Fresh and Exciting

best movie i've ever seen.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Nine women struggle in their lives. Volatile Sandra (Elpidia Carrillo) is in LA County Jail. She blows up when her young daughter visits and the phone is broken. Pregnant Diana (Robin Wright Penn) meets former lover Damian (Jason Isaacs) at a supermarket. Holly (Lisa Gay Hamilton) confronts her abusive stepfather. Couple Sonia (Holly Hunter) and Martin (Stephen Dillane) have a fight at the home of their friends Lisa (Molly Parker) and Damian (Jason Isaacs). Samantha (Amanda Seyfried) is trying to cope with her parents Ruth (Sissy Spacek) and sickly Larry (Ian McShane) who are not getting along. Ruth (Sissy Spacek) has an affair with drunken widower Henry (Aidan Quinn). Divorced Lorna (Amy Brenneman) deals with ex-husband Andrew (William Fichtner) during his second wife's funeral. Camille (Kathy Baker) is getting breast surgery for cancer while waiting with her husband Richard (Joe Mantegna). Maggie (Glenn Close) has a picnic with her daughter Maria (Dakota Fanning) in the cemetery.This is written and directed by Rodrigo García. As with other multi-story movies, there are some vignettes that I love more than others. Sandra in prison is riveting. None of the stories are anything I dislike. Every story has something interesting. These are a lot of great actresses.

To think that this movie was not recognized by any bigger award nominations is astounding. The fact that this movie was not recognized or more popular nationally is heartbreaking. EVERY single actress and actor in this movie gave amazing performances. The audience felt the emotion in every single second, and it is a great testament to all of their talents. Sadly, many people will overlook this movie just because it wasn't popular. Words cannot describe the power and ache this movie leaves you feeling. You are saddened and left wanting more, and it is a great attribute of the film. You get just enough of a glimpse to understand these people, but you are still wondering more about each character as the movie progresses. I was blown away. This movie was written so wonderfully and you can feel the heart that was put into making it as well. This movie is a great representation of everyday struggles that women face, the heartache and the sadness that many have to deal with. It was so moving and just a great movie to watch and interpret. Leaves you thinking... GREAT!

'9 Lives' is pretty much a collage of stories, 9 stories. Well, not really even stories but just 'a glimpse into the lives of 9 women'. Hardly any of the 'glimpses' appear interesting on the surface at first glance but, hang on, once you look a little closer the tones of the characters are revealed in a very subtle way. Rodrigo Garcia does try to introduce some dark themes and how the women are trying to deal with them. The presentation of the themes is downplayed but effective. What I liked about it was the cinematography. Each 'glimpse' is done with one shot. The scenes are quite well executed and the performances appear authentic. Robin Wright Penn, Elpidia Carillo, Sissy Spacek and Kathy Baker especially stand out. Dakota Fanning seems to be the only child actress available to play little girl roles (she's subtle in this one but still remains annoying). The men in the movie do not have much to do where screen time and space is concerned but Joe Mantegna stands out. I notice that mostly women love this film and I can see why. But, hey, I also love movies about women and I can see why they would be drawn to 'Nine Lives'.

"Nine Lives" is a pretty unusual movie: nine slices of life, each a single shot, and each focusing on a female character. The stories are all quiet, everyday dramas, often ending before they achieve a complete resolution, and while a few of the themes are edgy, they're never treated with sensationalism. It's the polar opposite of the flashy, jokey, commercial Hollywood blockbuster.Though characters reappear from one vignette to the other, these stories are connected more by theme than by character. There's an obvious theme about the roles that women play-- mother, daughter, sister, wife, etc.--and how these roles can conflict with one another and cause distress. In the first three stories, the main female character gets so distraught that she ends up crying--though a good challenge for actresses, this seems to reinforce stereotypes that women are weepy. Luckily, some of the other women are more resilient.Also running throughout is a theme about the impossibility of communication, even between loved ones. Sometimes this theme is dramatized in subtle, effective ways, such as an imprisoned woman talking through glass when her daughter visits, or a teenage girl mediating between her parents. Other times this seems more contrived, especially the decision to make one character's ex-husband a deaf man who uses sign language.Because of the recurring characters, "Nine Lives" is also one of those recent Los Angeles ensemble movies about how everyone is connected. (e.g. "Crash," "Magnolia.") Here the connections are clever but not especially profound. Having a puzzle like this to solve while watching the film helps hold your interest, but the puzzle feels incomplete. I was waiting for everything to come together at the end, but the last vignette, featuring Glenn Close and Dakota Fanning in a cemetery, has no characters from the other stories in it. Thematically speaking, though, it's not a bad way to end the movie.Ultimately, "Nine Lives" shows that there are just as many pitfalls as pleasures in its unique style of film-making. It's wonderful to be reminded of the potential of long takes, how fluidly cameras can move nowadays and how well talented actors can sustain their performances. But while a typical movie would cut around the most mundane parts of life--people walking from one place to another, for example--"Nine Lives" has no choice but to show this. I also wished for more striking visual imagery or close-ups of the actors' performances, but due to these technical limitations, most of the movie is in medium or long shot.Some people would claim that "Nine Lives" is inherently a great movie because it's not flashy or funny or commercial. But after seeing it, appreciating its technical qualities but feeling lukewarm about its overall effect, I've come to realize that flashiness is not always a bad thing. This is a movie that sorely needs some zest and energy in order to feel truly alive.