Best movie of this year hands down!

You won't be disappointed!

Good movie but grossly overrated

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I tend to favor Lawrence Kasdan movies, but "Grand Canyon" is a vexing one. In this post-"Crash" world, it seems like I can't look at a high-caliber film about human relations without some inherent baggage. Thanks for that, Haggis."Grand Canyon" smacks of Oscar bait, which is disappointing. And to be honest, I came away disliking a few of these characters (surprising, when they're played by Steve Martin and Kevin Kline; they're unlikely unsympathetic actors). Feels like every time we take a break for the social lesson, someone goes into another speech. What separates this from the more manipulative fare is that there's sincerity in those speeches; like Kasdan's desperately trying to work out that's puzzling him. There's merit to that, but the meandering pace and clunky delivery spoil the lesson.5/10

Everything in this Universe is connected. Intertwined fates of various characters point to their common trait - the primordial search for truth. The transiency and superficiality of imaginary values are obvious in contrast to timeless beauty, symbolized by the grandeur and depth of the Grand Canyon.To live a happy and fulfilled life is possible only through an authentic expression of one's true nature in accordance with the challenges of everyday life. "Is this world a real reflection of what I intended to create?" This film does not give an answer, but reminds us to persistently search for it.

Lawrence Kasdan directs "Grand Canyon", a sprawling ensemble piece which recalls such films as "Magnolia", "Crash", "Short Cuts" and "City of Hope". With the exception of "Short Cuts", these films tend to be very contrived, filled with strained connections and spending much of their time making laboured points about fate, fragility, coincidence and the interconnectedness of life.Though better written than its imitators, "Grand Canyon" does the same thing. Set in Los Angeles, the film glides gracefully across a set of characters, all of whom share common experiences despite their different economic strata, ages and racial backgrounds. Though at times unfocused, the film is ambitious and contains a number of well written sequences, including one in which actor Kevin Kline describes the moment a stranger saved his life. Another scene, in which a father and son share a driving lesson, is particularly beautiful. It points to life's precariousness, the way every mundane activity carries with it both risk and bravery, as well as the infinite number of little "miracles" which occur everyday.On another level, "Canyon" is a "white, middle-class, suburban disaffection movie" in the vein of "American Beauty", "The Ice Storm", "Safe", "Far From Heaven" and "Happiness", most of which were released in the mid 90s. "Canyon", however, predates them all, and is resolutely upbeat. Where those films tend to end in violence, disillusionment and disaffection "Canyon" ends on a note of almost naive optimism. And while most of these films focus on a white, middle class, "Canyon" jumps from the staggeringly rich, to the middle class, to ghetto-trapped African Americans. Another distinction is Kasadan's direction itself, which isn't afraid to drop into surreal territory. The film includes several extended dream sequences, one of which recalls the Coens' "Big Lebowski", another LA flick."Canyon" indulges in two recurring metaphors or motifs, that of "The Grand Canyon" and that of permanently patrolling helicopters, the latter resembling the "med fly" aircraft of Altman's "Short Cuts". Kasdan's point: man is utterly inconsequential when stacked up against a universe that is simultaneously vast, beautiful, horrific, malevolent and seemingly time-less. Elsewhere Kasdam's patrol helicopters offer a mixed sense of guilt, danger and perhaps cosy communal safety, the world presumed dangerous, but rendered navigable alongside the watchful eyes, or even miracles, of others."Canyon" isn't as good as "Short Cuts", but it is better than all the other "ensemble movies" and "disaffection dramas" that came later. In terms of flaws, all of Kasdan's characters speak the same, regardless of their economic standing. The film is also at times very heavy handed, condescending and has that typically overproduced look of early 90s Hollywood.7.9/10 – There are a number of great scenes here, but the film can't sustain these highs. Worth one viewing.

I couldn't believe the overall rating of this movie was 6.3. It's a movie that peers into the inter soul of every person and leaves you with the desire to wake up each new day with the understanding we have been granted a fresh opportunity to do make a positive difference in someone's life. And a chance to do the right thing, thereby impacting our own life for the better. I can't change the world; but, that gives me no excuse to not change the world for the better for those I come into contact with. Life is about the vertical and the horizontal. We are to focus on the vertical and the gift of life that God has graciously given us so that we may make a difference in the horizontal--our lives with one another.