the other night it was on and i wanted to watch something a. i haven't seen before b. wasn't downbeat and this film fit into neither category. i was so not in the mood to watch this. i dunno why maybe it's the performances or something i find sympathetic or of interest in the themes but i couldn't turn it off and this has happened a couple times before when it's on tv. i guess that means i like it. lol
shareIt sucks me in too. It's pretty much an excellent meltdown performance by Nolte and I admit to seeing flashes of people close to me in Wade and his family. I never pass up an opportunity to watch it.
sharePeople who refuse to capitalize the word "I", drive me crazy!!!
oh shut up.
shareI do too. I've seen it, in whole and in bits and pieces, about a dozen times. Something about it draws me in, no matter what scene or part of the flick it's at. When it comes on, I forget how many times I've seen it and get drawn into the story.....again.
That's the sign of a good film.
Same here. Watching Nolte's life disintegrate is mesmerizing. His sad relationship with his daughter, his dead-end job, his a-hole father. The only thing good in his life is Spacek, who he eventually drives away with his erratic behavior.
Some of the scenes I like--when Nolte finally quits his job and goes nuts in that guy's office.
When Nolte attacks the restaruant owner when he's with his daughter.
When Nolte's explaining to Spacek how he's going to be a hero after losing his job.
I am the same way. It was on cable the other night and I could not help but watch. It is one of those movies I can watch again and again without ever really becoming bored. Also, while it is somewhat sad watching Notle's character systematically destroy himself, it is also a bit comical. I love how he just loses control (he should have won SOME kind of award for his performance). I can think of few scenes as entertaining as when he storms into his boss's office and goes completely nuts. Or when he picks up his Father from the restaurant and they get into the car. His Father, I cannot remember, either spits or slaps Notle, who then proceeds to go nuts again. Oh, also the grilled cheese scene.Good stuff.
shareYou mean a chilled grease sandwich? Ha ha.
shareit is as intense a movie as one will ever find ... but i've watched it maybe (only) about half a dozen times as the storyline and personalities and elements are very close to those which run thru my real life (alcoholic family, abusive father, a middle-aged wreck of a son in dead-end job, etc etc) ... i see way too much of myself in both the sons played by Nolte and DeFoe ... not very pretty and not something i like to have to think about a lot and this movie keeps me up all night thinking after i have watched it ... the first time i saw it i didn't sleep for three days really ...
it is one of the top ten films of the last 20 years but hits and stabs and bites far too close to the bone for me to watch it a lot ...
good thread tho, certainly not criticizing the starter or repliers in their opinions/feelings concerning the movie ... it's just too much for me most of the time ... glad to see it deeply affected others judging from many of the posts in the discussion area ...
take care,
cormac
"One star in the sky
so I named it Otis Redding"
-- John Hiatt