removed include a scene with Ace singing on stage, Ace going into a bar looking for Ray Finkle, talking to Melissa Robinson in a car, and other little extensions on scenes. Let's just hope one day there will be a director's cut!!


This is without doubt a one man show. Cast most other actors in the lead role and the movie may well have sunk without trace, but with Carrey as "Ace", you've got the makings of a comedy classic. The humour is definitely not for everybody, and if you express your love for the film I guarantee that some people will think you nuts. Nevertheless, if absurdity's your bag, you will almost certainly enjoy this.

 Other actors fade into insignificance when confronted by Carrey's comic genius. The one person who almost manages to keep pace with him is Sean Young, who displays a hitherto untapped flair for comedy in a VERY strange role. Then again, the entire movie can be seen as 'strange'. The football players also do well.

 There is little attempt to make the 'plot' at all logical, but that hardly matters when you can't stop laughing. Critical dissection of this film is totally inappropriate; you either love it or hate it. Frankly, I love it. Kudos to Hollywood for putting money into such an odd idea and making the then-unknown Carrey into an international star. This is a gem.

BEST LINE: "Be sure that you {get the plumbing checked}. If I'd been drinking out of the toilet, I might've been killed."


If you like Jim Carrey and his facial expressions, you will definetly like this movie. I know it's not for everyone and I know a few people who don't like this movie simply because they don't like Carrey.

I've seen it probably 30 times and it never fails to amuse me. My favorite parts have to be the scene where Ace meets Lt. Einhorn at Emilio's desk. "I came here to confess, I was the second gunman on the grassy knoll" ... "That's what turns me on about you, your attention to detail ..." and when he meets Ray Finkle's parents.

I also think the plot is good, at least I didn't figure it out when I saw the movie for the first time!


In 1994 when Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was released many in the acting establishment felt the film to be unacceptable. And yet millions of people including myself and Jim Carrey still can't stop laughing. Clearly one of the hits of 1994, Jim Carrey gives a brilliant and funny performance that helped launch his superstar career. You have it Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) simply is the best there is. In fact, he's the only one there is! Pet Detective (Jim Carrey) ventures out to find the Miami Dolphins' missing mascot after it is kidnapped from team headquarters just a week before the Super Bowl, to worsen matters dolphin quarterback Dan Marino is abducted. Along the way the good and the bad happen first a meeting with dolphin secretary Melissa Robinson (Courteney Cox) leads to a blast-off bed moving romance! Great acting by Cox hey she's got talent. I must say that Courteney Cox is a great piece of eye candy! Literally speaking Courteney is my chocolate delight! Plus Ace goes eyeball to eyeball with a man-eating shark, and his investigation of the Miami Dolphins team simply woos everyone as the persistent search for the missing mascot continues with a clue that is linked to a missing AFC Championship Ring from 1984. Boy does the fun begin then all starting with Lieutenant Lois Einhorn (A.K.A. Ray Finkle), when Ace takes a trip to nearby Collier County to meet with Finkle's parents he discovers the revenge and hate Finkle had for Marino and the dolphins after missing that critical field goal in the Super Bowl. I must mention to all you researchers, archivists, and investigators that have interest in The Florida Skunk Ape which is said to actually roam the woods of Collier County never fear you should hire a professional that being Ace Ventura: Pet Detective! I know the movie may see or spell it Culler County, but they actually mean Collier county and I feel Collier is more suitable. I just felt that a Skunk Ape mention was a nice little note to add to my Pet Detective comment! Now finally Ventura learns the horrible truth that Einhorn is really Finkle and is also guilty of the kidnapping of both Marino and the dolphin. Can you believe Einhorn a man! Better late than never Marino and the dolphin mascot back for the second half of the Super Bowl! All great performances from Carrey, Cox, Sean Young, and Tone Loc. So if you haven't watched, please do but I'm sure your like the millions who have watched Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Plenty of laughs plus enjoy the film that really made Jim Carrey a star. This is much better than some of Carrey's more overrated works like Liar Liar and The Truman Show.


Jim Carrey is awesome. Ace Ventura is such a well made movie. The script is great, the acting is great, but Jim Carrey is the best. He just has this way of knowing exactly what to do to make you laugh. What gets me the most is the little stuff in the movie that you might not see the first time. Somebody'll be talking and Jim will be behind them just being himself and it's hilarious. Great, great movie.


a surprising hit of a movie Jim Carrey's big breakthrough. In this movie he plays the character Ace Ventura who's an eccentric popper who finds animals for people. When the Miami Dolphin's dolphin is kidnapped they hire Ace to find the animal. This movie is one of the funniest movies ever! It also helped Courtney Cox's career a lot, you must see this if you don't have a stick stuck somewhere hehe and if you like to laugh 8 out of 10!


ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE had plenty of laughs, but some of the humor was stupid. Jim Carrey was part of that. He was funny mostly, but also very dumb. The reason I like this movie is because I like that type of movie-Cops or robbers or detectives and stuff(BEVERLY HILLS COP, 48 HRS, LETHAL WEAPON, etc.). This one was like those, but not quite worthy. I liked it, and recommend it to any Jim Carrey fan, or someone who just wants some, comedy that's stupid, yet funny. 7/10


This is an okay effort from Jim Carrey. It really doesn't let him prove himself as a genuine good actor, the role is a little restrictive. This film spawned a whole bunch of look-a-likes for carrey, and it wasn't until Cable Guy came out, that I figured out he was seriously a good actor. This effort is funny, to a certain extent, the butt talking, etc. can be enjoyable. But, after a little while it gets a little tiresome. If want a genuine good comedy, don't rent this one, but if you just are looking for a couple of cheap laughs, by all means rent it.


The title of this comment is how I describe Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Why? It proves that low-brow humor isn't dead, and you don't have to be ashamed of laughing at it. Like "Home Alone," four years earlier it was slammed by the critics,and admired by the fans. Unlike "Home Alone," none of the critics ever changed their minds. When I first saw it, I thought it may have had a few good laughs, but instead, the laughs never stopped. The scene where Ace catches a bullet in his teeth was a bit overblown, but then so was the rest of the movie, and it worked, so I'm not complaining. On the other hand, the sequel wasn't so hot, and the Saturday Morning Cartoon Spin-Off based on this comedy classic suffers from the same problems as most Saturday Morning Cartoons based on successful movies...endless repetition of notable catch-phrases.

 Every so often, Citadel Press publishes a series of books compiling notable films of each decade. If the publish a "Films of the Nineties" book, they would be foolish to exclude "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."


Ace Ventura would surely have to be one of the all time comedy greats. Jim Carrey is a comical genius, and this film lets him go as far as he wants to. This film comes highly recommended from me, so you know its a classic, and the only reason I gave it 10, was that I couldn't give it 11.


I can't believe I have to give a 10 to this movie. Okay, so the plot isn't that amazing. A bit weird, but not amazing. The acting performances aren't anything special, either. But so WHAT? This movie is supposed to be a whacky comedy, and that it is. Folks say Jim Carrey can't act, and he can only do weird faces and maneuvers. Again: so what? All a crazy comedy needs to be considered terrific is that it is FUNNY, right? I laughed just about through the whole movie. It is true, that a movie like this does not give too good a picture of Mr.Carrey's acting ability, but this sure shows that he's an exceptional comedian. This is the type of movie that you either like or hate, it makes you laugh or cry. Some people can't understand this kind of humor but I sure can.


What a funny movie! Carrey's a comedic legend and in Ace he found the ideal showcase for his talent (which, sadly, he beat to death in the lackluster sequel). Ace is on a totally different planet and he couldn't care less for social conventions or politeness. He just likes his animals and bonking Monica from friends (fair enough, says you).

I don't understand people who don't get it. COME ON, it's FUNNY! Anyway, your loss because this one kicks butt.


Ace Ventura is Jim's best movie.If you haven't seen any of Carrey's movies rent this one first.The other movies he did are good but they don't compare to this one.

You know, i can't understand why some people didn't liked this movie.What's wrong with it, the faces he does the things he says is so funny.

People who didn't like ace ventura are people who probably liked "The waterboy".Boooring....!!


Possibly the best film Jim Carrey has ever graced the screens with. With the sexy Courtney Cox along-side him and his own funny personality, it couldn't go wrong. A fantastically funny movie.


After The Wild Bunch had pushed back a few boundaries in terms of violence, especially within the western genre, there followed a spate of similar westerns. Billy Two Hats, Chato's Land, The Hunting Party, The Revengers and The Last Hard Men were among the front-runners. Also on any list of brutal '70s revenge-westerns would be The Deadly Trackers, originally planned as a Samuel Fuller movie but completed by Barry Shear after Fuller quit the project. This violent, bloodthirsty film is, alas, somewhat disappointing.

Irish sheriff Sean Kilpatrick (Richard Harris) looks after the Texas town of Santa Rosa and has made a point of solving crimes and capturing criminals without resorting to violence. In fact, he has never in his life fired a gun in anger, yet has somehow fostered total law, order and respect among the townsfolk. His methods are tested to the limit when outlaw Frank Brand (Rod Taylor in a surprisingly sadistic performance) and his gang rob the local bank. During their escape attempt, the outlaws inadvertently kill Kilpatrick's own wife and child. Devastated, Kilpatrick ditches his anti-gun, anti-violence attitude and pursues Brand and his cronies. The chase leads to Mexico, where Kilpatrick has no official authority and is viewed as little more than an outlaw himself. The Irish sheriff tracks down and kills Brand's gang one-by-one, until just he and Brand remain.

Just a year earlier, Barry Shear had made the film Across 110th Street, regarded as the most violent movie ever made up to that point, so it's perhaps no surprise that this film emphasises the gore and brutality to the extent it does. Harris is quite memorable as the Irish sheriff, giving another of his energetic performances, and Taylor's villainous turn reveals an ugly side rarely portrayed by the actor in his other films. However, in most aspects The Deadly Trackers fails to make the grade as a good, worthwhile film. It is far too simplistic for its own good, with no resonance beyond the immediate plot (and the plot itself is pretty basic, being nothing more than a straightforward chase narrative). The supporting performances are generally rather lacklustre, possibly because none of the characters beyond the two principal players carry much depth or interest. Also, the story is dismayingly familiar, with precious little that it fresh or original; just lots of tired and predictable scenes that have been begged, borrowed and stolen from many other sources (even the music is lifted directly from The Wild Bunch.... perhaps to keep the budget down?) On the whole, The Deadly Trackers is a dismal misfire in which the detail to violence and the intriguing lead performances are the sole points of interest.


Richard Harris is Sean Kilpatrick, the unlikely sheriff of a small Texas town who always tries to avoid violence. However, he undergoes a major change of heart once Frank Brand (an excellent Rod Taylor), a cold-blooded outlaw, and his nasty gang, cause a ruckus in his town, and lead to the deaths of Kilpatrick's wife and son. Kilpatrick relentlessly tracks them down, even as they cross the border into Mexico, where Kilpatrick's progress is both helped and hindered by Mexican policeman Gutierrez (Al Lettieri), who is also after Brand but wants to do things the legal way.

While this Western (from a story by Samuel Fuller, also the original director but fired after disputes with star Harris) won't be for everybody because of its grim and sometimes ugly nature, there's no doubt that it hits a real nerve. It doesn't glorify vigilantism and instead works as an examination of how an obsession with "justice" can lead basically good people down a very dark path. As the movie goes on, Kilpatrick displays a newfound proclivity towards ruthlessness. (Perhaps most interesting is having Brand display a touch of humanity late in the movie as he tries to reach out to his own daughter.) It also serves as a good contrast between conflicting ideas as Kilpatrick and Gutierrez strike up their rather volatile relationship.

Excellent widescreen photography is one asset; a most amusing supporting cast is another. Neville Brand is great as "Choo Choo", so named for a rail tie at the end of one limb where his hand used to be. William Smith is interesting as the thuggish but seemingly mentally challenged "Schoolboy", and Paul Benjamin is fine as Jacob, the dapper black gentleman who for whatever unfathomable reason rides with these men and puts up with a lot of their nonsense. But Taylor is the most fun as the swaggering lowlife who puts the whole plot into motion.

The movie is rather slowly paced, but offers a very adult story for Western fans. It packs a rather mean punch and while not particularly memorable, it's still pretty good entertainment.

7/10


Richard Harris, who has appeared in quite a few westerns for

being from across the Atlantic, tackles another role with gusto in

this hard hitting 1973 film.

Harris is Kilpatrick, a pacifist sheriff in a Texas town. Rod Taylor

and his gang rob the bank, kill a few people, and get set to ride off

with the loot. Harris blocks their departure with a system the town

has rigged up so as not to kill anyone, just capture them. He does

not believe in guns, and only shoots to injure and scare, not kill.

Taylor and the gang kill Harris' wife and child, and ride away, with

Harris on their trail. He does not let that pesky Mexican border

deter him either, as he rides on through and meets another

lawman a lot like him.

Al Lettieri plays Gutierrez, who is also after Taylor. However,

Gutierrez's pacifism comes to annoy the viewer as well as Harris.

The Mexican sheriff is insistent on letting justice prevail, always

looking for witnesses, and never just going after and killing the

bloodthirsty gang.

Harris begins to catch up to the gang, and dispatches them one by

one, until he finally is down to two. He is also on his last nerve, as

he finally gives in to his gun's quick justice. The climactic shootout

in the convent, where Harris finds himself on the same level as

Taylor, is very moving.

Despite the (PG) rating, this is one violent film. Once the viewer

overcomes this, they are definitely in for a wild ride. Harris is great

as the vengeful sheriff who will not die, and brings the same

intensity to this that he showed in the "A Man Called Horse" series.

Rod Taylor goes down in western film history as one of the

meanest villains on celluloid. One great scene has him describe

how he murdered his father, as even his jaded gang looks at him

in horror.

In the outlaw gang- William Smith, who seems to have been in

everything and you will recognize him the minute you see him,

does well as the seemingly retarded Schoolboy. Neville Brand is

good as Choo Choo, who earned that nickname because he has

a section of rail where his hand was. Paul Benjamin is great as

Jacob, a very intelligent black man who uses his wits to outsmart

the rest of the gang, but cannot get past how others feel about his

color.

As mentioned before, the cast is great except for the character of

Gutierrez. Eventually, he became a thorn in the side of Harris and

the audience. He never seemed to get what Harris was trying to

do, and adhered so closely to the law that he became annoying.

His final murderous act is more frustrating than noble.

Shear's direction is okay, once in a while I would notice the

shadow of a camera in an outdoor scene. His decision to use still

shots from the movie in the opening credits might have people

checking the pause button on their VCR, and I am not sure why he

did this. His actions scenes are good, with good stuntwork, but

again, be forewarned of the violence, especially directed toward

children.

Despite an equally awkward title, "The Deadly Trackers" is good

adult western fare that probably should have received more praise

than it has- especially for Taylor and Harris. I highly recommend it.

This is rated (PG) but contains strong physical violence, strong

gun violence, brief sexual violence, gore, strong profanity, very brief

female nudity, and sexual references.


I find it interesting how I can reconcile my feelings about this film. On the one hand, it's a boldly intense revenge Western, while on the other, there's so much nonsense going on that with any serious scrutiny one might dismiss it as gross caricature. Take the character of Choo-Choo (Neville Beand) for instance - how exactly did 1880's medical technology manage to graft a chunk of railroad track to his right arm? Then there's Gutierrez (Al Lettieiri), the Mexican Federale - you mean to tell me that he gets shot off his horse, does a forty foot swan dive over a cliff, and some time later manages to get up and walk away? I had him a goner, but if he could have survived, how so without a broken back?

Then there's the main character himself, Sheriff Kilpatrick, ably portrayed by Richard Harris. Now I know it doesn't take much of a stretch to go from pacifist to hell bent avenger after seeing your family wiped out, but how about some discretion. Kilpatrick just jumps right in without thought of consequences, like jumping that big lug Schoolboy (William Smith). OK, I know that had to work out to keep the story going, but gee, the guy looked like he just finished a workout at World Gym.

There's something else about Kilpatrick - did you notice that after every one of his bloody encounters (that first one with Schoolboy was the worst), he appears in the next scene with a clean set of duds. I didn't notice any Chinese laundries along the way, so it left me wondering how he might have managed that. Maybe I'm being picky, but didn't anybody else think about that?

Here's something neat though - I liked the idea that Kilpatrick had the town of Santa Rosa so organized that they were able to back him up at a moment's notice with all hands on deck. If these were the citizens of Lago, there would have been no rest of the story in "High Plains Drifter". Something to think about.

As for the finale, I'm not buying it. After all that Kilpatrick and Gutierrez had gone through to catch up with Brand (Rod Taylor), the Mexican lawman would just shoot him in the back as he rode away? Where's the code of honor among lawmen? Even if Gutierrez wanted to be hard core by the book with Kilpatrick, by the final showdown with Brand it was going to be self defense any way you slice it. So I have to ask, was that really necessary?


Although this western feature has much big name talent, it however fails in quality. The plot is thin.There is too much unnecessary violence. Direction is poor.


I saw this movie in the theater with my father and I have to say even though Sandler can annoy me most of the time, this is one of his better comedies. I think he owes that to Jack Nicholson's performance, since Jack can carry a film so well he also makes the jokes into perfect cues and great laughs. Adam does a good job as well, both actors worked very well together and actually have great chemistry. I think everyone would agree that their version of "I feel pretty" was just so awesome and beyond hilarious. It was also nice to see that this wasn't a typical Sandler film filled with predictable cameo's of his friends, so it showed that he could carry the film without doing the common predictability.

Dave is a man who designs cat suits for fat cats, he has a beautiful girlfriend, Linda, and seems to have it together, only he's actually pretty taken advantage of by his boss and Linda's ex boyfriend. He lets a lot of things go. One day when he is on a plane, he is accused of "assulting" a flight attendant and racist marks, despite the situation actually being the opposite. But he is sent to anger management anyways and is being mentored by Dr. Buddy Rydell, a bit of a psychotic, but this proves Dave's "internal" anger and turns out to prove that Dave does need help and who might be crazier in life.

Anger Management is sometimes a bit silly, but I love this comedy, it's always good for so many laughs. Buddy was just so awesome in that scene where he has to pull his car out of the parking spot, but there is another car blocking him and he just handles it "his way", you'll have to see. Adam and Jack were great together and I would recommend this film for anyone. Like I said, it's not a typical Sandler film and really works well.

7/10


This is a funny movie. When my husband and I went to see it in the theater we were actually laughing out loud. And it was not just us, it was everybody in the theater. Someone looking for a deep and meaningful plot will not find what they are looking for, however it is one of the best plots of all the Adam Sandler movies. It would also not be for anyone who would easily get offended by off-color jokes. Jack Nicholson is hilarious as the Anger Management therapist. He has some of the funniest parts in the whole movie. Adam Sandler is not to shabby himself as the not angry guy learning to be angry through a series of seemingly unfortunate and random events.

If you are an Adam Sandler fan or a fan of the screw ball comedy, you will love this movie.


Adam Sandler (Dave Buznik) is a mild mannered and submissive business man with an apparent knack for getting himself into unfortunate and disastrous situations. After a very small misunderstanding aboard an aeroplane escalates out of control, Dave is sentenced to Anger Management at the hands of Jack Nicholson (Buddy Rydell)

Dr. Rydell is a therapist with a tendency for the unusual. As the therapy progresses things seem to get worse and after another huge slice of misfortune, Dr. Rydell is forced to move in with Dave and conduct 30 days of intensive Anger Management.

With good comic performances from Sandler and especially Nicholson and some hilarious interaction from the support cast 'Anger Management' is certainly not short of laughs; but it does seem to get a little muddled along the way. That said the movie finishes well (although totally unbelievable) and ends up as a comedy film you'd be silly to miss out on.

7/10


Adam Sandler was great and Jack Nicholson was his usual crazy self. This funny, out of character Adam Sandler vehicle was bumpy at best, with a rather insulting Buddhist monk scene and some unintentionally dumb sequences as well as some overly obvious cameos which made the movie campy though tolerably cute. This feel good, though somewhat over the top anger solves anger philosophy ends up with a small twist and a satisfying conclusion. It was nice to see Adam Sandler can act. Both Sandler and Jim Carrey are gaining a lot of respect from me lately. Different, diversionary, insipid in places, but a pleasant romantic comedy. Seven out of ten stars.


This is the best Adam Sandler movie I have ever seen.

I am no longer a teenager so I generally avoid Sandler's movies like the plague. Beside a couple of Penis-envy jokes this movie is actually a joy to watch in mixed company.

Well worth your time.

If this is some of Jack Nicholson rubbing of on Sandler I look forward to Sandler's next movie.

Nicholson is completely over the top with his role.

Rating 8/10 for a comedy. 10/10 for a Sandler comedy.


This movie is purely wonderful slapstick. Jack Nicholson as the quirky anger management therapist Dr. Buddy Rydell and Adam Sandler as patient Dave Buznik. It's amazing to see how insane yet practical Rydell's (Nicholson) methods are. A great movie to see if you're a Nicholson and/or Sandler fan.


What is the funniest thing about this comedy? Adam Sandler? Hardly. The best thing about this movie is Jack Nicholson. he's the sole reason this movie is funny.

So, Dave (Sandler) is this geeky guy, who has never lost his temper in his life, who by fault of an mistake in an airplane is ordered by a judge to see a anger consultant Buddy Rydel (Nicholosn), whose unorthodox anger management methods soon drive this mosey man crazy. And then there's Dave's personal problems with his girlfriend Linda (Marisa Tomei).

As for comedy Anger Managment flows pretty nicely and the jokes are mostly in their correct places and it has very few awkward moments, which seldom plague comedies of this particular genre.

Can't actually think of anything extremely negative to say about it, I'm very pleasantly surprised by the flick, it gave me good laughs and it will probably last multiple viewings, thanks to Nicholson, who really keeps this movie above the gray mass of comedy sea.


no, i really didn´t expect much, because of what i had read, and because i am not much of an adam sandler fan. however, i´m faithful to jack and see whatever he's done on film. and god, did i enjoy myself. i went to the cinema with my boyfriend and a friend of ours and all three were laughing on end. so did the couple next to us and the guys behind us. ok, i´m not saying that this was the best film ever, but given the circumstances, saturday night out after a week of work (including all saturday), this was just the film that made us happy. and we´ve been talking about some scenes for 2 days now. in fact, we´ve decided to buy the video once it´s out,because this will be just one of the feel-good movies one likes to see every once in a while. jack is great in what he does, and every bit of what makes jack nicholson is in this picture, sandler is good as well, as is marissa tomey (sp?). fans of one of these actors will be deligthed, others maybe not, but hey, it's comedy!


Initially,the idea of Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson appearing together in a film called Anger Management looks good on paper.Unfortunately,what makes this a bad film is that the idea wasn't carried out very well.The story goes along smoothly enough,but what ultimately kills it is a it's totally ridiculous and disappointing ending.The whole idea that all of Dave's situations were staged as part of his therapy brought a very promising idea crashing to the ground with a thud.Perhaps Adam and Jack will make another film together one day,the story idea will be a good one,and this time the idea will be carried out a little better.Sandler has hits and he has misses.For me,this one goes down as a miss.


What could have been a nice little comedy turns out to be a complete bore. Jack Nicholson could not be anymore subdued in his performance here and Sandler, who should have been replaced with an actor like Jim Carrey, does his usual repressed angry man routine that simply falls flat on it's face. Nicholson is supposed to be a weirdo and a man of respectability at the same time but we don't really feel that he is all that credible as an authority and his weirdness is just annoying instead of being funny. He tries to provoke Sandler in some kind of pseudo mental health treatment but how is it that Sandler follows his advice even though he knows pretty early on that he is dealing with a nutball.

There are a few decent moments like the opening scene in the airplane with the snotty flight attendants who insist that Sandler is raising his voice, but nearly every comedy uses those jokes so that only generates laughs of recognition than great comedy.

Another amusing scene is with the Buddhist monk who used to be Sandler's bully. Even though, the scene is highly unbelievable it is far better to have the bully be exactly the same as he used to be than having him totally transformed into a good guy. The casting of John C. Reilly was also right because he looks menacing enough and is still kind of soft spoken.

Unfortunately, most scenes are just run of the mill psychiatrist jokes and the end could not be anymore contrived. Sandler has not made a movie yet that I could sit through saying "That was brilliant!" but his earlier like "Billy Madison" had ten times more laughs than this. Nicholson should do a Tim Burton or James L. Brooks film next because he has done way better with them than anybody else.


Let me just say one thing, before I comment on this film: Jack Nicholson is a star. I've heard bad things about his personality, lifestyle, bla bla bla, but, the fact of the matter is (no matter what kind of selfish bean he may be) he is a remarkably good actor. The way he can put so much life into his character, how he can make you believe this was an actual event, is amazing. He made the terrible "About Schmidt" a watchable (barely) film. And in his earlier effort, "Anger Managemenet", he plays the most annoying man ever to be put on screen (including that utterly stupid Gilligan) but, this time (thankfully!) to a brain-bustingly hilarious effect.

Dave Buznick is played by Adam Sandler, a calm, relaxed, cool man (despite his "troublesome" childhood) who is, after a roll-on-aisles hilarious scene, given "Anger Managemnt" therapy for 20 hours, with none other than "the" Buddy Rydell. It turns out this two had a past meeting...

One great thing about this film, which is rare (sort-of) in comedies, is the acting. John Tutorro plays the hilarious "Chuck" anger pal to Dave; Allen Covert (star in basically all of Adam Sandler's movies) plays mr."big-weener" Andrew; Jack Nicholson is the unbelievably annoying Buddy, and John Mackenroe even gets off the Tennis courts to make an appearance as a hilarious client to the "therapy". Some of the most standout funny scenes include a bizarre male-prostitute car-scene, the gut-burstingly funny scene in the plane, and when Buddy and Dave go on a terrible, morally unethical (yet damn funny) scene in which they kick the crap out of a bunch of Monks. All in all, "Anger Management" is a hilarious, annoying, feel good film that deserves to be watched by all.

Overall: **** out of ***** (4 out of 5)


Although I was not expecting this to be a classic bit of comedy, I clearly had no idea that the script would be so weak that it could not be saved even with the best efforts of Nicholson and Sandler. Within the first thirty minutes, I observed twelve people walk out of the theater; I managed to hold out for almost an hour.

As expected, the movie contained all of the obligatory direct and indirect references to every conceivable bodily function, both scatological and sexual. Perhaps I am being overly harsh (and maybe even stodgy), but I'm definitely past the point in my life where I crack up at overly-repetitive "pee-pee" and "pooh-pooh" humor. Lest it be thought that I can't enjoy ANY movie in this genre, I should state that I did like "Something About Mary." I guess it's a matter of degree.

As the movie progressed, I kept imagining the scene where actors were reviewing this lame script for the first time and could not help but wonder, "What were they thinking?" Could anyone seeing this dialog on paper possibly think it was funny? There were precious few scenes that worked - and most of them were in the trailer.

My advice: Watch the trailer. Skip the movie.


Mostly silly, with Adam Sandler doing his usual goofy stuff, but Jack Nicholson - looking like Orson Welles - gives the movie exactly what it needs. There are some scenes that we expect in an Adam Sandler movie (e.g., someone eventually exposes something embarrassing about himself), but other parts really hit you. The whole "I Feel Pretty" sequence was a real surprise. And of course, there's some great lines, especially the "phobe" scene. Also starring Marisa Tomei, Luis Guzman, John Turturro, Woody Harrelson and Rudy Giuliani (yes, THAT Rudy Giuliani).

So, in conclusion, I don't feel angry at all after watching this. In fact, I feel pretty. A real hoot.


This movie was one of the funniest films in the first three years of the century. Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson were excellent in this film! I can't believe that so many people criticized this film. I got this on DVD with low expectations. This movie exceeded my expectations. The basic plot line is about a timid businessman who has to undergo anger management because he got "mad" on a plane. A scene that surprised me was when Derek Jeter and Roger Clemens play a very small part at Yankee Stadium. I was surprised because I was not expecting these two players to appear in the film. The chemistry between Sandler and Nicholson was great. The storyline was believable and the script worked. I also like the music played in this film. Fans of Sandler will be laughing at this film like they never had before. I give this movie a 9/10.


Anger Management (2003)

Top 30 - Best Comedies of All Time

Sandler and Nicholson shine in this tremendous comedy of epic proportions. Let me start by saying that this film is solid at most times and has very frequently,scenes of great humour. The acting is good, the lines are good, the characters are good and the story is insane. This is a good film. It's good because of the casting mainly. Nicholson is the greatest non-comedian comedian in the world; if you know what I mean; his exuberant energy and insanity shine in every of his films. Sandler as always (playing the same character) is perfect for the roles he is assigned to. Furthermore, with the exception of the two leading roles, my favourite character had to be Chuck, played by John Torturro with such edge and explosiveness that it is a superb addition to the film.

No need to analyse the film further, only to note that this is a very funny film that can be watched over and over again. What more do you want? Stick the DVD on and laugh for 100 minutes. It's great entertainment...

8/10


The few parts where this movie is somehow mildly funny are totally outdominated by the fact that it is criminally unrealistic. If you get the idea that what happens in this plot is therapy, or might actually work as a therapy, you're out of your mind... if anything this would be the best way to drive somebody completely insane. The only reason this illogic, unfunny, pointless, storyless crap sometimes gets good criticism is the fact that there are some good actors in it... It's just a really cheap idea, not even a new one, splattered across way too much time and resulting in a ridiculous, totally made-up ending that is impossible to believe if you got some sort of a brain...


I thought Anger Management was hilarious. The star of the movie is Jack Nicholson. He is unbelievably funny. Although the spotlight is on Adam Sandler, Jack Nickolson is the real star. He makes the movie truly hilarious. Sandler is also good, and though he's most known only for Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, Sandler was also hilarious in this movie. He is more laid back, and a lot less goofy than in some of his earlier comedies. While Nickolson steals most of the spotlight as far as funny lines, Sandler is actually the more serious character in this movie. The "monk scene" is one of the funniest scenes in a movie that i have ever scene (WILDEBEST!!!) The movie is full of laugh out loud jokes, and is, in my opinion, Adam Sandler's best work yet.


This is the first movie Adam Sandler has made since Punch Drunk Love. Punch Drunk Love was one of my favorite movies of the last year, so it will be unfair to compare his past movie with this one. He made a good effort in this movie. His co-star is Jack Nicholson; Who just came off of making the successful About Schmidt.

Anger Management is really about the stars. If the same exact story line were made into a movie with unknown actors, it would not have been so commercially successful. That is all right, I enjoy watching Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson practice their craft. Their acting abilities of intensity and humor are what made them so successful. These actors have the ability to turn a stale script into a good movie. I feel that is what they did on this movie. They made it better just by participating in the movie. I enjoyed watching them interact, and watch their chemistry. It is rare, but these stars made the movie good.

It was about Adam getting assigned to an anger management class for a falsely accused outburst on an airplane, and he keeps getting falsely accused of anger throughout the movie. His anger management supervisor is Jack. Adam has to pass his program to have charges dropped against him. In the end it all ends up being fake. It was designed with the help of his girlfriend to give Adam a wake up call. The whole thing being a set up is kind of outlandish and impossible, but suspend belief and you will accept it, but then again I am the drunken_critic. 75/100


A special movie. During the whole movie you will feel that either you are crazy or it is the rest of the world. Jack Nicholson must be the leader of some kind of bad sect and the hole world is playing with him. but it is still worth watching the movie.


Why would so many talented people get involved in this piece of garbage? One of the worst movies of the year, with absolutely no respect to any audience intelligence. I left the theatre angry, unable to manage the feeling that I've been had by a bunch of artists that should know better.


I have read a lot of negative opinions, but fortunately I didn't take them seriously. I have found in this film exactly what I have expected - a deep look into typical modern man's programs for lifetime.

There's nearly everything what's important and on top today - repression of emotions, repression of sexuality, repression of basic drive for power and survival... all in one. And all of these is being revealed right into it's true, fully mad picture by Jack Nicholson, a person whom I reckon the second most deprogrammed actor in the world, after the great Anthony Hopkins.

This is a great film, but not for purposes of mindless entertainment, rather for purposes of knowing self. I strongly recommend this film.


Putting Sandler and Nicholson together in a comedy was a great idea. Making it about anger management where Nicholson is a psychiatrist with a short temper himself and Sandler is his neurotic patient with repressed anger is a great premise. All in all however this movie fell short. There were some funny scenes but the plot was forced, and the ending was overly cheesy, well over the top, and a huge stretch. It also seemed to be indecisive about what type of film it was trying to be and this weakened its calibur as well. As a huge fan of Sandler and Nicholson in a variety of genres I can appreciate a good turn-your-brain-off comedy as well as a more defined romantic comedy, but this one seemed to fall somewhere in between and it really didn't work. All in all however, it was enjoyable, despite its many fall backs. I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10.


I didn't know what to expect from this film being a fan of all Sandler films. It was funny on a different level than films like "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmor". It's great that he goes for a more mature sense of humour in this film than most of his other ones. After Mr. Deeds, I thought Adam had hit a wall as far as making good movies, but I enjoyed this one. And hey, Jack was great.


But with him it's just half-garbage.

Really, you have to be very desperate to call this movie a good comedy. Yes, it has funny points, mostly played by Jack Nicholson, but generally it's a failure as a comedy. It's one of the movies, which's trailer consists of all jokes of the movie :-)

+ i cannot understand why Sandler is still used as a comedy actor. He's not much of an actor at all, though Punch Drunk Love was good (goes to show what a good director can do). But casting him into comedy is same as calling Britney Spears a serious singer. Already an idea is ludicrous.

Rating: 2/10


My Rating: * out of ****.

I saw Anger Management for the purpose that there was not much else out. Lets just say, I hated it. I think Adam Sandler has an uneven resume, there are movies I like of his and there are some I just dont care for. I have never actually hated one of his movies (although I never saw Little Nicky, nor do I want to), but Anger Management actually begins a new category. Adam Sandler movies that are plain terrible.

Anger Management offers an interesting premise. But with all the bad and unfunny jokes its just a mess of a movie. There may have been possibly one time when I laughed, but thats it. Theres a twist at the end that I would have thought was more clever, if the movie had been somewhat watchable.

The acting is not much of a strength. I thought Adam Sandler was great in 2002's Punch Drunk Love, but I found him unconvincing and dull here. Jack Nicholson makes his character into a caricature. This performance does call for Nicholson to be over the top, but hes just ridiculous and kind of annoying. I wanted his scenes to be cut or maybe someone else to play the character. Marisa Tomei is somewhat pleasant to save a few scenes of the movie, but she is not in it much.

Anger Management could have been good, and thats probably the biggest disappointment. It needed a more intelligent script, and as much as I'm a fan of Jack Nicholson, I dont think he should have been in this movie. Anger Management is a waste of a movie.


Before i watched this movie i did not think it was going to be very funny,but when i did see i laughed almost all the way through. Adam Sandler's chracter really loves his girlfriend in the movie and tries really hard to get her back. John Turturro is also funny in this movie. Bobby Knight and John McEnroe have cameos in this movie. And Woody Harrelson and Heather Graham have small parts in this movie.


This is about the worst Sandler movie I have ever seen. After having seen one hour I was still waiting for my first laugh... I was bored to death, so I didn't watch the whole movie... and usually I like Sandlers movies, but this one hits the bottom...


before this film i usually used to say 'no' to his films, i saw solely this one because of Nicholson, i was not too sure this film amusing me as im a guy whom films normally dont impress but also i do not have a critic's eye, i'm like a normal film viewer. but i can say now, this is one good film i have seen in years because of its light comedy. but here i would also like to add, if you are a normal film viewer with no intense standard towards films then you probably should see this one but if you reckon yourself a critic who watches a film from inside out or every thin line comes on the screen then may be you must wait till you hear about it from a mate like yourself, all in all i generously hereby allow 8 marks out of 10.


Jack and Adam have to be one of the better pairings in film in years. Jack is the one allowed to go over the edge throughout most of the film and Adam plays the more restrained straight man. It has enough of a twist in the plot so that it is not predictable. It is an enterataining comedy that makes you think (well at least pay attention somewhat). It is worth your time to catch this flick.


This was a poor movie with Jack Nicholson, he is one on my favorite actors, Jack accepting to do a movie like this is a real dissapointment. Why did he do it? A sharper script would have helped a lot , the story line was very weak.


'Electric Shadows' tells a story about a girl named Ling Ling and her friend Mao Dabing against the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution in China. The film starts with Dabing (Xia Yu), a teenager who loves movies, accidentally falling into a brick wall with his bicycle. The walls collapses, a girl picks up a brick and smashes Dabing on the head. Then the girl, who seems unable to speak, asks Dabing to feed her fish while she has to stay with the police. He agrees and in the girl's apartment he finds her diary, learning that she is indeed his old friend Ling Ling (Qi Zhongyang).

While he is reading her story we see the images, starting with Ling Ling's mother, how she always wanted to be a famous actress or singer, how Ling Ling was born as an unwanted child, how her mother wanted to end her own life but due circumstances changes her mind. Ling Ling's mother becomes a caring mother who wants nothing but the best for her daughter. Dabing enters the story, at first a bully for Ling Ling but after a while they become best friends. In the meanwhile Ling Ling's mother spends a lot of time with Uncle Pan, the town's movie operator. This is of course where the kids find their love for the movies, and Ling Ling's mother finds the love for a new man.

I should say nothing more about the story. We understand things will get complicated since Dabing and Ling Ling did not recognize each other when he was smacked with the brick. We also see that some terrible things must have happened to Ling Ling. All those things are for you to discover with this terrific film from first-time director Xiao Jiang. In a way this film is about loving movies, the way 'Cinema Paradiso' is that. The director told the audience that she was honored with this comparison, but it seems only right. 'Electric Shadows' is original in its own way, but shows a lot of older Chinese pictures, honoring them. The performances ask again for comparison with 'Cinema Paradiso'. The adults are good, especially Ling Ling's mother, but the child performers here are the best thing. The film shows them most of the time when they are around six years old. The way kids around that age say anything that comes to mind is perfectly portrayed here, with two effective kids for Ling Ling and Dabing. Much of the humor in the film comes from them and their moments together.

Although the final moments of the film play in a conventional way the scenes work. Everything comes together, making 'Electric Shadows' a real finished picture, accessible for larger audiences than a lot of other Asian films. The film has its flaws. It shifts back and forth in time where it does not really have to, like the director just chose a couple of moments to do so. The same with the narration. Sometimes we hear Dabing and his life story, sometimes we hear him reading her diary, sometimes we hear Ling Ling herself like she is reading or writing her diary. Both things do not really matter, but show how hard it is to make the right choices, especially when you direct a film for the first time.


ELECTRIC SHADOWS is such a little treasure that I want to plug it in to every film lover I know. The comparison to Italy's "Cinema Paradiso" is apt in the most important way because it's all about how movies enrich the life of a child. In other ways, the film is so vastly different from writer/director Giuseppi Tornatore's lovely work, which is quintessentially Italian: big with emotions, architecture, color, performance, length and budget. In this short and seemingly simple Chinese film, lack is everywhere, from the missing father to the lives these characters lead: where they live and work, what they have to eat and how they get around (the bus in which sister escorts her baby brother is a perfect case in point).

Yet thanks to a style that is warm, honest, rich and--especially--gentle, a story full of quite awful happenings is told in such a way that whatever director/co-writer Jiang Xiao offers us, including some pretty heavy coincidence, we gratefully accept because all of it works beautifully toward her goal of celebrating film, family and friendship. Her achievement is all the more surprising because the movie--her first, and filmed, it would appear, on an awfully small budget--starts out simply and charmingly then quietly builds until it reaches a conclusion that ties everything together without a whiff of heavy-handed melodrama or overkill. In the Special Features, the director explains her purpose, how she came to film-making, and her hope to do something worthy for the major anniversary of Chinese film. I can't imagine a better gift to the country, its growing film industry, or the widening world of international film lovers. Enjoy!


Maybe it was because I was on a flight from Beijing where I fell in love with the country and the city, or maybe because I compared it to the other Chinese film they showed on the plane (it was horrible). Anyway, I loved this movie. In contrast to most American movies I too often see, this film had a story that captured you from the start, and never let you go. Add to this clever kid actors performing and acting their age (unlike 30-year old Dakotas or Haley Joels), and otherwise good performing all the way. No explosions, car chases or guns being fired, but more capturing and exciting than most films containing those types of elements. I can't wait until I get to see the next movie with this director, these actors or actually anything with anyone involved in the making of if this movie. Did I mention that the photography/scenery is stunning?


I'm not entirely sure why I passed on this film when it landed in my city. Perhaps it was a busy schedule or perhaps it was the blatant comparison to the Italian "Cinema Paradiso" in the advertising used for this film.

With all due respect to the "CP", while the two films share an early common thread of a young child with a passion for movies (with a requisite "single mom" in a small town), these two films should not really be compared side by side. The desire and temptation toward comparison would be deceptive and misleading to most expectations of most potential viewers. Indeed, they are very different stories. Nor should "CP" used as a benchmark for all films which have a child character that enjoys going to the movies. Not that it isn't without merit, but, rather, again, this is a different film with a very different feel. The Italian film was meant to have a big emotional bang; this Chinese film, however, goes the restrained route of slow, emotional realization.

We meet our heroine, Ling Ling, as she commits what appears to be an act of senseless violence-- striking a bicycle-riding man on the head with a brick. Then as the wounded victim (Mao Dabing) confronts his assailant we are utterly confounded by her silent, dogged insistence that he go to her apartment and feed her fish-- it is she who should be owing him redress, not vice versa. Dumbfounded, the victim agrees and there begins a journey back into the events that led up to Ling Ling's seemingly incomprehensible action against him. It is this backward shift of gears that forces a discovery of character revelation which goes beyond a simple childhood love of film.

As Dabing sifts through Ling Ling's possessions (most notably her diaries), he comes to learn how life sometimes has a peculiar way of coming full circle; events which may seem random and senseless are not always necessarily what they seem to be. And, in many ways, as the plot unfolds, this is actually a small film about forgiveness and reconciliation. In this respect, it seemed vaguely reminiscent of the Chinese film "Seventeen Years".

Enjoyable little film -- a tale of family, friendship, loss, and reconciliation-- which should be allowed to stand on its own merits and not be unnecessarily thrown into a comparison with other films for the sake of marketing. This a decidedly Chinese film.


Jiang Xian uses the complex backstory of Ling Ling and Mao Daobing to study Mao's "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) at the village level. The film has the elements and pace of Chinese opera and so appears slow and sometimes sentimental to the foreign viewer. But the movie provides a window onto contemporary life in China, with its focus upon villagers in the city, the consuming quality of subsistence--daily struggle, family and local cruelties--and the appeal of movies as escape, fantasy, and, ultimately, as source of community. This last is the most radical element in the film, for it suggests the modern--and universal--experience of culture will replace the insular Chinese traditions. The child actors are particularly fine.


I loved this movie! It was much better than Beijing Bicycle and most other contemporary Chinese films taking place in modern China. Xia Yu delivers an amazing performance as is expected from him. This movie is somewhat comparable to The Notebook. It definitely ranks up there next to Crouching Tiger and Hero. I cannot praise the movie enough. The movie really has a great twist. It is worth renting all the way. I especially like the portrayal of 1970's China and modern day Beijing. The film sequences from old movies are also great! Being Chinese, I found this movie somewhat accurate in depicting the 1970s. I would recommend this to movie!


During last year's visit to the Hong Kong International Film Festival, it gave me an opportunity to take in first hand and provide for some exposure to Chinese films, specifically those that were made in China. Amongst those that I've seen, I was blown away by the quality of storytelling and craft, and had wondered how soon after would I have the chance to watch something from China again, since our local cinemas don't really bring them in for mass consumption. Hence, this film festival was like a godsend, putting together some classics of the past, together with contemporary offerings from the new generation of directors. The Festival name might be a mouthful, but its objective is no doubt succinct - to introduce us to the magic of Chinese cinema once again.

Electric Shadows opens the festival, and by and large I've heard some really good things about it. The DVD has been available for some time already, but procrastination meant not picking it up, so having it screened as the opening film was no excuse anymore to miss it. And it's no surprise that I fell in love with director Xiao Jiang's first film, which is one with such a compelling story and fine acting, I would think one would likely have a heart of stone not to like it for some reason.

The film's opening introduces us to the character of Mao Dabing (Xia Yu), a water delivery boy who spends the bulk of his wages watching movies in the cinemas. I chuckled at this obvious identification, of someone spending his free time at the movies, and being completely lost in them as a form of escapism from the mundane repetitiveness and perhaps loneliness in his day job. While we follow his point of view for the most part at the beginning, that perspective shifted to a mute girl he encounters, who for no reason pounded his head with a brick, and destroyed his company sponsored bicycle. Persuaded to help her look after her fish while she has to inevitably get detained by the authorities, Dabing thought that he had reached seventh heaven when her apartment turned out to be one huge home theatre.

From there, the pace picks up, and we're transported to some 30 years back into the Cultural Revolution, and rewinds a little bit to the earlier generation. Electric Shadows has a bit of everything, even though some might like to compare it to Cinema Paradiso, I thought that this film had merits to stand on its own two feet despite the obvious comparison. It is its own movie, and while episodic, it never felt disjointed or had portions out of place, but gelled together seamlessly to weave an epic adventure of the story of a young girl Ling Ling, born at an outdoor cinema, and had cinema to be her companion during her formative years. As always, it's the mothers, here Jiang Xuehua (Jiang Yihong) an actress wannabe, who played a huge role in her appetite for films, and for her philosophy to lead a life with their heads held high because of her single parent status, leading to Ling Ling being quite a feisty little girl.

It was a time where film screenings were communal in attendance and experience, in small towns where close knit villagers have that as common mass entertainment. Electric Shadows managed to capture the social and cultural climate of the times, and best of all, had a tremendous number of clips to snapshot various cinematic oldies and gems that you would be tempted to check out should you have the opportunity to do so, one of which is Shining Red Star which will be screened this Saturday. Against this backdrop, Ling Ling leads quite an eventful life, where the pace catapults with the introduction of Mao Xiaobing (Wang Zhengjia), a scruffy kid from out of town whose mischievousness brings trouble, but for their love of movies which brought them together to be best frien uds forever, even though he prefers the action genre where he can make-belief he's the star of the show.

Electric Shadows is such a charming film that you'd find it hard to believe it's actually a first film, balancing drama, comedy and tragedy even with great aplomb, although there were some series of coincidences in the events and characters that you'll find it easy to ignore for the whole movie to work. It's strength also came from the wonderful cast who brought their likable characters to life, and you cannot find better chemistry between the cast members even when some of them take up the same characters albeit for different age groups. You'll feel for mother Xuehua in her resignation to the bad hand Fate had dealt her, you marvel at the dedication of Pan Daren (Li Haibin) the projectionist, you laugh and cry at the antics of the children, especially those of Xiaobing and Bing Bing (Zhang Haoqi) the kid brother who seemed to possess such maturity in his innocence.

It's been a long time since I was moved so immensely moved by a single film, and I'm glad that Electric Shadows shone brightly through and cemented its place in my mental list of all time favourite movies. With amazing cinematography and locales, and a score as performed by the China Philharmonic Orchestra, this is a must watch, a truly exquisite film to sit through, well worth your time and one for repeated viewings. I'm getting the DVD!


But ignore those last three negative reviews. I found this movie delightful but I like poignant movies with happy endings, and great music. Don't forget the music. It is lovely. This is no ordinary movie. It's too bad that there is no rating for the music too since the music by Jiping Zhao is outstanding. It would be a great movie for the whole family to watch.

It is a heart warming story but not mushy since the story is fictional, sort of like Mulan which is based on fiction but has its twists and turns and poignant moments also.

I loved it. I watched it months ago and thought about it and actually rented it from the Public Library and watched it again. I was so involved in just the story the first time I forgot how beautiful the musical score was.

Check it out Americans. You might learn something about our Chinese neighbors. Seriously, it's good for you.

Then go watch The Taste of Tea. You'll become a fan of Asian movies too. Then go check out Wong Kar-Wai and see some more real genius.


ELECTRIC SHADOWS is the delightfully charming debut from the Chinese director, Xiao Jiang. Her film asserts that there is a wondrous and remarkable connection between the mystery of dreaming and film appreciation. In Chinese, 'electric shadows' is the literal translation for the word 'cinema'. The characters in this film have an intense emotional attachment for motion pictures, and their lives have been shaped and guided by the movies they love. The rather strange storyline concerns a bicycle delivery driver who crashes his bike and is assaulted by a mysterious young woman. She is apprehended, and allows him to stay in her apartment to feed her fish. Within her apartment is a shrine to the Golden Age of Chinese motion pictures. During his stay, he discovers the girl's diary, and then the film becomes a flashback about how she came under the spell of the cinema. ELECTRIC SHADOWS is a marvelous mix of drama, comedy and tragedy with several young children in leading roles who effectively portray the innocence and delight of childhood. ELECTRIC SHADOWS is an alluring and enthralling melodrama which interprets the irresistible power of film.


1st watched 4/2/2009  7 out of 10 (Dir-Xiao Jiang): Well delivered, emotional story about a girl, her ups & downs in her life, and how movie viewing and movies in general, were involved in the whole process. The main character is introduced at the beginning of the film after a paper boy runs into a stack of bricks in an alley and is assaulted by the girl for some reason. When he awakes from his injury, he wants to find out why she did this and looks for her. When he finds her, she doesn't tell him why she did this(she also can't hear, it appears) but asks him to take care of and feed her fish  knowing she's going away. He doesn't really want to do this, but as her enters her apartment where she lives he discovers a mini theatre-like room with a diary that he begins reading. The diary reveals the life of the girl and the movie then really begins as we discover what her life was like. The story of her and her family revolves around an outdoor theatre that the local townfolk come to in the evenings. Her mom announces the evening event through a loud speaker and becomes associated when the man who plays the films. Her mom wanted to be a movie star or singer but after bearing a child(the main character) out of wedlock is shunned by the locals and her dreams disappear. The rest of the movie follows the young girls friendships made and lost and the history of the outdoor theatre that eventually closes down due to the invention of television. The daughter is told early in life that her real father is a movie star(which is not true) but this also keeps her fascinated to the screen. The movie is wonderful at how it displays this story and the various characters although it is sad at various times, but if you are looking for an interesting and compelling and sensitive story about real life you will enjoy this one.


I have a pretty high tolerance for slow period pieces, but this one pushed me to the limit.

The first 5 minutes, and the last 10 minutes were okay. Everything else in between was a snore fest.

If you don't mind watching annoying, boring children try to act for over an hour straight then I suppose this might be the movie for you. Personally though, I spent most of the movie hoping all those kids would fall in a well.

The plot was contrived and relied completely on massive coincidences to drive itself, the children had way too much screen time and were annoying, and I got about ten times as emotionally attached to a puppy that was on screen for about 30 seconds than I was to any of the main characters.

Three thumbs down!


...does a pre-adolescent girl who'd lost her hearing manage to run away from a small village and in 10-15 years end up living in a big city high-rise apartment complete with a storage room, a well-equipped private screening room that seats at least ten and a balcony that just happens to overlook the hutong inhabited by her long-estranged parents...in contemporary China (population: 1.4 billion)? I know one is supposed to suspend disbelief at the movies, but this is beyond ridiculous! And how about the fact the the young man she injures in the present-day part of the story just happens to be an "adopted" childhood playmate from whom she was separated dozens of years before, hundreds of miles away? And the fact that she doesn't even recognize the guy whom she thinks has killed a beloved pooch and yet trusts and sends him to look after her fish, so that he can conveniently discover their childhood connection that lasted, what, maybe a week, which is more than enough time for an enraged father to locate his errant son in a small Chinese village? This is probably the worst-written Chinese film to make it to western arthouses and festivals in many a moon. It is an insult to the pre-Communist and Communist movies about which it waxes nostalgic. And shame on the critics who bestowed even an iota of praise on this wrongheaded and sentimental hogwash!


This movie is also called "Electric Shadows," not to be confused with the "Electric Shadows" listed in IMDb, which is a documentary about Hong Kong cinema. "Meng ying tong nian" is a drama set in Communist China.

Anyway, this movie was slow,depressing and dull. If anything good ever happened in Communist China, it never made its way onto a movie screen. If you've seen a lot of movies from Communist China, you've seen others like this. There's a child protagonist, dreary conditions, and a not quite poignant plot. Of course there are scattered acts of violence, repression and bullying. The boy-favoring ways of Chinese families rear their ugly heads.

Although advertised as being similar to "Cinema Paradiso," it isn't in the same league. It has that depressing Chinese movie feeling. The many clips of old Chinese movies shown in it are dreary and unlikable themselves. The landscape and buildings are mostly depressing.

In the end it picks up a little, but that doesn't redeem the movie. I consider myself to have been rooked into seeing this movie by the "Cinema Paradiso" comparison. The art movie theater in my town is empty most of the time. They need to stop lying to the customers. We'd come out to see the good art movies if we could tell which ones they were.