Excellent, a Must See

Absolutely Fantastic

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Okay... let's start this review off by saying I do have the movie taped from an old HBO showing. The fact that it's not on DVD seems to have actually DEtracted it from the better rating it should be getting. As far as I know, it's still the Bruce Springsteen songs that are holding up a DVD release. Are they worth it? YES! Until you see the movie, you cannot understand the relevance of Springsteen's music to a movie set in the mid 1960s. They really do make all of the difference and to release a DVD without them would be criminal. For the movie itself... it's a wonderful slice of teenage life, whether it be the 1906s or today. Who cannot relate to Jill with her little 45 player, singing along in her room? Has losing your virginity ever seemed so realistic? And the end, where Vincent Spano goes to Rosanna Arquette's dorm room, tears it apart, leading to the confrontation on the staircase???? My best romantic moment ever in cinema, because it is so real. That scene sticks with me as being one of my favorites in cinematic history, it's that good.

After finally getting a VHS copy of this film, I find it is ranked right up there with my all-time favorites. Perhaps you had to have lived in that time, or attended a big-city high school or just be an incurable romantic to relate.Even though this film is 23 years old, the emotions, settings and tragedies of young, rudder-less love are universal and timeless. Is there any among we female viewers who has not either had or wanted to have a "Sheik" type pursue you? Dangerous, enigmatic and probably a big no-no, but extremely intriguing.The film has many subtle nuances that younger audiences my not recognize since the scenes are not thrown at the viewer in quick-time, but the gentle, heart-wrenching moments with the main characters tend to stick in your mind. I will never listen to "Strangers in the Night" again without thinking of the two dance scenes and the emotions they evoke.Spano and Arquette are outstanding as the two star-crossed leads and the acting is both understated and powerful in the same moment. When Jill tells Shiek she just doesn't love him in the dorm scene and he backs up and with a whipped look on his face asks, "why not?", his character is stripped of all pretenses.Shop around for this video, as it is film making with heart like you don't find very often in the current film catalogs. Watch and remember and weep a little for what was and never could be.

This is a real sleeper that should not be overlooked? A clash of two cultures: Sinatra v. the Beatles and upper middle class suburban values v. working class realities.A coming-of-age film sans gratuitous sexuality. Clearly Roseanne Arquette's career took off after this film, but what happened to Vincent Spano? Looking back at the film, I wonder if Nicolas Cage would have made this film more popular.

This is definitely one of my favorite romantic films. It's well acted, well written and well directed. Arquette and Spano's chemistry is wonderful. With the people I've talked to who have seen this film, there seems to be something personal that they can relate to the story. It's definitely not a happy movie, but I think that's what makes it really stick with you. It's starts out somewhat like a period romance you might have seen before. About midway through it takes a turn and may seem to lose momentum. This is what sets it apart from other romances. It has this unpredictability to it that some people might find unsatisfying. I have seen it several times and each viewing is fascinating. It is very rare that such a bittersweet marvel of a film comes along and even rarer that it gets the attention it deserves. One of John Sayles' finest.