When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

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.

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

The Willets family finds a boy in their yard. The phone is out and they take him in for the night. His father Roy Sweeney (James Caan) comes in to rob the family but he ends up massacring them. Only the baby survives. Some thirty years later, Arlis Sweeney (Dennis Quaid) travels Texas filling his vending machines. On one of his stops, he encounters stripper Kay Davies (Meg Ryan) who pops out of a cake for a party at the bar. Instead she passes out and as a favor, Arlis takes her to his motel room. He keeps seeing grifter Ginnie (Gwyneth Paltrow) on the road and he gives Kay a ride. Arlis gets close to Kay but they don't know about their past connection.I like the haunted feel of the desolate Texas landscape. Meg Ryan is amazing as the broken Kay. I really like the feel of this movie but a couple of things bothered me a little. It's silly to keep running into Gwyneth Paltrow. Her scenes are better served if she's with James Caan. There's no real need that she keeps almost running into Dennis Quaid. The movie needs slightly more Caan. Gwyneth is good especially as a newcomer. The last act is just anti-climatic. It's missing something. I also don't understand what Roy was trying to do at the house. I guess he is simply a bad man who is torturing his son because Arlis could never tell Kay about that night. It's not like Roy wants something from Arlis. It doesn't make much sense.

If this film had been made in black-and-white in the 1940s, it would surely by now be regarded as a classic. But shot in sweeping colour, set against panoramas of the Texas outback, to a backdrop alternating between isolated bars and run-down motels, sunny plains and dark rainstorms, this must be one of the best modern films noir I've seen in a long time.The four main characters -- played brilliantly and understatedly by Quaid, Ryan, Caan and Paltrow -- are bound together as events unfold and their layers are gradually peeled back for us: aspects of the darker side of human nature that raise questions about blood ties ("flesh and bone") and feelings, guilt and conscience (or the lack of it), and responsibility.I'm surprised I haven't come across this film before, and delighted to have have it now in my collection. An unsung gem, tersely written and thoughtfully directed by Steve Kloves, and brilliantly visualised by cinematographer Philippe Rousselot and editor Mia Goldman. There are no excesses, great little touches and observations, hidden depths, and a lean story. Definitely one to see again.

I think if this movie had some carbs, everything would have been OK. Meg might have filled out her Boom Boom top. Dennis maybe wouldn't have scowled in every scene. James wouldn't have to shoot all the dirty pig farmers in their PJs. And Mrs. Se7en could have stirred up a bowl of mac & cheese for her old man instead of ripping off the dead. I guess those candy bars are carbs, but as ole Dennis says those suckers give you those nasty pin worms from sitting out in the sun. Maybe they should have called it Flesh and Bone and Noodles or something like that. By the way, Dennis, what half wit would hire that guy who was ripping you off? Everyone knows you can't trust that guy...

A friend gave me this tape a few weeks ago, it did not have a cover and I had never heard of it. I was surprised to see who starred in it. Meg Ryan is one of my favorite actresses. She did a real good job of making this part come alive. But I still think the biggest surprise was seeing James Caan play a role without any feeling. He really was evil in this role and was believable as this person. The movie itself really makes you think that whatever you do will eventually come back to haunt you no matter what you do. I also liked Gwyneth Paltrow in the role of a thief, but I wished that I knew why she did the things that she did. And why she would stay with a man that was pure evil. I guess that is what makes the movie so thought provoking. I'm glad that a friend gave this to me to watch, because if I had seen the title I would have thought it was a horror movie. I have since talked other friends into watching it and all have liked it. I would recommend this movie to anyone.