Truly Dreadful Film

People are voting emotionally.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Hollander's 'Personal Effects' reminded me of 'In The Bedroom' and 'Monster's Ball'. It deals with similar themes of coping with the loss of a loved one. The story is treated with equal restraint. The character development is gradual and in accordance with how the layers unfold. The visuals are very detailed and photogenic. It has a certain poetic feel which is further substantiated by the amazing score. I'm actually in search of the soundtrack.Ashton Kutcher may be an odd choice for the role but I appreciate his attempt to break away from the typecast goofball roles he's known for. Where his acting is concerned, it appears very formulaic. It lacks spontaneity but one can see the actor's effort. It may not be among the best examples of acting but he gets better in the latter scenes and overall turns in an adequate performance. Michelle Pfeiffer easily delivers a natural performance that just seems like a piece of cake for her. The actress knows her craft too well. Ditto for Kathy Bates who stands out in a supporting role. Spencer Hudson is a sincere actor.The only thing that bothered me about this movie is its lethargic pace which is very slow in the first half. The director focuses too much on the closeups when much of it could have easily been trimmed. Moreover, I didn't understand the need to 'maintain the element of suspense' in the end when the viewer easily knew the outcome (hence no surprise)? There are a few plot holes like why Walter didn't empty the gun before returning it to Linda. These flaws are but a few and thankfully they don't dilute the film (as long as one has some patience to get through the first half)

Personal Effects is a tedious and redundant movie which is finished with a weak and forced conclusion.Big part of the movie is focused on the romance between a young man and a mature woman, something which frankly did not interest me at all; and during the rest of the time, we contemplate their bitter lives, something which interested me even less.I appreciate the fact that Ashton Kutcher decided to explore new creative horizons taking a dramatic role such as the one from this movie.The truth is that he has cultivated such an image of a jester on his career as well as on his personal life that I thought it was going to be impossible for me to accept him as a man tortured by his past.However, I have to admit he made a competent work for most of the time, and I generally found him credible on his character.Nevertheless, the screenplay occasionally requires too much from him and he could not always comply.That happens on the manipulative scenes in which we are supposed to feel the pain from his character while he is using a chicken disguise (long story).Even though Kutcher tries to apparent gravity, the result is involuntarily laughable.Now, to be honest, I doubt that even Philip Seymour Hoffman or Chiwetel Ejiofor (just to mention two of my favorite actors) would have fared well from those ridiculous situations.As for Michelle Pfeiffer, she does what she can with her hollow character.This excellent actress showed in many occasions during her career her huge talent to find the precise tone which makes her performances not only credible, but also absolutely natural.There are some glimpses of that ability in Personal Effects, but unfortunately, the screenplay does not support her too much.Besides, director David Hollander could not generate the necessary energy in the movie, because his work feels cold and lacking of passion.I have may become too cynical.The drama portrayed in this movie may be more resonant to people who, at my difference, are not tired of pretentious and "deep" films which use easy tragedies as substitutes from the real drama (calling director Alejandro González Iñárritu...).I find it to be significant the fact that Personal Effects is based on a short story written by Rick Moody, who was also the author of the book The Ice Storm, which was adapted to the cinema on an homonym excellent film directed by Ang Lee in 1997.In that movie, there were not any apparatus tragedies or unexpected violence...just the unbearable suffering of the marital unhappiness and the existential frustration.And that was more than enough.Personal Effects could not achieve even a pinch of that level of impact with its tragedies.So, needless to say I do not recommend this mediocre and boring film called Personal Effects.

I have just returned from the theater and I must share my thoughts. I was – still am – incredibly moved by this movie. It has been a while since I saw anything that touched me so deeply. This movie is a treasure that has found its way to the audience in the era of thrillers and romcoms. The story is about people left behind after their loved ones have been violently taken away from them. They are trying to find their way back into life, but it is not easy. Each one of them is looking for something that would give the support or direction for this new life that they have to make now. For one person it is a new love that gives sense back to her existence. For the other person it is a hope of justice. Yet another one finds peace in a self actualization.The movie has an incredibly melancholy and soulful tone to it. It is very quiet in spite of the intense suffering that it depicts. There are no loud manifestations or long intense monologues. There are just these people. They look at you through the screen and you can feel their pain and sorrow. These people have lost something irreplaceable, something that, in a way, was a part of their being. How to cope with a loss like that? The world depicted in the movie is a reflection of the human emotions. It highlights the melancholy atmosphere of the movie. There are dark clouds and rain constantly present. The world is grey and joyless, just as the people in it. All in all, I feel that the movie is perfect in its sadness. Still, it shows that there is hope even when you don't see any. The actors gave an excellent performance. Michelle Pfeiffer is wonderful and charming as usual. I must praise Ashton Kutcher. I like his comedies where he usually gets to play handsome romantic fellows, but guess what! There is more to him than meets the eye! Well, there have been movies, like The Butterfly Effect and The Guardian, where it was noticeable that he has a serious drama actor potential. Then there was Spread, which was something new and interesting. This movie, however, brings a whole new level out in him. There was no sign of the boisterous, self confident good-looking young man that he always plays. There was just this sad young man with these incredibly soulful eyes and no apparent aim in the future. Excellent performance! There was, however, one minus. I believe there is a great deal of those who would agree with me on the point. The movie has all the makings of a real drama - in all the senses of the word. It depicts real people in the real world with just as real problems. There are no particular surprises or twists in the story, which in this case I don't consider to be a flaw. It is about the feeling that it brings. Usually I am a fan of happy endings, but in this case I felt a bit cheated. I could see the shooting approaching, but I was still shocked and desperate when it happened. The following scene softened this blow and ultimately spoiled the movie a bit. I suppose that changing the ending of the movie might have resulted in the change of its general message as well, but I feel that it would have suited better.

I suppose Ashton Kutcher is a shoo-in for his role here. Given a romantic relationship between a young man and a much older woman, Kutcher's real life experiences would have probably given him a head start in the auditions (if there was one), since he has walked the talk, and this aspect of the story would come off as no surprise. Then again, for writer-director David Hollander, this could have been getting this talked-about area out of the way, because the story here is richer than what the synopsis had painted, offering an engaging tale about the connections found between lost, broken souls.The entire film is shrouded and draped in deep melancholy, and even the art direction and sets are nary bright and dandy, despite having weddings, an occasion for happiness, interspersed throughout the narrative. Hollander had crafted a series of multi-faceted characters and they got fleshed out brilliantly through the wonderful individual nuances to bring out the uniqueness of each one, with a common thread between them in having to be found holding onto things from the past, or plagued by the unhappy nightmares that life had dished out to them. For those who have lost someone dear, you'd probably feel just about the same way as the characters here, and especially in that seeking of justice when a crime has been committed against a loved one.For those who equate Ashton Kutcher with his popular P'unked gag series, you'd probably already know about his flair for comedy, having his fair share of films like What Happened In Vegas and Just Married providing that showcase for his comic timing. For me, there's always this much under-exploited aspect of Kutcher's talent for dramatic flair. Glimpses of it are seen in The Butterfly Effect, one of my favourite films in recent times, and that same angst, despair and sheer quiet determination become more prominent here.As for Michelle Pfeiffer, who wouldn't welcome her luminous presence? Last seen in Stardust after an extremely long hiatus from the silver screen, her role as the widow Linda brings about a certain sense of regal frailty, being the single parent to bring up a mute son Clay (Spencer Hudson) against difficult odds. Attracted to Kutcher's Walter, their relationship is actually nothing to scoff about, what being a cradle snatcher and all, but because of that instant connection that they share in the pain of having lost someone dear, and having to sit through agonizing court cases that could swing in anyone's favour.And of course rounding up the star-studded cast is Kathy Bates as Walter's mom, attending therapy sessions to cope with the pain of loss, and learning to let go. Special mention too goes to Spencer Hudson's performance as the gentle giant Clay, who gets to show that he's no pushover when he gets cornered. While that led to some predictable elements toward the end, it wrapped up pretty nicely (though some may say cop-out), in having a rather confusing start iron itself out properly. Hollander managed to bookend the film going full circle, and I thought it was a neat spark of interest at the front in keeping things very fluid to engage the audience's attention.Personal Effects is quiet, effectively emotive film that got blessed by a great cast highlighting that in moments of grief, there are always those whom we can turn to for comforting solace. It has potential to make it to my end of year shortlist of favourite films, and without a doubt, recommended!