Reviews

Saw it last night (April 5th) at Philly Film Festival. Mr. Macy, Jason Ritter and Fiona Glascott were all present and were gracious to the max.

This film was clearly a labor of love and had a very difficult "birthing". But it never connected with me in any significant way (especially the "quasi-insider making of a movie" road it took us down).

Macy as ALWAYS is magnificent. Meg Ryan is...well Meg Ryan and that is NOT all things bad. I think Jason Ritter has a great future in the business (and did fine work in the late and very lamented TV Show Joan of Arcadia too).

But I thought the plot as far as I could discern it was both muddled and totally unbelievable. I know it made sense to folks more in tune with things that could go right/wrong/changes of direction in getting a film greenlighted and made.But I'm far from an insider so the references were quite lost on me for the most part.

To me it doesn't quite make it as satire (or I didn't get it) and not funny enough to be a sustained comedy.

But I truly hope it is just me and this film gets an audience and makes $$ for those (especially Mr. Macy) who put their heart, soul and funds into its making.

Great cast, a very good recreation of "the times" (1940s) in almost every way (hey, I was "there").

Costumes/cars authentic and I loved watching all of the "smoking" (e.g. in nice restaurants, etc.) scenes.Though I'm a non-smoker and HATED those who puffed while I dined, for some reason those scenes made me a bit nostalgic (probably because I did not have to actually breathe-in that poison).

When the movie ended I wanted more however (and it is tantalizing/frustrating to read in another Thread that there is a much longer version of this film that was deemed not the right fit for current theatrical release).

Enjoyable and fun film. Cooper/Clarkson perfect (as always) and I feel Pierce is very underrated as someone who is way more than a "pretty face".

Probably already addressed in an earlier Thread but what was the first word in the last song played over the Closing Credits???? Something about "...... Still Ruling the World" or "....... Still in Charge". I THINK I understood the first word just want my hearing confirmed.

Which brings me to my far more important question: with all the information for all the movies here on this great website, IMDb , is there a link (either on a specific movie basis, or generally) to the exact titles//credits to Songs//Music on the soundtrack (whether or not commercially recorded on other media) of the movies (or even TV shows!!) that are otherwise documented here to the nth degree??? I hope the answer is "yes, here's where you find the songs played in each movie....".

Thanks for any links too....

I loved the first episode but like another poster feel betrayed (small bee) by the killing off of Tom Skerritt's character.

The second episode was not only lightweight pap--why was I not watching "The Wire"?-- but the family's apparent "legal" decision to "upgrade" a securities and heaven knows what other Federal crime committed by their LATE father, into a crime in which the ENTIRE FAMILY can now participate and be implicated in absurd in the extreme. With a family member attorney on board!!! I try to leave my profession at the door while watching TV shows--heck I enjoy Boston Legal!!-- but that cute "little" twist/decision with the under-performing Ms. Griffiths wrinkling her brow asking "is this the right thing to do?" (ANSWER: NO) has chilled my initial enthusiasm for this show. If episode 3 sucketh I'm out!!!! PS--Is it me or does this family have an UNUSUAL number of extremely good looking siblings????

The groundbreaking TV show from 1984. A local reviewer called it an atmospheric muddle. I would half agree: muddle yes, atmospheric maybe.

As someone who worshiped the TV show, and who has visited Miami for the better part of the last 30 years (mother, aunts, cousins, friends all resided there), it was hard for me to tell it was even filmed (in very small part) in the South Florida area. The TV show was as much Miami (clearly) as Rocky One was Philly(obviously). This should have been titled "Uruguayan (or Paraguyan or Soundstage) Vice".

To me the dialogue and lingo were also muddled, muddied and too often overridden by a very mediocre soundtrack. I'm sorry to say I could not even understand the final lines exchanged between "Sonny" Crockett and the Chinese lady (whose character and performance I felt were superior to the others in the cast) The plot was absurd (hope that does not constitute a Spoiler). I love the Michael Mann grainy film stock/dark/light approach but I cannot believe how much this movie could not even stand up to an almost 20 years' past TV show.

Somewhere Don Johnson (and even Phil Collins) is laughing. (BTW over the final credits a new age version of "Something in the Air" was played--I did love the irony of that for all of you old TV-Vice fans).

Hard for me to filter out my decades-long love for this man and his music from my comments.

As a "Concert-Movie"--and I've seen most of them going back to the early 1970s-- it might be the best I have ever seen.

I'm absolutely planning to see it again, maybe more than once. Demme's touch allowing the musicians/the music/the locale to tell the stories was masterful; I felt the editing might have been technically a bit choppy but as "grit/context" it was excellent (kind of "Last Waltz" like but a bit smoother).

But the sub-text that will get to some but not all Neil Young fans (I feel all Neil fans will flat-out absolutely love this movie): this great great man and musician is clearly reflecting on his life in his music, in his banter and in his eyes.

The aneurysm was an unbelievable muse, both in looking back and (hopefully,gently) looking forward. He like me (I'm about his age)--and this is why I suspect the degree of connection to this film might be somewhat related to age--knows most is behind, we hope there's still stuff ahead. This was in there somewhere in each of the film's songs.

The close-ups of everyone are off-putting at first and then I came to treasure the "intimacy".

And never before have I witnessed a film's content-- the great songs that made the final cut--so consistently compatible with this awesome "old man, taking a look at (his) life", surrounded by his "friends" (those that are left), in words, music and atmosphere.

Music lovers: don't miss this movie. Great job by Mr. Demme!!!

Saw this wonderful film in the best possible setting: crisp spring night, packed house at the Philly Film Festival with the extremely accomplished Mr. Riegert there in person to speak of his film.

Indeed it was a nice movie--I'd take one film like this over 50 "Meet the Fockers" any day. But for whatever reason I did not consistently, emotionally connect with the characters even though (no spoiler) there was one amazing, dead-on scene toward the end capturing the complexities of the character(s) and the family dynamic beautifully.

I found certain parts of the plot somewhat unrealistic (in degree, not kind) and although the cast overall was wonderfully assembled with a (according to Mr. Riegert) a very limited budget, unlike the opinion expressed by this fine actor (and Director) I did NOT find the casting of Ms. Rosselini to be the best "match" for the family portrayed. Almost jarring to me at times.

That being said, this is what "indy" films" should be about: a vision nicely executed. I hope the film succeeds on every level.