MovieChat Forums > The Hours (2003) Discussion > Way better than I thought it would be

Way better than I thought it would be

posted 12 years ago by matt-baen
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Reminded me of The Fountain with its interlocking stories. I was a bit apprehensive because I thought it might be boring and pretentious. Nope. The Hours has great writing, editing, period recreation, and acting. I even forgot about Kidman's prosthetic nose. One of those movies that makes one think about life trajectories, like The Loss Of Sexual Innocence. 8/10.

Some naysayers don't like that the characters are self-absorbed. Well, some people are; it's true to life. I actually found the movie ultimately hopeful rather than depressing. Sometimes the choice is available to embrace the life we have instead of mourning our lost happiness. (And sometimes it isn't.)

[–] Roonil_Wazlib_97 9 years ago

I actually found the movie ultimately hopeful rather than depressing.

Could you expand on that? Because in the DVD commentary, the filmmakers also say they see it as a story of hope not depression, but I didn't see any scene of hope in the entire movie except one: Clarissa kissing Sally at the end of the movie, possibly meaning that she embraces the present and what it offers her now that Richard's gone, rather than being stuck in the past. Everything else was negative, but I'm interested to hear from people who felt otherwise.

Sometimes the choice is available to embrace the life we have instead of mourning our lost happiness. (And sometimes it isn't.)

Does that apply to other characters besides Clarissa?