Excellent, Without a doubt!!

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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.

Lemme ask you this, is there such thing as a good soap opera? or are they all corny? Some can be better than others. Empire Falls is a well acted television feature, that is sporadically effective. When it is good, it's good, but when it is weak, it's very weak.Empires Falls is a once famed textile mill town. The narrative is told from the point of view, of Miles Roby; a café owner, and a valued member of the community. Everyont in the film is somehow related to him. His daughter has managed to befriend the newest kid in town who is being bullied, his father is a quirky underachiever who keeps asking for money. His ex lover, is the daughter of the wealthiest woman in town, who doesn't like him much. There is also the memories of his mother and step father. At the moment Miles is trying to upgrade business, but is having a little trouble.Empire Falls beings and ends solidly, but the two hours in between drift in and out between likable sentimental, and sappy sentimental. Some of the dialogue is actually really badly scripted. Paul Newman, even though he doesn't get much screen time delivers the best performance in the film, followed of course by Ed Harris who hasn't done a bad movie yet.Empire Falls kept me going, despite some bits which are almost unwatchable. It's not a bad programme at all, but it's not as great as it probably should've been.

Some people did some fantastic performances. Pucci's performance was so real, you could say he wasn't acting. You could swear that the actor who played the principal actually had been a principal, and a kind one. Robin Penn Wright didn't have any false notes, which is incredible inasmuch as she had to show what love is like. The fellow who played Zack Minty was near perfect--playing the kid you hated. Helen Hunt was outstanding as the middle-age woman looking for romance. Estelle Parsons played her mother so well you would think she was Helen Hunt's mother. Farina was great. Hoffman had little screen time, and yet was very touching in a way I can't describe. The only problems were with the people who put the movie together. The difference was too great between the old and new Paul Newman. The old Paul Newman was a much deeper character than the portrayal done by a young version of himself. And Joanne Woodward Newman just didn't seem mean enough to be believable. The Newman's knew how to cast everyone but themselves.

Its pretty obvious that the author wrote the screenplay here... given that his pontificating prose makes the transition to the film as voice-over narration. Come to think of it... I didn't see a credit for the narrator, and I didn't recognize the goofy voice either... I wonder if this guy could possibly be THAT self-indulgent.Anyway, this movie is OK. I'd say about half the scenes are good and half are bad. It's pretty inconsistent in its level of phony-ness.It is overall an interesting and engaging story, but I think it is greatly hindered by the cheap crutch of a purely evil character.Hoffman and Robin Wright Penn were both really good in the flash backs. William Fichtner struck me as the only guy who carried his weight in the modern scenes. Dennis Farina was good, but it was a one note job.The glove box and the cat were painful.I have to say, my jaw about hit the floor when a lowered newspaper revealed Josh Lucas in a cameo as a young Paul Newman... it was a brief but unbelievable scene.

Empire Falls is a remarkably intelligent piece of work, so very different from most mindless Hollywood films today. The smooth blend of comic and tragic with satiric overtones was brilliant. The easy transition from past to present reminds us all of the interdependence of child and parent, and the poignancy of different types of love. It reminded me of what films used to be capable of portraying in an era before mindless special effects took the place of human drama. The cast and crew should be commended for their artistic integrity in not succumbing to the current trend in the entertainment industry to cater to the lowest common denominator. I hope some Hollywood producers think about the fact that film can be thought-provoking, and not just a series of electronic jolts.Empire Falls was a clear indication that there are still actors and actresses out there, and there are stories to be told without resorting to egregious remakes of old television series. If film is to be a viable part of culture, it needs to stimulate the mind of the viewer, and this film does that by creating complex characters who come to life on the screen. The issues of ambition and failure and love and hate pertain to us all, and the range of ages of the characters allowed for a wide identification. Empire Falls is a shining example of what the entertainment industry is capable of producing when it sets its mind on portraying the reality of the human condition with all of its weaknesses and strengths.