Gosford Park was a bit lifeless for me. Attempt was to combine Shooting Party with an Upstairs, Downstairs situation, plus a few others (Cold Comfort Farm, Agatha Christie's you-name-it) thrown in for self-parody's sake. The intent I assume was contrast, but the result is a grayish blur -- visually as well as figuratively. Same problem I had with Black Hawk Down (or Watership Down, with its cast of lookalike British bunnies for that matter): so many characters I couldn't keep track. G Park is a more quality piece of writing than I make it sound, but the intent was apparently to have conflict develop gradually until it busts loose near end, and by then I don't care much -- shortening the running time 15 or 20 minutes would have kept me a little more interested, and not at the expense of anything important. Characters are consistently disagreeable anyway. Sameness is not a preferred goal when the project is potentially hackneyed from its very conception, no matter how loudly the credit for this idea is touted by Messrs Altman and Balaban. That sameness is not just between this film and the ones it's imitating, but within the film's own structure from beginning to end.
I did not absolutely hate Gosford Park. It may in fact grow on people after a second viewing, when it hits Bravo on basic cable or when the video can be rented for a few bucks, and one's investment in the expectation involved in "going to the movies" is no longer a factor.
I did not absolutely hate Gosford Park. It may in fact grow on people after a second viewing, when it hits Bravo on basic cable or when the video can be rented for a few bucks, and one's investment in the expectation involved in "going to the movies" is no longer a factor.