a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

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

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

If you know nothing about Martha Gellhorn then you should definitely see this uneven movie. She was a war correspondent, among other things, in the 20th century The film uses Zelig-like effects to insert the lovers into history, often in black and white. The film ends rather abruptly showing Hemingway's end, but not Gellhorn's. The film is overlong. Again, worth a look as an introduction to Gellhorn.

Philip Kaufman a writer and director known for making European art house cinema as well as populist films (he is the credited co- creator of the character Indian Jones.)This is an expensive, prestige HBO cable film that stars Clive Owen as Ernest Hemingway and Nicole Kidman as Martha Gellhorn that examines the relationship between the legendary adventurer and novelist and the budding war reporter. They travel together during the Spanish civil war and their adventures continue during the second world war which takes in the war in Europe and the far east.There is no doubt that Hemingway was a complex, boorish man. I once heard a remark: That he run out of things to shoot so he ended up shooting himself. Clive Owen never catches Hemingway to my liking, he is just too lightweight in the role.Kidman fares better as Gellhorn but she was a character I knew little about and the film is from her point of view as she was one of the first major female war reporters in the 20th century.The screenplay was bad and in some instances the movie is just laughable. There are plot lines that just hang in the air and never resolved. What was the deal between Paco and Rodrigo? How did Hemingway get a divorce when his staunch Catholic wife said she would never divorce him?Some actors like Robert Duval and Peter Coyote just pop in for a scene or two and then discarded along with story threads.The film blends archive footage where our characters are inserted into it. Some of it is done well but not all the time.The film does well in publicizing Gellhorn as a character but you learn little about Hemingway.

The production values on this TV movie are impeccable; expensively mounted sets, well-crafted costumes, and a clever use of technology that integrates the modern-day actors into archive film. This latter technique is especially good when it comes to showing Hemingway (Clive Owen) and Gellhorn (Nicole Kidman) and their involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and on their return to late Thirties New York. The main problem with Philip Kaufman's film, however, is the plot, which does not have much to say about the two protagonists, other than the fact that Hemingway's capacity to love women was often severely affected by his obsessive masculinity. The desire to prove himself triumphed over everything; it invaded every aspect of life, rendering him quite an unpleasant, if successful person. Gellhorn comes across as a feisty person, but we wonder precisely why she remains so attracted to Hemingway. Partly the fault lies in Clive Owen's performance; at no point does he come across as someone blessed with extraordinary creative talents. On the contrary he seems petty-minded, almost babyish. Nicole Kidman does what she can with a thankless role, but her performance remains studiously one-note. The film is at least an hour too long; it simply makes its central point about Hemingway's behavioral shortcomings over and over again. Definitely one to watch only once.

It doesn't benefit from being an HBO made for television film, but it does have an indulging romantic moments and enthralling storyline. I wasn't expecting a voice as deep as the one Kidman uses for Gellhorn, but her performance works and you are with Martha's motivations and actions every minute. Clive Owen isn't as successful as Kidman, but he has scenes to seize the audience's attention. Hemingway and Gellhorn mixes the typical style, specifically, the cinematography sparks creativity with different film stocks it utilizes. Not a must see, but a worthy watch.Rating: 7/10Grade: B