Powerful

Load of rubbish!!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

I've seen several movies of this genre before but this one was just unsettling and disturbing for me (I suppose it was realistic and honest, though).

I liked this film because of the fantastic outside, location shooting, mainly of Berwick-upon-Tweed. It is similar to the way Eric Rohmer would film somewhere like Le Mans in his film le Beau Marriage (1982).Indeed, the dour, granite buildings seem to sum up the awful plight of Sarah (played very ably by Valerie Edmond). She returns to her father's house, right behind the sea wall and the beach in Berwick, which, of course, is not even in Scotland. It's one of those border towns between Scotland and England, the scene of many violent fights to the death over the years. Perhaps there's some symbolism in there somewhere.James Cosmo is very good as Frank, Sarah's father. Worth watching.

One More Kiss has beautiful cinematography, a lovely score, an interesting premise, and a badly cast role - Sarah (Valerie Edmund).From our first shot of her on the rooftop with arms outstretched, no matter what the cameraman and director do, they cannot make this into a woman who looks like she is sick, let alone dying. She is too big, strong and healthy. So I cannot feel her pain, sorrow and desperation. In fact, I feel nothing, and that is bad for the role and the movie.On the other hand, the actress playing the wife, Charlotte (Valerie Gogan) is perfect at showing the panic, resentment and eventual hatred of this interloper in her life. From the very first time she sets eyes on Sarah - in her husband Sams' (Gerard Butler) embrace, even just a friendly one - she is threatened. (As I would have been; confess would YOU come into a room and see your husband with his arms around another woman as just another day at the office?) When Sam introduces them, he even hesitates before he says "my wife." What a slap in the face.Maybe I'm not seeing the romance in this situation. When Sarah announces she is dying, Sam is nonplussed; Charlotte sees trouble. In the real world, right then I would have said, "sorry to hear that and WE will help if WE can. But that's not this movie.So we have THE LIST for Sam it get through. Which is just a device to be able for Sarah to manipulate Sam into kindling a romance again. And all the singing together, skydiving and kite-flying and lush background music doesn't make it anything but what it is - seduction of another woman's husband. Leading to predictable harsh words, fights and tears. But Charlotte loves this man; she hugs his jacket and breathes in his smell; and cries in pain.Meanwhile, we have brave (?) Sarah planning her funeral down to what will be served at the afterparty! I know this is to show her bravery, but I wanted to tell Sam to run out of that house - he is being manipulated. As is her father. Sarah may not be around much longer, but by God, everyone will remember her! Too harsh? Why does she show up at the restaurant just before Sam is to go meet his wife? Didn't know about the concert? Cummon. His birthday! - she knew. And she didn't care. It was all about her - what she wanted.And that brings us to the most emotionally satisfying scenes in the film with the most beautiful music - Charlotte in her lovely dress, hair just right, sitting and waiting, waiting, waiting for her love and he never comes. I DO feel HER pain.Where is Sam? Why getting it on with his other love. Sorry I'm underwhelmed.The last scenes in the hospital are done well, and Gerry is at his most beautiful and touching. He almost redeems the whole film right there. But not quite, for me at least.Sarah's father, played by James Cosmo, is very good and the part is to underscore the theme of the film - choices we make that alter life.Try as I might I just cannot see that the choice to break up your marriage (even if not perfect) for a few weeks of what? bliss? great sex? is worth ruining anothers life and possible your own. The only one who ends satisfied is the interloper who we are to feel sorry for, and I just can't do it.And, of course, she is gone and I suppose, rests in peace.Rated 6/10.

Having left her native Scotland to go to New York to pursue her career, Sarah returns home to tell her family and friends that she has cancer and has little time left to live. Specifically she has returned to spend time with her ex-boyfriend Sam, who is now married. His wife Charlotte is not supportive but Sam does it anyway. While the two of them spend time together they start to become a bit closer and recall memories from the past; meanwhile Sarah also tries to mend things with her present but emotionally distant father Frank.Within five minutes I realised that I had started watching a genre film in a genre that I generally don't like – the "seize the day while at death's door" movie. Generally an excuse for a load of hankies to come out and the audience to be put through the Hollywood emotional mangle, it is not an experience that I enjoy that much. However, despite some clunky and preachy moments, this is actually quite an engaging and raw experience that I found quite enjoyable, well, maybe "enjoyable" is not a good word. The characters and the emotions are well painted and I can forgive the film its soapy, sweeping opening sequence mainly because it does get much closer to reality from then onwards. Of course it is still a genre movie and it does have its fair share of "seize the day" dialogue but it generally avoids the clichés, cheese and moods that you will find in countless television movies cluttering the daytime television schedules.The cast help this by being pretty convincing and bringing the best out of the good script. Edmond worried me at first but got stronger as it went on; she was convincing in the main and she works well with her support cast. Butler is not quite as good but he works well with Edmond although he could have done better with Gogan, who herself is perhaps weakened by the fact that her character is not all that it could have been. Cosmo is as solid as he always is and I found him to be easy to care about and relate to (perhaps due to him being rather bottled up). Jean's direction is good and generally avoids sentimentality, to the benefit of the material generally.Overall then this is a genre film but it is one that is worth a look if, like me, you generally don't care for the genre. It is soapy at times (specifically the opening ten minutes is very "genre") but generally it is convincingly raw and all the better for it. The cast bring this out well and director Vadim Jean seems to have little or no interest in manipulating the audience emotionally or drawing out fake emotions and despite my initial concerns, it was certainly one of the better films I have seen albeit in a generally weak genre (in my opinion).