This movie is phony and doesn't have any real emotion or drama. It's just a star vehicle for Newman (whose character is squeakly clean -- right down to the fact that it is not his character who has knocked up Melinda Dillon, lest he be "bad").
Lee Strasberg was right when he said that Newman didn't live up to his talent, as he walked through too many roles relying on his beauty.
Newman was GREAT in this film.
shareFANTASTIC.
"People who read sex into my music have dirty minds" - Elvis Presley
Yeah what world you from? Newman was stunning. Especially that scene when he sees Sally Field after the incident. Oscar worthy acting my friend.
"I'm glad it's you." _Paul Newman (RIP)
Eyes Wide Shut deserves more recognition.
Agree and disagree.
Newman has some fine, really fine, moments in the film.
But only a few.
The rest he does seem to walk through and is NOT believable.
Unlike a later performance, in the Verdict where he did not hit a false note.
Partial credit for this lack of motivation on his part must go to the script which at times is contrived and predictable. Note the performaces of Balaban and Brimely whose characters are given short, biting scenes---they shine.
Well articulated and accurate.
Also, the 6.9 rating is ludicrous. It should at least be what some refer to as, " a solid 7."
As I said in another thread about this film, Newman's performances in AoM and The Verdict were so shamefully overlooked by the Academy, they had to give an Oscar for "Color of Money," which is a phoned-in performance.
As for Absence of Malice being phony or lacking drama or emotion, I'd have to ask "compared to what?!" The thing I love most about this movie is that it is for grown-ups! It's not about the high-school crush pettiness of a lot of "dramas" of the last 25 years, nor is it pumped up with over-the-top melodrama. At its core, this film is about people struggling with their place in society, and their own moral code. It's also about the fact that decisions aren't made in huge public fora like a courtroom or a Congressional hearing. It's what happens in a staff meeting at a low-level govt. office, or a newspaper newsroom, or a courthouse conference room. The ending seen where Wilford Brimley comes in, gets all the relevant details, sorts it all out, and sweeps it under the rug is a moment of quiet drama that most films cannot handle today.
Emmet Walsh? You meant Wilford Brimley, of course.
sharePaul Newman was excellent in this film.
He was subdued and there was no scene wherein he was over-the-top.
http://www.ronpaul2012.com/
RON PAUL 2012
"Not that good?" Are you kidding? What about THE SCENE with Sally Field in the warehouse? The first time I saw it I thought he was going to rip her to shreds.
"There is no half-singing in the shower, you're either a rock star or an opera diva." -Josh Groban
I thought he gave a very solid performance in this movie.
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Couldn't disagree more with OP.
shareReally, eh?
Huh.
We mustn't have watched the same movie.
What I saw? Paul Newman consistently in character, and a few very beautifully acted scenes. The movie itself wasn't all that exciting, but it was still much more worthy than a 6.8 implies.
Say what??
Newman is AMAZING in this movie. Stalwart, yes, but also, by turns, vulnerable, compassionate, outraged, cunning, and, by the end, rueful and quite melancholy.
I don't see hos the movie could be considered a star vehicle for Newman when Al Pacino was originally slated to star.
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