This movie's power comes from its actors. Liv Tyler, Billy Crudup, Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Baker all give excellent, nuanced performances. All of which, in a way, this movie doesn't deserve. It's a tale we've all heard before in other ways and there was very little new or interesting about the way the story was told.
The direction is pedestrian, which is to say it is nothing special and that it could have been a better movie with better direction. [As a comparison, watch "Some Girls", also with the gorgeous Connelly and featuring three rich sisters, which was directed beautifully.]
The narrator was just awful and unnecessary. I hate movies that can't take the time to explain pieces of the plot, instead using an insipid narrator to fill in the blanks. The charisma of the cast makes this a very watchable movie, but there should be a "mute" button that just turns off the narrator.
The direction is pedestrian, which is to say it is nothing special and that it could have been a better movie with better direction. [As a comparison, watch "Some Girls", also with the gorgeous Connelly and featuring three rich sisters, which was directed beautifully.]
The narrator was just awful and unnecessary. I hate movies that can't take the time to explain pieces of the plot, instead using an insipid narrator to fill in the blanks. The charisma of the cast makes this a very watchable movie, but there should be a "mute" button that just turns off the narrator.