All the dialogue and the story is too expository by half. They might as well have had a sledgehammer. But this DVD is always always out at my local video shop. Why? Because lesbians are crying out for films that render us visible. No matter that it only takes up one of the four stories or no matter how bad it is. And this one is not the worst by far. How could Elle Macpherson making love to a woman ever be wrong? At any rate, film lovers, if you want a good lesbian film then get onto Showtime and New Line and Dreamworks and Paramount and tell them to invest in the dozens of awesome scripts featuring same sex themes that ARE out there.
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kat-holmes21 August 2005
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Stockard_Channing_Fan26 April 2003Definitely a girl movie! It dealt with issues that would interest women. So being a girl i liked it very much. I enjoyed the second and fourth hour the most. It takes you through four very different situations from relationships to family to craziness. You wouldn't have to watch all four hours at the same time because they don't really relate to each other or rather they don't depend on each other. Watching it all at the same time could possibly tire you some. The cast was great and it was such an all-star cast at that. Allison Janney, Camryn Manheim, and Stockard Channing do an amazing job along with the others.
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indycarrie19 June 2003How's that for a summary? I watched this miniseries on dvd last night, mostly because of the cast list. It's four separate stories, tied together by Stockard Channing as a psychiatrist who treats someone in each segment. The first hour is "the lesbian hour" with Kate Capshaw and Elle McPherson. The second hour has Rebecca DeMornay, Allison Janney and Glenn Headley as bickering sisters. The third hour (which, I'll admit I only watched 20 minutes of) stars Mia Farrow, Lynne Whitfield, and Linda Hamilton. The final hour centers around Stockard Channing, her secretary (played by S. Epatha Merkerson) and two patients, Camryn Manheim and Peta Wilson. Sprinkled throughout the entire program is Margo Martindale as the neighborhood coffeehouse owner. All four parts were written and directed by Lee Rose. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), I'd rate them as follows: Part 1, 5; Part 2, 7; Part 3 (what I saw), 2; Part 4, 8. The acting across the board is a little stiff, almost like it were a filmed play. And the writing is ultra-predictable. Yet, I still found myself engrossed (except for part 3). My favorite part of segment 4 was seeing Peta Wilson in a role about as completely opposite as one could get from her best-known role of ass-kicking, girl-spy Nikita. Other standouts are Channing, Janney, and Manheim. All in all, an interesting psychological drama.
(Note: The dvd does not have a menu or chapter search capabilities, so if you stop somewhere in the middle, make note of where you are so you can forward ahead to that point when you get back to watching.) -
ghigau22 February 2003Don't watch this film without the volume control in your hand. The director let the actors whisper exactly half their lines, and the sound technicians did nothing about it. VERY IRRITATING. The bad writing and cliches were delivered surprisingly well most of the time, but you could see that the actors were uncomfortable with a lot of the dialogue. Some scenes were cut to fit the songs rather than having the songs fit the scenes. McPherson's hair wisps came and went at random as the multiple takes must have spanned days -- the wisp would cover an eye, disappear in the next angle, then move behind an ear as the angle returned to the original shot. It became quite comical. The four different stories were tied together by Channing as a psychiatrist. In case you missed the tedious point of each one, she recapped each story's moral into a tape recorder at the end of the episode. Unless you are snowed in, don't bother with this four hour marathon. Half of it should have been left on the cutting room floor, and you can never recover wasted time!
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Excellent direction and acting in this TV movie from a great ensemble cast make it a must-see. In a time when many actresses complain Hollywood doesn't give them the opportunities, in this production a whole range of women from well-known names (e.g. Mia Farrow, Rebecca de Mornay) to the less well-known, turn in excellent performances all round. And the men are good too. The four stories appear in linear fashion, linked by Stockard Channing's character as a therapist among others, are all good and sufficiently different to each other to hold interest. The sensationalism that might surround the first story should not be allowed to disproportionately affect the view of the show as a whole. Funny and warm, this is a film for everyone, despite it's title. TV movies are often considered less favourably to cinema productions, but there are just as many good and bad TV movies as films and this as good as, or better, than a lot of films I've seen at the cinema (and I've seen a lot!) Highly recommended.
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jzland17 September 2002I aborted viewing this abomination of a script within the first 10 minutes--although the writing was on the wall only after a minute or two. In a nutshell, this film is an egregious waste of top talent-and everyone's time, no matter how much of a fan you are of any one of the consummate actresses. They deserve much better, and it proves the fact that even a top rate performer cannot make up for a horrible script.
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claudia-dana-marcu8 July 2005It's a rather emotional film, I only saw the last three parts but I really liked it. Trust me, it's one great production which you will enjoy. The second story has a rather unexpected ending. It could bring tears to anybody, it's a very interesting subject which might make you realize some things which maybe you have missed in the rush of life. The third story is fantastic. I loved it. It could be true for any of us. The last story is ... scary I guess, but not totally unreal. All the stories are about feelings that we all of the people share. We sometimes show them, sometimes hide them, sometimes ignore them, but we all have them in our daily lives: love, hate, betrayal, revenge, a drop of madness, solitude...and at the end of the day the bottom line is we all need help, just a little push in the right direction and someone to understand you.
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guyb7 April 2002I expected this to be good. My wife only lasted thru 1 1/2 stories and went to bed. Even the lesbian story was very slow and boring. How long can an hour last? This contains four tourtuous hours. No payoff either on any of the stories for the hour investment of time.
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dransew59801 August 2006first off my big question is this...does any one know who sang a case of you in this movie?.. i know the original singer is Joni Mitchell... but it isn't her version in the movie. i can't find a soundtrack list to this movie..so if anyone knows please let me know ... i loved this movie...except for the third segment. i couldn't get into that one. stockard Channing was a very good psychiatrist. My favorite part was the first segment...although there was a lot that i didn't like about it. I, being a lesbian, find it hard to have a good relationship like that..and not let myself fulfill it because of the rest of the world. It was hard to tell if Kate Capshaw was really falling for Elle, or if it was just all about it being okay to be bisexual. I wish that they did do some sort of sequel, with the same actors, to let us see what each is doing now... the coffeehouse lady made the movie.. i have seen her in several movies..and i just love that woman. she can make any movie good with her wise remarks...and down to earth personality...
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sshreck18 September 2002Most astute U.S. movie viewers have recognized the talents and skills of the excellent Stockard Channing. More gratifying than seeing her quality finally recognized with the rolls she has played in both "A Girl Thing" (TV mini series)and in the White House centered series is the appearance of the former series as an entire movie available in both VHS and DVD in video stores nationwide. As a psychiatrist whose patients are mostly women she serves as the hub through which the four different patient centered episodes revolve.
Although the first three would result in a "good" movie, we are not let off or let down by that being the case. In the forth and final episode Channing (the "doctor") figures not just peripherally as the center but is the main character around which the drama unfolds. Confronted by an intelligent and dangerously angry patient, the doctor fails to establish any healthy connection and terminates the patient. This soon results in a violent confrontation, which puts the doctor, another patient and a few others in an explosively dangerous situation in the psychiatrist's office. Channing herself is challenged to justify all that she has done, is doing and believes in concerning people in general and her professional relationships with them in particular.
Does she make a good showing for herself? Is anyone hurt, and, if so how badly?
Watch the movie and find out. -
attemptingtheimpossible20 December 2002This movie had all the necessary criterion for a great piece, and I was really looking forward to watching it. It had a decent plot and a very well known cast. Unfortunately, I was horrribly disappointed. The script and the development of the characters were just terrible. The characters were shallow, and I had a great deal of trouble developing any interest in their lives. I had to turn it off midway through one of the stories because I was so bored. I never ended up finishing the full series, because I simply lost all interest. I really wish I could have seen something a little better from this cast and plot.
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myfoot3 October 2001This movie was great, acting was wonderful... but it left me with a disturbing thought. I very RARELY see a movie about men that depict them in a fair light. Take HBO's new comedy, "Mind Of The Married Man", it depicts men as being horny and uncontrollably sex crazed. In most of TV sitcoms, men are morons, and their women bail them out. "Family Matters", "Simpsons", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Malcolm In the Middle", even one of me favorite, "Cosby Show". "The Man Show" might be a funny show, but it doesn't speak for all men. I support the female movement 100%, but maybe it's time there should be a male movement. The TV shows listed are, (for the most part), all fine shows, I just think there should be more TV and Films in the other direction as well.