I'm not even a Matt Damon fan, but he was good in this, and watching this movie was like sipping a fine wine. People who hate it probably just have trouble appreciating a well crafted, slowly paced telling of a story.
shareI couldn't agree more.
shareMatt Damon [...] was good in this, and watching this movie was like sipping a fine wine.
Agreed. This movie is so much better than it's been given credit for... one of my favorite scenes is when John Grady calls Alejandra after getting out of prison and seeing the 'evil' aunt and he sees the man who is standing there staring at him talk on the phone as dancing because he is so ecstatic that Alejandra is going to see him. When you're in love that way that's how you feel as you wander around the earth - everyone is dancing and smiling all around you. Anyone who has ever been in love with someone you know is your soulmate and for one reason or another you didn't end up together can really get into this movie. Matt Damon is excellent in this as is Henry Thomas. This movie is one fine example of why I don't really pay attention to IMDB's ratings.
shareOften people complain a film isn't exactly like the book but this film is extremely close to the book.
If the idea is to stay alive, I'm driving.
I'm not even a Matt Damon fan, but he was good in this, and watching this movie was like sipping a fine wine. People who hate it probably just have trouble appreciating a well crafted, slowly paced telling of a story.
well said, my friend. very astute observation. i don't typically repeat others' words, but i thought yours deserved it, for emphasis
and the analogy of sipping wine, slow, is a good one. the term to 'savor' comes to mind..... this is a movie to be savored, soaked in.... (and i believe the pacing is a large part of the effect of this film)
we gotta give billy bob his due, since i think his hands are all over this one. he really has a great director's touch
"Cos... f__k's sake, who'd wanna keep trying to shoot a nice guy like me?" ---XXXX
i think tthis story has so many good themes it illustrates. idealism, youthful hubris, passing of eras, holding on after the party, friendship and unconditional allegiance, existential madness (the death of the kid), irony and tragedy.
(but i echo the other thread, that the love angle was the worst side of this story)
"Cos... f__k's sake, who'd wanna keep trying to shoot a nice guy like me?" ---XXXX
I really thought it was very good and was surprised that it had such a low overall rating on this site.
I like Matt Damon, but cannot stand Penelope Cruz. I can't think of a single film I have liked her in. She should be relegated to doing Taco Bell talking chihuahua commercials.
I agree 100%. Plus the random thing about the feather in the dancing man puts a little fly in the fine wine. I bet Cruz would be better in her native language.
shareIt's the truth. I think the majority of people who see this movie aren't going to be able to enjoy it but that's what makes me appreciate it even more. I see it as a painting that many have seen but don't recognize what's really going on within it. Movies like this aren't being made very often and that's why many actors go the route of independent films. Because they want to be part of art.
" The rug really tied the room together, did it not? "share
This is, hands down, one of my all-time favorite movies. The opening montage of horses running wild and free drew my attention right on in to where John (Matt) was trying to keep the farm in the family after his grandfathers death and how heartbroken he was that there was nothing anybody could do to stop his own mother from selling it out from underneath him.
This movie, to me, is like a bottomless treasure chest! Everytime I watch ' All the Pretty Horses' again, which is 5 or 6 times per week, I notice some new, something I had not yet noticed before. That makes the experience new all over again!
This is, hands down, one of my all-time favorite movies. The opening montage of horses running wild and free drew my attention right on in to where John (Matt) was trying to keep the farm in the family after his grandfathers death and how heartbroken he was that there was nothing anybody could do to stop his own mother from selling it out from underneath him.
This movie, to me, is like a bottomless treasure chest! Everytime I watch ' All the Pretty Horses' again, which is 5 or 6 times per week, I notice some new, something I had not yet noticed before. That makes the experience new all over again!