Strong and Moving!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Yet another movie where the script is unfortunately not able to carry the spectators interest for the whole period. Or, in other words, an idea is not enough and the result is disappointing. Having Americas hottest couple breaking up, putting the question "Will they get together again?" and enrich this plot with some characters that should appear quite overdone but in reality are likely to be even more strange is funny for the first 20 minutes. After that: "Blah, blah, blah" and you have to wait literally until another 50 minutes are gone before there's another gag worth mentioning. The end is screwed up with an idea of a film in the film that is even worse. Sorry, it just doesn't work. Unfortunately there are also not the actors best performances to see so why go and watch this film? Take my advice: Spend your time on some other activity.

There is a common cliché in film commenting, usually by average viewers, the target audiences for films such as this, which goes like: it's good to watch because it allows me not to think and to forget the real world. Something like that. This is a bogus, of course. No one who thinks will stop thinking in front of some unchallenging piece of entertainment, like this film, and those who usually aren't accustomed to question things, won't do it, no matter what film you place in front of them. But i understand the meaning of the concept of "not thinking", and this film has a gold place in the (huge) warehouse of films designed not to be interesting, merely entertain. That's because if the makers of it didn't place interesting leads for us to follow, there's nothing to follow.Well, even in the worst swamps we have some flowers growing, so there are two things i point out here: One is John Cusack. The guy is good, and brings something fresh even to worn out roles like this one. He has a strange way to place himself in between the narrative in the film and us, audiences. Is neither a real life person (like us, as viewers) nor a film integrated character. Instead it seems like he a kind of David Attenborough of cinema, someone who is in the action scene, but comfortably protected by some bushes, while commenting on the dangerous lions meal. He is great.Taking this Cusack situation, i think we have the core of this film. We have 2 plus 2 characters swinging all the time between two distinct realities in the film: that of stardom, and that of the "real life" in the film. Absolutely everything, every joke, every romance bit, every discussion, every plot point swings around the idea that famous actors like Cusack and Zeta Jones' characters have two faces, two lives; one that shows to the whole world, shiny and brilliant, and the reality of boring, unhappy and unfit lives. In the end Zeta Jones sticks to the fake reality of fame, and that's why she stays with the Spanish equally fake character; and Cusack stays with Julia Roberts' character, someone who live in the shadow of stardom all her life, watching and living star environments all the way without ever becoming part of it. There's a public venue where all the assumptions (by the public in the film and the characters) take place. That's a golden rule of date films.So, the way i see it, we have this: the "real" life of Jones and Cusack's characters is to their star profile, in the film, as this film is to real interesting cinematic ideas. Dull, boring, empty, trying to look bright, shiny and appealing. But hey, this entertains, and even if you start thinking about it, you won't take much out of it, so i suppose it completes its purposes.My opinion: 1/5 http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com

I knew the four leading actors and actresses of this romantic comedy film, and that was good enough for me. Basically Gwen Harrison (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Eddie Thomas (John Cusack) were the golden couple of Hollywood, on and off screen, but they broke up, with Gwen falling for Latin actor Hector Gorgonzolas (Hank Azaria), and Eddie having temper tantrums. It is when their new film Time Over Time is being held by its director Hal Weidmann (Christopher Walken), that PR wizard Lee Phillips (Billy Crystal, also writing), with some help from Gwen's assistant, and sister Kathleen "Kiki" Harrison (Julia Roberts), they need to get Gwen and Eddie in the same room together for a press showing that no-one will forget. Of course everything doesn't go smoothly for a little while, but the couple do reunite and try to get through it. In the end, the film Time Over Time is in fact a documentary with real love-hate material made with secret cameras, and it turns out Eddie has actually fallen for Gwen's sister Kiki, so at least it's got some sort of happy ending. Also starring Stanley Tucci as Dave Kingman, Alan Arkin as Wellness Guide, Seth Green as Danny Wax and Larry King. It is good to see satire made like a comedy, when it concerns the Hollywood lifestyle and behind-the-scenes stuff, it might not be the funniest and most witty film ever, but it is likable enough with the good stars and small romantic plot. Good!

This film is really two films in one. There's a sharp black comedy on Hollywood, as well as a pleasant romance. While both parts work, I preferred the comedy over the romance. Billy Crystal has some good one-liners and John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Christopher Walken all seem to be having fun as they satirize Hollywood. Even Larry King joins in the fun. However Cusack seems visibly disinterested in his romantic role opposite Julia Roberts. Roberts can perform this role in her sleep. The film is watchable though it would have been even better as a stand alone satire.Overall 7/10