Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 11:17:43

Selma can act, but didn't need to go this far

This review is from: Purple Violets (DVD) We don't often get to see Selma Blair play good roles - she took front and center in this film and did a wonderful job of acting. I love her work, but not enough films with her playing good roles - the movie didn't do her any justice by having her play a role with another woman. The movie overall has a great cast. If you have kids, I'd suggest not allowing them to see this. Also, check out the music in the film - I always wait until the end and jot them all down... and usually the soundtracks are missing the good songs - so it's off to iTunes or amazon.com to download. If you are a Selma Blair fan - or a fan of any of these actors/actresses - check out the film. Hope to see Selma in more upcoming films where she can use her talent.

jehaccess6 2012-05-24 03:40:48

Thirty Somethings Reunite With Their True Loves.

I have watched this movie three times and still don't get the openingscene. Patti (Selma Blair) is wandering about the beach front propertyof Brian (Patrick Wilson). The only problem is that she has been out oftouch with Brian for about 12 years and has never been to this houseuntil somewhat later in the film. Am I missing something here?The film itself is mildly interesting for its character study of fourthirty somethings coming reluctantly to embrace adulthood. The maincharacter Patti is hiding from life. She is a literary woman who hasmarried a decidedly non-literary oaf who wears rings on his thumbs. Herhusband never does anything to remind her of her love of letters. Herhibernation ends when she accidentally encounters her lost love in arestaurant.The musical choices were strange in this film. I wanted to chokewhoever inflicted their dreary selections on the audience. I supposethis is where some of the limited film budget was conserved.Well, the former college lovers all reunite and since they are moremature and even sober; the relationships may last. I could at leaststand to watch this film entirely. One of Edward Burn's other films'The Groomsmen' was so awful I couldn't stand more than 20 minutes.

kirkus910 2012-05-23 10:27:49

If you like Edward Burns films, you will like this.

I'm not sure what the deal was with the reviewer before me. ApparentlyEd Burns must've urinate in his corn flakes the morning he wrote thereview, because it is scathing and hardly true to the content of thefilm. Overall the movie plays similar to other Ed Burns films. Themusic selection is pretty good, and most of the storyline is contingenton the dialogue and character relationships. The lead roles were solidall around. Patrick Wilson, played his character effectively andsimply, as necessary. Burns roll was reduced but still charming. SelmaBlair was also convincing. The notion of Debra Messing looking like aman in drag is pretty far fetched. She looked great in the film, andher part was small but well played. Referring to Edward Burns as being a women is way off course. Theprevious reviewer apparently came off of a 10 day Michael Bay filmbinge when he wrote his review, so obviously he would have nocomprehension on what makes a film succeed. This movie has authenticdialogue with believable character dynamics, which is as much as youcan ask for in any movie. As I mentioned before, if you like EdwardBurns as an actor, director, or both, you will get enjoyment from thismovie. If you are a JJ Abrams nut, can't understand how emotion anddialogue are used in a film, and are afraid to even fathom the notionof romance in the film, then you may not like this movie. You couldalways look up the previous reviewer and check out a Larry the CableGuy film with him.

2012-05-23 03:27:22

Sometimes there is a second chance

Written by, produced by, directed by, and starring Edward Burns, one has to believe that Burns' soul is in this film. But, for a man, this is all about Selma Blair.This is a story of second chances, and how, through determination, perseverance, understanding, and love, we can sometimes make better choices than the first time round, and arrive at better outcomes. But it's never easy. Nothing that matters is easy.The soundtrack is a series of mood pieces, and is very beautiful and soul stirring. The characters are irreverant, needful, full of potential, always earnest (the main ones are!), and in the end triumphant (again, the ones we care about are). All the aching sadness along the way leads to a glorious and inspiring end.Selma Blair has a breakout role. Her acting is inspired, captivating, and stunningly good. She is a brilliant sunburst of energy. If there is any justice, this role will mark the point where she emerges as a brilliant and mature actress and embarks on a long and honored career.

2012-05-20 01:20:38

Didn't work

I want Ed Burns to continue to succeed as a director. I grew up in the town next to him, also had a police officer for a dad, went to Mets games, too, and so I LOVE how he loves Long Island and NYC. Like Woody Allen, his movies strive to capture that elusive atmosphere that shows you what it is that is so wonderful about NYC. Part of what is great about NYC are its' people, straight-talking, no BS, sometimes bordering on rude and crazy, but wonderful and unique, and missed whenever you leave the place. I think that is what Mr. Burns is trying to show with his character movies (Brothers McMullen, She's the One) , but this one didn't work. I thought Selma Blair was awful, Debra Messing was under-utilized and the best of the crew, and the other actors were mediocre at best. Ed Burns' character was real, but flat. This movie could have been saved by great acting, or, as Woody Allen knows, some comedy thrown in. I wish him success with his next movie because he is a ballsy NY-er who isn't afraid to go for it.

2012-05-19 12:32:11

Genuine

This review is from: Purple Violets (DVD) Intelligent, inspirational, well thought movie about real emotions. If you've ever believed in love, and how time subdues emotions but never severing the suppressed feelings of a long lost love.A fortuitious encounter at a restaurant sparks emotions, and rekindles the past. It's about second chances, and how people change; letting go of bitterness and believing in something or someone.As in any relationship, knowing who you are and what's important; taking time heal and getting to know yourself. Believing in yourself and your abilities, taking chances; those who risk win.

tgreene73 2012-05-14 20:18:34

still love mcmullen

I wanted to like this movie, but it just wasn't there-I am writing thisreview while attempting to watch it.The accents(Queens by Burns and theBritish accent by Donal) were embarrassing,and the acting was just badall around I am all about putting friends in your movies but it justdidn't work here, I was waiting for Dennis Farina to pull out abadge,love Selma Balir but she had little to work with here-it almostlooked like the actors(Patrick Wilson,Donal Lague) were all thereacting by themselves. Too many clichés everything from Burns eatingpizza in Ny to his stint in AA. Mind you I might be slightly bitterthat Burns has a full head of hair at 40, is married to the beautifulmodel and successfully got thrown out of Chaminade,but will be veryhappy when he writes another good movie but this wasn't it.

Bom 2012-05-13 23:32:47

Entertaining but too much bad language

The story with Ed Burns & Debra Messing makes ZERO sense & they have zero chemistry. Patrick Wilson's girlfriend in this movie is a terrible actress. I don't mind bad language, but it was totally excessive, just like in "The Groomsmen." Ed- you don't need to put the F word in your movies 300 times for them to be entertaining. Selma Blair is great. Cute movie.

2012-05-13 01:53:13

Good Movie-Worth Seeing

Did not expect much but was pleasantly surprised. Onlyreason I did not give it 5 stars is I would reserve thatfor something Oscar worthy. Really good movie if you arelooking for a light comedy/drama.

2012-05-12 17:27:43

Wonderful movie

This review is from: Purple Violets (DVD) I love director Edward Burns movies. They touch the heart and open your mind to situations you never thought of before. Some make you laugh, some make you stop and go yea, I get it, and some make you do both. He writes and directs in a way that you can really relate to the situation and the characters. Purple violets is a great movie with the great Edward Burns touch. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone whether you are fan of Edward Burns movies or not. Very entertaining.

jimgleeson-1 2012-05-06 00:06:18

Purple Violets Is A Nice Addition to the Burns Collection

I have to say, I liked "Brother's McMullen" and "She's The One" whenthey came out and find them to be in the same New York Tradition as alot of the other dying breed of New York Romance genre films. I alsoenjoyed that I could download it via iTunes instead of having to make aday of it to see it at one of the few theaters that still showsindependent movies.Although not his best work, I think Purple Violets is still a laudableaddition to Burns filmography.In regards to the comments by Micheal C., I think he must have recentlygotten a parking ticket, or woke up in bumper to bumper traffic becauseclearly he isn't seeing the same film as others. As far as the storynot making any sense...what in particular didn't make any sense? In onestory line you have a woman who is dealing with a husband who isincreasingly unavailable and dealing with emotions from a love of herpast.In another storyline you have an alcoholic lawyer who is making amendswith his past, and maybe hoping that in addition to forgiveness he canfind his way back into the heart of the love of his life. You may thinkthat the story is unrealistic, a skeptic or jaded person might evenfind the whole romantic aspect to it dated, but it hardly isnonsensical.As far as Characters being obnoxious and performers overacting, andscript rife with clichés? This comment writer must have been watchingthe latest iteration of Peter Pan or Tarzan, but certainly not thismovie. Ed Burns himself cannot be considered an over actor. If anythinghe is usually more cognitive than emotive. I think that all theplayers, save Messing, stay well within acceptable norms of behavior inregards to "overacting." The only character I found to be uniformlyobnoxious is Donal Logue, who played Blair's British husband, and hewas supposed to be obnoxious. Interesting note: I have only seen mysister's husband who is a chef cook once and I have eaten with themmany times. The last thing they want to do when home is cook anymore.Finally as far as cliché goes, each romantic movie is going to have abit of cliché in it. But there is always the aspect of character tomake it at least something to follow and get into, and I think thecharacters in this movie offer that, and in fresh new ways. Besides,you really can't have it both ways, either a script makes no sense (notcliché) or is predictable (cliche) you can't have it both ways. I thinkthe film balances some age old romantic plot devices with some newfresh commentary on various aspects of modern life.As far as it being the worst movie the writer had seen all year, thecomment writer must not get out much. I have seen many worse moviesover the span of the year. Some I have forgotten, others I wish I couldforget.I don't think the writer of said comments actually watched the movieand seemed more annoyed by small aspects of it. For instance, his wifedoes not catch him masturbating to internet porn, but to 900 numbers.And although one can be annoyed at people with money carping aboutunhappiness, it does happen. Money does not make problems go away.Hate to say this, but not all writers sit around and bat witticisms toone another while sipping Manhattans, and I bet there are many lawyerswho don't get that much into their clients business. Finally, it is amovie, if you wanted it to be a true life biography about a writerwatch Faulkner week on the history channel.That being said, it takes all kinds.

2012-05-05 15:18:40

Purple Violets

This review is from: Purple Violets (DVD) I don't know how this movie did at the theatre but I really like it. The story line, the actors, and the timeline makes this a story that we can all relate to. Plus the music is awesome, I am in my 40's and can watch this movie over and over.

Emi Bevacqua 2012-05-02 22:50:50

Esoteric Nonsense

The first thing that bothered me about this was that the entire film from the opening on, is weirdly discolored. Secondly, everybody is SHOUTING through the whole thing (in typical Ed Burns fashion). Who is going to believe that these two couples from college are going to reintegrate after 12 years, who does that?? I couldn't distinguish the 25 year olds from anyone else, partly due to styling but mostly because everybody in every Ed Burns movie talks just like Ed Burns.

2012-05-02 07:58:30

Depressing but watcheable

If you like films in which some of the main characters seem depressed and on the edge of falling apart most of the time, you will probably like this movie. it's very watcheable and the characters are interesting in some ways, but for me, the whole thing lacked a bit of zip. It seems to dwell terribly heavily on things like the inability of people to forgive and move on, the inability of the writers to get back to what works for them, and the inability of people to be happy. Things sort of work out in the end, but it's a bit heavy and depressing getting there.

2012-05-01 08:58:49

Not Even Fluff: Lint!

I was rooting for this but I can't get behind it. The characters are just cardboard cutouts and their is no point to the story. I know it's a Hollywood tradition to depict New Yorkers as living charmed lives, but none of this rang true and it doesn't even qualify as charming. I think Ed Burns needs to come down out of his penthouse and remind himself how real people live and love.

Anita de Acosta Keith 2012-05-01 07:37:30

Patrick Wilson still hot!!

Oh, Patrick Wilson (Brian). I have seen him in Phantom of the Opera,Little Children, Evening and now Purple Violets. He is excellent. Hewas wasting his time with the "Ecstasy" woman in this one. I am glad hegot rid of her. Patti is nicer, and more his cup of tea..........Edward Burns (Murph) was comical, and his comeback from screwed-upalcoholic was redeeming when finally his ex-girlfriend (Kate) ended up(spoilers here) with him near the end of this movie. I am glad she madehim wait, and kept him dangling on that string for so long..........Patti's husband was a total moron, and such a liar when he was talkingwith Patti near the end -- and at the same time a slutty bimbo waswaiting for him back in the bedroom. I mean, he was such a loser. Shemust have been better than the online porn, but maybe it was Brian'sex. Maybe she and Patti's husband deserved each other............ Katewas tough, and a good friend to Patti. All those years after college,you mean to tell me she had no relationships with anyone else afterMurph? Score one for her -- making Murph take her to the bestrestaurant in NY.......... Finally, Patrick is a singer. He sang alittle in Evening, and did a great job in Oklahoma (Youtube). I tellya, this boy has a great future. He was very sexy in Evening, ANDPhantom of the Opera, PLUS the scene in the laundry room with KateWinslet (Little Children) was one for the memory books!!!!!!!!!Finally, does every story have to make sense? People IRL don't alwayshave cut-and-dried-endings to their stories. Some are ongoing. Besides,we know that Patrick will end up in yet another movie, always beingthat sexy sweetie-pie self. I know that this is not the typical storyabout football players, car chases and people trying to out-run thepolice. This is a quiet story that somehow blends thoughts and dreamsof thirty-somethings, who knew each other once upon a time, and who nowhope to continue with the threads that will lead into their futures. Iwatched this movie to the end, and for me that says it was good andenjoyable. 10/10.

2012-04-30 10:19:32

GREAT MOVIE

Not knowing much about this movie, I was pleasantly surprised and it is a sweet romantic story about second chances. Def worth a watch. The soundtrack in the film is also surprisingly very awesome! Recommended!

2012-04-29 18:43:47

Expected More

Loving Ed Burns movies the way that I do I expected more from this movie and I was greatly dissappointed. I loved "Looking For Kitty" and about the only thing that this movie has in common with that one is the music (which is very, very good). Everything else is rather boring and Debra Messing looked like a thoroughbred that was being tethered to a bad script. There was hardly any room for her great comedic timing and Selma Blair was like watching paint dry. So wrong for the part. I couldnt believe that she read a book let alone could possibly write one. Patrick Wilson was also not served well by the script and Donal Logue did the best he could with a minimal part. Loved the British accent and was quite surpised at how well he executed it given that he always plays burly, "New Yawk" city toughs. All in all, for me, it's an okay movie to catch on cable (like I did) but I wouldn't really advise buying it unless you absolutely just have to have another Ed Burns film.

Danielle 2012-04-27 04:48:23

A near miss

I wanted to like this movie, I really did, but it didn't manage to belikable in a sustained way. There were some funny and interestingmoments, but overall it was not a great film. Every character was soexaggerated - Elizabeth Resaser and Donal Logue were so unpleasant, howcould their uber-sweet partners have ever found them appealing?Especially we're supposed to believe that Selma Blair has been marriedto this schmuck for 7 years? How did she last 7 minutes? And how couldPatrick Wilson have spent 6 months with the shrill and obnoxiousBernadette? And Ed Burns character was also ridiculous - how could thisman, who refers to himself in the third person as "The Murph," possiblybe a successful literary lawyer? I'm not a fan of Selma Blair - I'vealways thought she was quite wooden and charmless, but she actually dida passable job in this role. But the whole movie was so stuffed withclichés and caricatures, it's just not worth sitting through for thefew winning moments. Disappointing, because it had a promising premise.I expect more from Ed Burns.

mariv913 2012-04-26 14:44:03

World Premier at the Tribecca Film Festival 4/30

I saw the movie tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival. It was the worldpremier of the movie and the entire cast and crew was present. Ed Burnsheld a question/answer session after the film. If you like his otherwork you should enjoy this film which takes place in NYC and theHamptons. The story follows the lives of old college friends who meetup when they are in their early 30s.The 4 main characters used to belovers, but those relationships ended back when college did. I wouldplace it under the romantic comedy category. A friend who attended thepremier with me commented that she felt the movie was made in a very'woody Allen'style. Enjoyable.