Truly Dreadful Film

Absolutely brilliant

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This movie definitely hits the funny bone right on: make sure you have your popcorn and drink ready and are sitting comfortably before it begins, and be ready to be sad when you realise it's over... Kathy Bates as usual strikes all the top notes in her superlative role playing, and is fully matched by the rest of the cast let alone the excellent story and script they are playing out. Get ready to enjoy.The story is particularly poignant as it carries you across different cultures and social stratas both within US daily life, and also across the ocean in UK.. Along the way, it confronts plenty of stereo types from across society, picking holes and touching the pulse of where real people reside within their niches and clichés..

Director/co-writer P.J. Hogan loves a merry melange of raucous comedy and group sing along (the music motifs in his films have gone from ABBA to Burt Bacharach to Barry Manilow here--with Manilow present and accounted for!). Kathy Bates looks a little misplaced starring as a dumped-on housewife in Chicago whose idol, a ladies-man singer (Jonathan Pryce, channeling Peter Allen), has been murdered near her apartment by a serial killer; she travels to London for the funeral, befriending the star's secret gay lover and deciding they must go back to the States and bring the killer to justice. Even when she's playing it light and airy, there's a tension in Bates' work which makes her a little scary; she's like a hanging judge, with even her beatific smile capable of going either way. Still, Kathy tries hard to make good on this shrill, cartoony material, which is just too eccentric for its own good. Rupert Everett plays her new friend, Dan Aykroyd (looking sheepish) is Bates' ex-husband, and Meredith Eaton plays Bates' daughter-in-law, a little person with a take-no-prisoners approach to life. All have some good moments in this highly irregular, unsubstantial, woebegone sentimental comedy which ends in a torrent of good will on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show. Oprah must have been booked that week. ** from ****

What an excellent movie, made even more so by the fact that my wife and I stumbled onto it so serendipitously, channel surfing on a nice frozen day in North Texas. Kathy Bates is at her usual best leading a cast of very normal and human costar characters thru one of the most wonderful feel good movies we've ever seen. Why this movie wasn't given the attention it deserved on it's release in 2002 is difficult to understand. Why it was head and shoulders above so many of the boring pieces of trash released with greater fanfare and attention is evident in the viewing. It is obvious that we as a general public are being force-fed that which has been deemed "great and wonderful" by the powerful and influential while true gems such as "Unconditional Love" manage to shine thru all those pretenders to really enjoyable cinema. Rent or buy this movie.....you won't regret it!

When I first bought this movie, I had my doubts about it, even though the cast was pretty impressive. But after seeing it, I really do not regret spending the money. In fact, I'd love to spend it again and again and again on movies like this.... An absurd combination of humor, drama, thrill and the big questions. This is exactly what makes it a Great movie. Okay, some might not enjoy what they see, and some might even turn it off after a little while. your loss. It's got a wonderful way of dealing with the issues we've all been through in one way or the other, and the characters you think you won't enjoy the company of throughout the movie, turns out to be the ones you really come to love after a short while. For anyone with an open mind, and a sense of humor and living - watch this movie, I promise you you won't be disappointed!