How sad is this?

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

dated, cornball, but with truths still to be told; that's the plus side; the negative is don murray who can single handedly wreck any movie; the standard ploy? look as though it's difficult, almost painful to say what you're about to say; in this movie he does it to death, but also in bus stop which could have been a hoot; and it's only cagney's overwhelming performance in shake hands with the devil to keep this one-note guy from wrecking that otherwise brilliant flick; no, i never met the guy, don';t have any reason to dislike the guy, but in his movies you are constantly reminded that one of the charters is trying to act here; overall a tired subject nicely shot but you will be tempted to find something else in the fridge whenever murray tries to take charge

For all you people who liked the film A Hatful of Rain you must get a copy of the play and read that also..It is brilliant. I taught the play for many years in my 12 grade English class. After we read it I would show the film. That film still holds up in many ways. I have noticed that that film plays often on Fox Movie Channel. Chance are you can catch it there if it is still not available to rent or purchase on DVD. All the actors in the film are perfect for their parts. Anthony Franciosa, Don Murray, Eva Marie Saint and Lloyd Nolan play their parts to perfection. Lloyd Nolan is VERY GOOD. His love for one son over the other over is played to the hilt. My students were most impressed with his performance. So will you.

I saw this play-turned-film many years ago on late-night TV and have been wanting a copy for my collection. I miss that late-night discovery of motion picture history from my bed that I received back in my high-school days, when I'd watch whatever was on because they seemed to care to show good stuff on my local station and there was always something I'd never seen. I'd remembered Eva Marie Saint from "On The Waterfront", but she just blew me away in this film. And Tony Franciosa I new from TV. Was it "The Name of the Game"? Anyway, he was great in this film, as he was in "A Face in the Crowd". I wish more people remembered him. Don Murray was also very good. These were all actors hard at work with a great script. It has one of the most moving endings I've ever seen. Where's my DVD?

Ah...the wealth of info that this website provides...never knew that our old pal Michael Gazzo wrote this play/screenplay...another piece of "Godfather" trivia I can now pepper my pals with....And William Hickey's voice was a marvel of genetic engineering even back in his debut film..."Hatful" may appear somewhat dated by today's standards and the direction and performances still seem more stage than film-oriented..but love seeing the old Brooklyn waterfront and those ESSO gas signs again...and the cast puts in a fine day's work...If you liked this one...put "The Lost Weekend", "Man With The Golden Arm" and "Days of Wine and Roses" on the to-do list for comparison shopping purposes.(And for you Tony Franciosa fans out there...you can now turn your attention to line 2 of Tom Waits' "Goin' Out West").....