The Interpreter

[andyfox]

Very ambitious movie with a lot to say. Not much of it too clear, and too much of it typical Hollywood movietalk, but a lot. Director Sidney Pollack likes complicated plots, like in The Firm. There's a bit too much going on. He loves showing only the feet of people walking, leaving you guessing who it is. And people opening doors and when they get inside it's actually another person's apartment with them inside. And Michael Mannish overhead shots. That kind of thing.

Nicole Kidman is good and Sean Penn is very good. The ending is too corny. There's a great scene where all participants are in different places and they all come together on a bus that's electrifying.

Worth seeing. An A for effort, a B- or C+ for execution.

[rusty JEDI]

15 minutes of previews and 2 hours of movie. It had several portions that dragged. You could cut the movie down by 20-30 minutes without losing anything.

Out of 10 i would rate this move a 6, and not theater worthy.

My girlfriend rates it a 6.5-7 out of 10.

rJ

[Chris Daddy Cool]

in terms of what i expected out of it, i was pleased. there is a lot of suspense and the acting is very good. and i always enjoy seeing nicole kidman.

that one scene where andy talks about is indeed really well put together.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
in terms of what i expected out of it, i was pleased. there is a lot of suspense and the acting is very good. and i always enjoy seeing nicole kidman.

that one scene where andy talks about is indeed really well put together.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Zeno]

I just saw this movie tonight. It is worth seeing in my opinion, perhaps 7 out of 10, mainly because the acting is well done. The ending was, indeed, a bit 'off'.

I would have made the plot much more logical in addition to simpler and easier to follow: Blow the Holy FUK out the entire UN. Now that would be progess.

Le Misanthrope

[NAU_Player]

could have done without the attempt at a love story. That's what made it drag in places and the ending seem corny.

other than that it was a good movie

[Alobar]

***WARNING SPOILERS***


I dont get why everyone is bagging on the ending? What did you want them to do??? hump or something?? that would have just been totally unbelievable and ruined all the good character development that happened before that.

[jack spade23]

The bus scene was the only good one. I hated the dialogue.


Sean: Youre lying to me!
Nicole: No, Im not!
Sean: Yes you are! What are you hiding?
Nicole: Im not hiding anything, I...I can't think when you shout!

Awful. PLus I couldn't stop thinking of the family guy moment w/ sean penn: "Theres gonna be rain, and some sun, and....get that fu*king camera out of my face!!"

[andyfox]

I agree; my B- or C+ seems to match your 6 to 7.

Yeah, there were so many previews I forgot what movie I came to see. The one with Jodie Foster where her daughter disappears from the airplane was the most intriguing to me, since I've often wanted to make certain kids disappear from one of my flights.

[andyfox]

I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that it might have been an even more suspenseful premise if one didn't see Kidman in the UN when she overheard the whispered conversation about the upcoming assassination attempt. Then we'd have more doubts about whether or not she was telling the truth and/or involved.

[andyfox]

I read a review that thad these two great/funny observations:

1) The viewer wonders whether there will be a love connection between Penn and Kidman, but if in the movie she made with George Clooney, he didn't even get to kiss the somewhat cold Kidman, what chance does Sean Penn have? The fact that he got a hug is remarkable.

2) Which should scare Kidman's character the most? The fact that the bad guys are out to get her, or the fact that she's being protected by Sean Penn?

[andyfox]

Everything works out perfectly. He talks her out of killing the bad guy. The head of security will talk and implicate Zuwanie. Zuwanie sees what an idealistic young man he was and how things have gone awry when he reads his own words in his autobiography. Zuwanie gets tried by the World Court. Kidman is going back to her homeland to play her flute and do good. And Penn tells Kidman she'll always know how he's doing. They made a connection.

[Sponger15SB]

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2) Which should scare Kidman's character the most? The fact that the bad guys are out to get her, or the fact that she's being protected by Sean Penn?

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http://www.netwalk.com/~truegger/ftrh/jeff_pub.jpg

^ Thatpfunk's old avatar

[brassnuts]

I just saw this movie yesterday. I was going to come on here and post my thoughts, but Andy basically covered all of them. I couldn't agree more with him, except I would have emphasized a little more how horrible the ending was. I like my cheese left in sandwiches and hamburgers please. Also, I liked some of the cinematography, and I think describing it as "Mannish" is right on the button.

[Tuco]

Not a bad movie, but if you haven't seen it wait for DVD.

So she gets off the bus at some random stop along with the bomber 5 seconds before the bomb goes off and the FBI don't even think to ask why she got off? Sheesh.

Tuco.

[andyfox]

The bigger hole, to me, was that they didn't figure out the whole thing was a crock to being with since, as Penn pointed out, how is it that she overheard a conversation in a language that only eight people in the world can speak?

[youtalkfunny]

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The girl in my avatar is indeed really well put together.

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[Sooga]

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Sean Penn is very good.

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Sean Penn is always good. One of the best and most criminally underrated actors of this generation. You ask anyone to make a list of their top 5 actors, I guarantee you Penn will show up on very few, but he should be there. Even when he's in a bad movie (which is not often), he's good in it.

As for the movie itself, yea I thought it was a bit too slow in the beginning, but yes the bus scene is great, and I suppose most of the loose ends are tied up. Solid movie, nothing great or bad, but just solid. I'll agree with a few other posters here and give it about a 7 out of 10.

[bort411]

I saw this earlier tonight. I had a lot of problems with it.

First of all, it's a two hour Dell commercial. At one point, about half an hour into the movie, there were no fewer than 5 consecutive scenes with the Dell logo prominently displayed, either on a laptop or a monitor. I don't normally mind product placement, but this was so overwhelming that it distracted me from the actual film. I should mention that this is coming from someone who is used to looking at two dell monitors for most of the day. They just went too far with this.

The other big problem I had was with the marketing of the film itself. To be frank, this movie largely revolves around the pitiful living conditions in certain areas of Africa, and I was genuinely surprised about that. In all ads I've seen, there was no mention of any of this, and I'm not entirely sure I even saw any black people in commercials or previews. This genuinely appears to me that the film industry believes that they should rather than market this movie to the wrong audience than risk losing a white audience uninterested in AIDS and genocide in Africa. If you want to make a movie about Africa, that's awesome, but lying about it is just cheap. Why not just make a film about something else? Is it that hard to put Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman in a film that mainstream white audiences and teenagers will actually want to see?

Edit: I don't think Sean Penn is an especially good actor, and he certainly doesn't qualify as being overrated. He's got an Academy Award and 3 nominations. It took Paul Newman 40 years to win one, and Hitchcock never won any. What brilliant performances of his have been overlooked?

[andyfox]

I agree Penn's not overrated, in that he had received recognition for his acting.

As for an overlooked performance, see if you can find a small movie called The Assassination of Richard Nixon. I thought he was better in that than he was in Mystic River.

[Sooga]

Yea I thought Mystic River was way overrated.... Assassination of Richard Nixon was far better, and like you said, Penn was better in it.

[7ontheline]

Ugh. . .this movie draggggggged. What bothered me most was the complete implausibility - in this day in age, I have to imagine if you are lying to the Secret freaking Service, they would arrest your ass and interrogate you until you told them everything. Holding out on the Secret Service about her brother, her past, etc.? I don't think so.

The bus scene was indeed cool though, as well as the direction. Story was B.S.

[theBruiser500]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, there were so many previews I forgot what movie I came to see. The one with Jodie Foster where her daughter disappears from the airplane was the most intriguing to me, since I've often wanted to make certain kids disappear from one of my flights.

[/ QUOTE ]

wow, really? it struck me as one of the hoakiest ideas for a movie i've ever seen

[theBruiser500]

heh good point about the dell placements in the movie. i noticed at one point in keller's office there was a huge LCD with the world "DELL" prominently placed but didnt make the connection

as to the movie i was surrpised by how good it was. didn't expect much from it, just saw it because i like seeing movies in the theatre a lot and there hasn't been anything out for a while that's good. acting was good, it was kind of exciting and it was mainly logical. although the ending was goofy, not bad for what it was.

the preview for the movie with russel crowe looked good, cinderalla man, he's a great actor.

[theBruiser500]

also what i liked about this "psychological thriller" was that it took place in the UN which i thought was an interesting setting

[theBruiser500]

ebert, "The story was filmed largely on location in and around the United Nations, including the General Assembly Room; it's the first film given permission to do that. I mention the location because it adds an unstated level of authenticity to everything that happens. There's a scene where a security detail sweeps the building, and it feels like a documentary. Like when Drew Barrymore runs onto the field at Fenway Park in "Fever Pitch," the U.N. scenes provide what Werner Herzog calls "the voodoo of location" -- the feeling of the real thing instead of the artifice of sets and special effects."

[theBruiser500]

oh and one more thing, the serious moments in this movie weren't corny, they were touching and eloquent: bus scene, the tying up of africans and throwing them into stream and then the person decides if they want to save their life, the scene where sean penn holds nicole kidman on her couch.

[andyfox]

I guess I should have put a smirky face after my last sentence.

[theBruiser500]

heh okay good

[housenuts]

i thoroughly enjoyed this movie. i went into it with no expectations. that's not because i thought it would be bad, but because i'd never heard of it and had no idea what it was about. i really really enjoyed it. the other guys i was with didn't like it so much though.

i just didn't like the end. that's the first thing i thought about during the movie that i was disappointed with and now reading this thread i see others had the same sentiments. i think had the end being changed it could have been a 8.5 or 9, but i'm going to have to give it a solid solid 7.5 or an 8. i'd also like to see it again.

kidman is sooo hot in it. the kind of girl i'd like to marry. and the secret service chic is the kind of girl i'd like to be banging on the side. she looks like a great lay.

[Rick Nebiolo]

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ebert, "The story was filmed largely on location in and around the United Nations, including the General Assembly Room; it's the first film given permission to do that. I mention the location because it adds an unstated level of authenticity to everything that happens. There's a scene where a security detail sweeps the building, and it feels like a documentary. Like when Drew Barrymore runs onto the field at Fenway Park in "Fever Pitch," the U.N. scenes provide what Werner Herzog calls "the voodoo of location" -- the feeling of the real thing instead of the artifice of sets and special effects."

[/ QUOTE ]

I agreed with Ebert that Kidman's part should have been played by a black actress (I believe he suggested Angela Bassett).

~ Rick

[andyfox]

It's Hollywood. Kidman is the #1 female star. If she wants the role, she gets it.

Now let's say that, instead of Penn, we put Denzel Washington in his role. That, too, might have made for a more interesting movie.

[Fred G Sanford]

Wow... I saw this movie on Friday and thought it was awful. The bus scene was very good but that was the only thing that was any good. How did this thing get 2 thumbs up?

Out of 10, i would give it 3.

FGS

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
It's Hollywood. Kidman is the #1 female star. If she wants the role, she gets it.

Now let's say that, instead of Penn, we put Denzel Washington in his role. That, too, might have made for a more interesting movie.

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In his column Ebert didn't want to sound PC (or so he said) but I a black makes sense in the female role and there aren't enough serious roles for black females. Putting Denzel in the Penn role would be PC if what you say about Kidman is true (i.e., is she in fact number one - darn, I wouldn't know /images/graemlins/smile.gif ).

~ Rick

[theBruiser500]

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It's Hollywood. Kidman is the #1 female star. If she wants the role, she gets it.

[/ QUOTE ]

how does casting work? i thought kidman would have no say in it and it's up to the people making the movie who gets casted.

[stabn]

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It's Hollywood. Kidman is the #1 female star. If she wants the role, she gets it.

[/ QUOTE ]

how does casting work? i thought kidman would have no say in it and it's up to the people making the movie who gets casted.

[/ QUOTE ]

The studio says:
Kidman is interested, lets sign her up

The director says and casting director say:
we really see a black female in this role

The studio says:
We're going to have to cut your funding by $40 million if we don't get kidman in this roll, because you are going to cost us at least that amount simply because that's what we believe kidmans name recognition brings us.

I think you see where i'm going. While directors have some amount of control, overall the guys funding the movie get what they want.

[theBruiser500]

thanks stabn. it's stupid that i almost didn't see this thread was posted in again because there is too much activity in OOT

[maryfield48]

I saw this last night. I thought that it was flawed, for the reasons stated here, but also was [much] more intelligent than 90% of the Hollywood movies out there.

But why oh why, in the middle of the movie, did they have to provide that great bloody signpost to what was actually happening?