This movie is a must see. It is what dreams are made of. Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn are once again proving why they have become two of the greatest actors of the 21st Century. Their scenes together are intense and powerful. This is a great film. It works mainly because everything one thinks will happen doesnt. It is really, really great.
i wouldn't say it was "great." a b+ at most. the suspense genre is like an instrument, it has to be finely tuned or it sounds all together wrong. the writing/pace of the film was off a bit, and i feel it could've been better, should've been better, especially with the cast and director as accomplished as they are. nicole turns in another excellent performance, but is often upstaged by her hair. penn, as useal, does very well understating the role. however, the "suspense" didn't feel as nerve-wracking as it should've, but this is coming from a Hitchcock hoochie, so it's possible i have my standards set to high. i'm not saying i expected the film to be on his level, just that it should've been *tighter.* it was really kind of loose. WARNING! possible spoiler if you haven't seen the trailer (which is impossible since it's on every five seconds): as you see on the trailer and in the film, nicole overhears a couple of guys talking about assassinating a major world figure. they are speaking a different language, so the audience isn't really sure what they said. now wouldn't it have been more interesting if they further explored that variable? we don't know what they said, so we could assume that she was making it up, if we wanted to, or were led to believe that we should doubt her. the trust game might have added a little more to it, and added a more interesting/complex relationship b/w nic and sean. what do you think?
I'm with feinstein. Nicole was ok, but couldn't maintain her accent for an entire scene which was really irritating. Sean Penn seemed to be doing a smudged photocopy of his role in Mystic River. Catherine Keener had nothing to do but stand in the background talking into her cell phone. The plot was at once too slender for the running time and totally overcrowded with superfluous characters who were not sufficiently fleshed out. And the direction the plot veers off in towards the end was predictable, implausible and seemingly at odds with everything that had gone before. A big disappointment.
Nothing precious, plain to see, don't make a fuss over me. Not loud, not soft, but somewhere inbetween. Say sorry, just let it be the word you mean.
I wish they had left more of the Keener role in. Editing cut her down to barely a character. Add this to as another Nicole Kidman role I didn't like. But I liked her wardrobe. Too far fetched of a plot. You finally get the chance to film in the UN and they come up with the most "this will never happen" kind of a plot. Somebody explain to me if that bus scene was really needed?
If you really want to help the American theater, don't be an actress, dahling. Be an audience.....
Don't be taken in by the guff that critics are killing the theater. Commonly they sin on the side of enthusiasm. Too often they give their blessing to trash...
Tallulah Bankhead
Just got back from a showing of "The Interpreter". I find it amazing that they were able to make a two hour movie out of maybe fifteen minutes worth of plot. It was a dull snoozefest right from the beginning. Nicole Kidman was wooden. You could tell Sean Penn wasn't interested at all. He had a look on his face that seemed to say, "Okay, let me do this, get my $20 million paycheck, and then go off and do some indie work."
My sister was cast to be an extra in the film, but there were scheduling conflicts. And a whole mess of her friends are extras in it, too. I've got to see it just to see the people I know! LOL... I don't give two sh*ts about the film itself.
It made $22mil, barely covering Kidman's $17mil paycheck. and Penn's at&t bill for phoning in his performance was a little over $14mil
If you really want to help the American theater, don't be an actress, dahling. Be an audience.....
Don't be taken in by the guff that critics are killing the theater. Commonly they sin on the side of enthusiasm. Too often they give their blessing to trash...
Tallulah Bankhead
OK, so just one more opinion added to the mix (and really, that's what everything on these message boards is), but I absolutely loved The Interpreter. I would say it's a must see, and well worth the price of a ticket at the theatre. Having said that, I can understand why some people wouldn't like it--it's a little wordy, and I think that if you don't like West Wing type television, then you won't like this so much. If you have any concept of international politics, though, you'll love it! Just my opinion.
