Pretty Good

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

So, you thought Mick Jagger was just a floppy-mouthed, flamboyant rock-star? Think again. Here, he shows that he is also a very good actor. Untrained, so it seems, so perhaps all that stage prancing about is also acting? Here, he is quiet, suave, measured, and totally convincing!Byron, (Andy Garcia) works for an advertising agency, but when he writes a novel, he tells the boss, Go... yourself". But then finds that his book is not selling very well. The first scene, where he persuades a lady to buy his book is one of the best-ever first scenes you will ever see.Then he rents a room to write in that is away from the distractions of a beautiful wife and child. Alas, writers block stalls him. His agent and publisher are not very helpful. He meets Luther (Jagger) from an adjacent office, who offers him a job. Luther runs an escort agency, catering for wealthy women who need a male, for whatever... (rotten job, but someone has to do it?, or... nice work if you can get it?).One of the clients is Andrea Alcott (Olivia Williams) whose husband is older, dying but accepts that his wife needs... company and so, when he comes across them... quietly turns and leaves the bedroom.Mr Alcott is a very successful writer, but Byron finds fault with his latest book. After some 'words', Alcott agrees to rewrite it, with Byron's help, and they agree to share the royalties. Alas, nothing is written down. So, after Alcott dies, things change.At the end, he writes another book and has another bookshop experience, this also is very good, and helps tie the movie together.Williams is so elegant, so real. An outstanding performance. All the cast are excellent too, and there are some especially good scenes with memorable dialogue.

The only reason to see this, and it's a considerable reason, is to watch Mick Jagger. He is absolutely pitch perfect in his role as the head man of the gigolo combine. His scene with Anjelica Houston, in which he tries to tell her she is more than just a client ... well, it's a scene we have watched before with the sexes reversed ... when a "john" has fallen for a hooker ... but to see it played in reverse is very touching.Not a fan of Margolies, so ... whatever. I like Garcia, but I just don't think this was a good role for him. Never liked Coburn, and that hasn't changed.Anyway, rent it and watch Jagger.

Being in the arts is difficult. It's damn near impossible to make a living doing something in this field because everyone wants to do it, and so much is gambled onto one product. Just look at all the hopeful actors and actresses who wait tables while praying for a big break into the movie business. You either hit it big, or end up in the gutter; there's hardly any middle ground. That is the situation that allows the events of George Hickenlooper's near masterful film, "The Man from Elysian Fields" to take place.Byron Tiller (Andy Garcia) is a writer; he's got one book under his belt, but sales were in the tank. After his next book, which he spent 7 years working on, is rejected, he needs money...fast! Help comes from a man down the hall, named Luther Fox (Mick Jagger). He runs an escort service. Reluctantly, Byron agrees, which puts him into contact with Andrea Alcott (Olivia Williams), and her husband Tobias (James Coburn), who is a renowned author. But his newfound road to success may just cause him to lose his marriage to Dena (Juliana Margulies).The acting is top notch. Andy Garcia plays Byron in his usual low key way, but he brings a level of depth to the character that is not usually seen in many films. Mick Jagger defies the trend of music stars churning out bomb movies because they can't act. Jagger plays Fox with a cracking wit, but he also is able to give the character some extraordinary depth. Olivia Williams is terrific as Byron's beautiful client. She loves her husband dearly, but she needs a release that he can no longer give her. Fortunately for her, Tobias understands that, and is perfectly fine with her sleeping with Byron. James Coburn is terrific as Tobias. Tobias is a dying writer who has accepted his fate with wit, if not grace. But he still has his pride. TV star Juliana Margulies has made only a few ventures into film, but she fits right in as Byron's loving and devoted wife.Although the film has flaws, they are not with the screenplay. Simply put, this is one of the best screenplays I have ever heard. Every line has immense depth and intellect, and the wit crackles. There are a number of brilliant one-liners (the best one is not shown in the trailer, thank God). However, these are not the one-liners that appear so often in a David Spade movie. Instead, these are just very clever.The problems I had with the film is that when the film enters dark territory, such as when it shows Byron at his most desperate, it becomes unpleasant, and it ruins the spell that the movie works so hard to cast. This is partly due to George Hickenlooper, but mainly because the actors play their parts so well.This is a must-see for any adult film-goer who appreciates films with wit, depth and rich characters.

I really gave this film a chance. Though it started just fine, enticingly even, it lost any unique and seductive qualities it possessed at the onset and turned into something laughable, at best. Even the refreshing (and quite effective) casting of Mich Jagger as the high class pimp could not pull this one out of the gutter. Also, Julianna Margulies was poorly cast. Desperate, desperate ending to what could have been a great piece of work. Shame. Skip it.