I recently was in a stage version of this play. And, on the last day of the run, I was excited to see that it was going to be playing on TV. I stuck a tape in as it was on late at night, and I watched it the next day. I have to say I was very disappointed. The actors in the film made few of the discovers that are in the script. That is understandable as the resersal process is probably different, but it was upsetting to see. A lot of the original script was changed for the movie as well to make it better for the screen, but I am not sure if it helped the movie out at all. I gave this 4 stars only because I know the script and the writing is a lot better than what this movie portrays.
21 Reviews
Not very good adaptation of a not very good play
dbborroughs23 October 2004
Walking out of the current (October 2004) revival of the Craig Lucas play I overheard a couple talking about the film version of the play and it suddenly came back to me why it all seemed familiar, I saw it on TV several years ago.
The story of how a woman who's husband can't take her any more and hires a hit man to kill her, only to send her away before he arrives is a very strange story. No one and nothing is who they seem to be. And the twists and turns seem rather random. The whole bit about visiting every Springfield in the country is just plain dumb. The dialog is clever at times but mostly it seems forced.
Worse is the fact that this probably should never have been made into a film. The play which is full of whimsey and is stylized does not translate into a film well. The actors are okay but many are completely wrong for the roles. The Goldwyn/Farrow coupling doesn't quite work so the story isn't believable from the get go.
If given the choice of play versus movie go for the play where the whimsey works better, however you would be better off renting or seeing pretty much anything else.
5 out of 10 for the bits that work.
Side Note: Mary Louise Parker who plays Pootie and a couple other members of the cast of this film are in the current Broadway production. Obviously they are gluttons for punishment
The story of how a woman who's husband can't take her any more and hires a hit man to kill her, only to send her away before he arrives is a very strange story. No one and nothing is who they seem to be. And the twists and turns seem rather random. The whole bit about visiting every Springfield in the country is just plain dumb. The dialog is clever at times but mostly it seems forced.
Worse is the fact that this probably should never have been made into a film. The play which is full of whimsey and is stylized does not translate into a film well. The actors are okay but many are completely wrong for the roles. The Goldwyn/Farrow coupling doesn't quite work so the story isn't believable from the get go.
If given the choice of play versus movie go for the play where the whimsey works better, however you would be better off renting or seeing pretty much anything else.
5 out of 10 for the bits that work.
Side Note: Mary Louise Parker who plays Pootie and a couple other members of the cast of this film are in the current Broadway production. Obviously they are gluttons for punishment
I loved this dark comedy.
bdhagie20028 November 2004
Even though this was one of the strangest movies I have ever seen, it kept you wondering what could possibly happen next. I love most of Mary Louise Parker's performances and this was no different. She has the ability to bring so much to every character she plays. The movie follows Mia Farrow's character through various changes in her life and how she deals with each of them. It isn't an award winning movie by any means, but will make you think. I highly recommend it. I would have probably never stumbled across this movie if Tivo hadn't told me that Stephen Dorff was in it. Even though his part was very small I was glad that it brought me to the movie in the first place. I have to say that I'm happy to see that they are turning the movie into a Broadway play with Mary Louise Parker in the cast. I think it will be a must see.
Morbid
preppy-329 March 2007
Depressing black BLACK comedy about a woman (Mia Farrow) who flees her house on Christmas Eve when she discovers her husband (Tony Goldwyn) has hired a hit man to kill her. She ends up with a husband and wife (Scott Glenn and Mary-Louise Parker) and then things go wrong. Basically Farrow keeps running and is continuously meeting VERY strange people and getting into morbidly unfunny situations.
This was advertised as a feel good movie when I saw it around Christmas time at its VERY short run in an art cinema. I found it sick, unfunny and just depressing. I like black humor but this was WAY too dark for me. What happens to Parker's character especially was horrifying. To make matters worse Eileen Brennan is thrown in as a nun (!!!) later on and proceeds to chew the scenery with gusto.
The only saving grace was Farrow's acting--it's much better than this picture deserves. Also it was a relief to see the very talented Stephen Dorff pop up at the end. The ending itself was kind of nice but it couldn't erase what had gone on before.
Sick, morbid, pitch black "comedy". A 1
This was advertised as a feel good movie when I saw it around Christmas time at its VERY short run in an art cinema. I found it sick, unfunny and just depressing. I like black humor but this was WAY too dark for me. What happens to Parker's character especially was horrifying. To make matters worse Eileen Brennan is thrown in as a nun (!!!) later on and proceeds to chew the scenery with gusto.
The only saving grace was Farrow's acting--it's much better than this picture deserves. Also it was a relief to see the very talented Stephen Dorff pop up at the end. The ending itself was kind of nice but it couldn't erase what had gone on before.
Sick, morbid, pitch black "comedy". A 1
Life inside a snow-globe...it sounds better than it plays
moonspinner557 August 2010
It's always good to see Mia Farrow at work, but she's lost among the snowflakes in this hectic disaster. Farrow, playing wife to Tony Goldwyn (though he's young enough to be her son), appears to be living an idyllic life inside a winter wonderland until one day when she gets a startling dose of reality: her husband admits he's hired a man to kill her. She flees into the night, taking refuge with a bizarre couple who want to help rebuild her existence. Screenwriter Craig Lucas adapted his own play (and brought with it that ridiculous title), and so has no one else to blame for the picture's bumpy rhythm and off-putting characters. The production design and art direction of "Reckless" are both rather interesting, although they are services rendered for an inane and alienating screenplay. It's supposed to be a dark holiday comedy, though the entire cast is at a loss with this unfunny, occasionally offensive material. *1/2 from ****
Meandering Christmas dream-like dark comedy .......
merklekranz10 January 2014
Mia Farrow is terrific as the runaway mom who slides out a window on Christmas Eve, after her husband contracts a hit-man to kill her. Thus begins a Christmas "black comedy" that ranks way up there on the strange scale. Farrow's predicament doesn't seem to alter her always pleasant and forgiving disposition. There are at least a bunch of messages hidden throughout the chaotic storyline that unfolds. Scott Glenn takes Farrow home to live with his paraplegic wife, Mary Louise Parker, where all three do an excellent job of keeping dark secrets from each other. The remainder of the film is a series of random events, that do little to crystallize the bizarre goings on. "Reckless" would best be appreciated by the "midnight movie" crowd, to whom it seems perfectly suited. Perhaps a midnight Christmas Eve showing? - MERK
Witty, Moving, Satisfying
rdconger10 September 2005
I happened to tape this film from TV, and it has become one of my favorites. Whatever failings it may have, and I think it has fewer failings than some might think, it is in its way a tour de force of originality. The combination of gritty downfall with under-the-Christmas-tree fantasy works very well -- and that in itself is an achievement.
Its charms, by and large, are the small things, the incidental scenes that are accomplished in a unique manner, such as a conversation in American sign language between two women who are wearing large, yellow rubber gloves (in the scene they are cleaning a carpet). While I concede that the title seems fairly arbitrary, it certainly does the film no harm, no more than "Magnolia" did any harm to that film, even though "Magnolia" is surely just as arbitrary a title for "Magnolia" as "Reckless" is for "Reckless." In my view, a film that is unique (as well as uniquely quirky), visually witty, and that can arouse and explore entirely new and unexpected emotional territory in the viewer is a film of value. Mia Farrow's and Scott Glenn's performances are excellent.
I would encourage anyone who wants to see something that is entirely different from anything else and that will make an indelible impression, would do well to see this film. And don't worry, the script is just fine; although it is a morality tale, it is not a morality tale with a smug or pat conclusion, as it ends, as it begins, with a weirdly satisfying sort of open-ended grace.
Its charms, by and large, are the small things, the incidental scenes that are accomplished in a unique manner, such as a conversation in American sign language between two women who are wearing large, yellow rubber gloves (in the scene they are cleaning a carpet). While I concede that the title seems fairly arbitrary, it certainly does the film no harm, no more than "Magnolia" did any harm to that film, even though "Magnolia" is surely just as arbitrary a title for "Magnolia" as "Reckless" is for "Reckless." In my view, a film that is unique (as well as uniquely quirky), visually witty, and that can arouse and explore entirely new and unexpected emotional territory in the viewer is a film of value. Mia Farrow's and Scott Glenn's performances are excellent.
I would encourage anyone who wants to see something that is entirely different from anything else and that will make an indelible impression, would do well to see this film. And don't worry, the script is just fine; although it is a morality tale, it is not a morality tale with a smug or pat conclusion, as it ends, as it begins, with a weirdly satisfying sort of open-ended grace.
excellent film, beautiful and touching
Will-355 June 2005
This is an excellent film by Norman Rene. The final installment of three films that Rene made.
I thought it was beautifully done and particularly loved Mia Farrow in this film.
For me, the film exploresidentity in the same ways as his earlier film, prelude to a kiss....
and perhaps also explores issues related to HIV/AIDS, much like his earlier two films. This is NOT the stage play, like any film of previously written material it illustrates the directors point of view. I highly recommend this film, it's a rare delight W
I thought it was beautifully done and particularly loved Mia Farrow in this film.
For me, the film exploresidentity in the same ways as his earlier film, prelude to a kiss....
and perhaps also explores issues related to HIV/AIDS, much like his earlier two films. This is NOT the stage play, like any film of previously written material it illustrates the directors point of view. I highly recommend this film, it's a rare delight W
Surreal & Dark Allegory -- Highly Recommended for Thinking Adults
bturnerinla25 December 2010
I saw this film on Christmas Day in 2001 on PBS. Nine years to the day later it's still as vivid in my memory. After seeing it, as the credits started to roll, so did the tears down my face.
It surprises me that I never heard of this film when it came out as it's artistically a gem of a film. The acting is superb of very high caliber. It's got a twisted story in more ways than one, extremely compelling for those that appreciate a complex, tightly woven plot line.
If you have ever been betrayed by someone near/dear, this story will reach in on a visceral level and pull you in.
The overall message is powerful. It comes full circle from the extreme vulnerability to empowerment as it underscores the moral qualities and staying true to one's core values even in the face of overwhelming adversities.
My nephew is going through some hard times, I wish he could see this film today....
Merry Christmas!
It surprises me that I never heard of this film when it came out as it's artistically a gem of a film. The acting is superb of very high caliber. It's got a twisted story in more ways than one, extremely compelling for those that appreciate a complex, tightly woven plot line.
If you have ever been betrayed by someone near/dear, this story will reach in on a visceral level and pull you in.
The overall message is powerful. It comes full circle from the extreme vulnerability to empowerment as it underscores the moral qualities and staying true to one's core values even in the face of overwhelming adversities.
My nephew is going through some hard times, I wish he could see this film today....
Merry Christmas!
In many ways a brilliant film.
reviewerinoimdbino12 April 2008
I was going to be all apologetic for praising this film, but if you look at the ratings for this in detail you'll see that the MAJORITY of people give this film a rating of 5 and above. So how does IMDb arrive at its "weighted average" of 4.4? Ridiculous. Lots of '9's and '10's--and are we to think that all of those '5's, '6's, '7's, and '8's are put in to 'game the system'? Puh-lease.
The only thing that keeps this movie from being a '10' for me is the fact that it's crazy plot developments keep coming and coming and coming, with a ton of false endings. It gives you a headache.
But the utter brilliance of so much of this film--Deborah Rush as Trish the embezzler is, all on her own, worth the price of admission! The surprising twists with the Mary-Louise Parker character? The brilliant art direction, with its warped vision of our heroine's world as a winter wonderland in a snow globe gone mad? The plain old beauty of Stephen Dorff? There is A LOT to love about this movie. If you love movies, if you care about and are interested in movies as an art form, you will want to see this movie.
It's incredibly funny, it's beautiful, it's strange, it's wearying. It's not for everyone, but I wouldn't want to be everyone. If you're thoughtful, intelligent, and patient, you will appreciate the superb acting, film-making, and atmosphere this film provides.
The only thing that keeps this movie from being a '10' for me is the fact that it's crazy plot developments keep coming and coming and coming, with a ton of false endings. It gives you a headache.
But the utter brilliance of so much of this film--Deborah Rush as Trish the embezzler is, all on her own, worth the price of admission! The surprising twists with the Mary-Louise Parker character? The brilliant art direction, with its warped vision of our heroine's world as a winter wonderland in a snow globe gone mad? The plain old beauty of Stephen Dorff? There is A LOT to love about this movie. If you love movies, if you care about and are interested in movies as an art form, you will want to see this movie.
It's incredibly funny, it's beautiful, it's strange, it's wearying. It's not for everyone, but I wouldn't want to be everyone. If you're thoughtful, intelligent, and patient, you will appreciate the superb acting, film-making, and atmosphere this film provides.
A Celluloid Dream
surrealkitten1 October 2003
This metaphorical story of a woman leaving her husband and coming to terms with the sadness in her life is filmed as if everything is a dream. Mia Farrow plays a truly epic character, and her strength in the role finally proves her more than a beautiful waif. Even the smallest elements are connected to the larger center of the picture, and no strange story is left unexplained. A real joy.
A Guilty Pleasure Movie
djksimon-15 January 2010
This is a movie that I cannot turn away from. Although I have seen it twice in its entirety, I have watched it several more times from the point at which I've stumbled upon it while channel surfing. It's truly a train wreck of a movie - from the claustrophobic scaled-down set of the marital home to the way that Mia Farrow's character becomes the unwitting victim of fate over and over. Although she is the protagonist, for me the story is also about the identity-seeking behaviors of all the supporting characters, their search for meaning and wholeness in their lives, the secrets they keep from each other and their perpetual estrangement and lack of intimacy... just like real life, only narrower and slightly more absurd. For anyone who has had experience with mental health practitioners, who couldn't relate to the parade of therapists projecting their own issues onto Rachel's character, and then validating themselves for helping her? Yes, overall "Reckless" is a sad story but its quirky comedic elements give it enough spice to make it a satisfying if not guilty pleasure.
Hilarious!
PAL5 September 2001
Dark enough for anyone who enjoys the truly morbid and wretched. Puts the fun back dysfunctional and can brighten anyone's miserable Christmas. Thank gawd for offbeat comedies like this, which are closer to real life than most people would care to admit.
The Saddest Movie I have ever seen
faerieflame4 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Mia Farrow in an improbable tale of woe rivaling a Shakespearian tragedy for sheer unfortunate-ness. If this movie had a more revealing title I suppose I would call it "the nastiest of consequences for the most innocent and well-intentioned of actions." All the characters you like will be punished (not a spoiler - as we may not like the same characters). From bad to worse, from lonely to destitute, from depressing to macabre: this movie will make you feel better about you. Wherever you are, this lady is lower. The sympathy and camaraderie this movie generates for it's soft-spoken well-meaning heroine is the sharp tip that drives the depressing point home. The character's unwavering goodness in the face of (well I suppose it is rather conspicuous) misfortune is inspirational. Beautiful. I want to live again.
ThIs ExPlaiNs wHy ItS cOnSidEReD comedy/Fantasy!!!
hoh-smokey-k924 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
the boy's mother left him, so in his mind to deal with it, he made up this whole crazy(hilarious, bizarre) story about hit men, poisonings, blood spraying, didn't you notice how it skips years instantaneously, at one point skipping 7 years at once, its because hes been told a couple of things, and he fills in the rest! , It is absolutely all a dream! it is all made up by the son, that is why it seems so ridiculous, . think about it, that totally ridiculous gameshow with the freaky outfits, the acid trip landscapes, and the bizarre events that seem to happen to her every 30 seconds, even though the movie spans over at least ten years.
the reason everything in this movie seems too good or bad to be reality, is, ***its not!!! its in his head****!!!
the reason everything in this movie seems too good or bad to be reality, is, ***its not!!! its in his head****!!!
Not exactly your typical Christmas movie, that's for sure!
bellino-angelo20146 November 2023
I wanted to see RECKLESS since very long because it always looked like a weird comedy and I have a thing for these sort of movies but since its bad score of 5,1 and mostly negative reviews I avoided for all these years... until last June when I finally gave it a try and as I expected it was great fun tho not for everyone as it's very weird.
It begins on Christmas Eve when Rachel (Mia Farrow) and her husband Tom FitzSimons (Tony Goldwyn) are hearing Christmas carols on TV and Tom has a confession: he hired a contract killer for killing Rachel so that Tom could have all her money. So Rachel escapes and stumbles upon Lloyd Buftalofty (Scott Glenn), a social worker that lives with his deaf and disabled wife Pooty (Mary Louise Parker). Rachel moves in with the couple and works with Lloyd at the charitable organization Hands Across the Sea. Soon Rachel discovers that Lloyd and Pooty hide secrets as well: Lloyd destroyed and abandoned a family, and Pooty fakes her disability for having ease and comfort. Rachel will meet lots of other crazy characters and will cause the deaths of his husband Tom and Pooty (poisoned), Lloyd (chocked by the cork of his champagne bottle when he tried to open it with his teeth) and will end in a shelter for the homeless run by sister Margaret, who has her dark secrets as well...
The movie is very strange, and I think that the director worked hard for making it the weirdest and strangest possible. Needless to say I appreciated the style. Everybody (Farrow, Glenn, Goldwyn, Parker, Giancarlo Esposito, Stephen Dorff and William Ficthner) acted very good and it looked like they had lot of fun, tho the ending was a bit confusing I admit it.
Not to be missed if you are into weird movies or forgotten star-studded rarities tho I have to warn sensible viewers that there are some graphic moments so if you can't stand them you might think twice before watching it.
It begins on Christmas Eve when Rachel (Mia Farrow) and her husband Tom FitzSimons (Tony Goldwyn) are hearing Christmas carols on TV and Tom has a confession: he hired a contract killer for killing Rachel so that Tom could have all her money. So Rachel escapes and stumbles upon Lloyd Buftalofty (Scott Glenn), a social worker that lives with his deaf and disabled wife Pooty (Mary Louise Parker). Rachel moves in with the couple and works with Lloyd at the charitable organization Hands Across the Sea. Soon Rachel discovers that Lloyd and Pooty hide secrets as well: Lloyd destroyed and abandoned a family, and Pooty fakes her disability for having ease and comfort. Rachel will meet lots of other crazy characters and will cause the deaths of his husband Tom and Pooty (poisoned), Lloyd (chocked by the cork of his champagne bottle when he tried to open it with his teeth) and will end in a shelter for the homeless run by sister Margaret, who has her dark secrets as well...
The movie is very strange, and I think that the director worked hard for making it the weirdest and strangest possible. Needless to say I appreciated the style. Everybody (Farrow, Glenn, Goldwyn, Parker, Giancarlo Esposito, Stephen Dorff and William Ficthner) acted very good and it looked like they had lot of fun, tho the ending was a bit confusing I admit it.
Not to be missed if you are into weird movies or forgotten star-studded rarities tho I have to warn sensible viewers that there are some graphic moments so if you can't stand them you might think twice before watching it.
Liked the film.
fitzvizion11 May 2001
My favorite Christmas film.
garybook-5789026 December 2023
Hilarious film. A great Black comedy, terrific. My favorite Christmas story. I don't know why more people don't know about this film. Mia Farrow is excellent in her role. It takes you on a funny ride. The running theme of Springfield is great joke.
Christmas is a family time and it opens with a husband's plot on his wife. From this opening, the story grows with amusing characters and MIA Farrow's on the run and reflecting on family and the holidays.
It was adapted from a play which I never saw, but probably gives structure to the screen play.
Forget what the critics say, see it for yourself and enjoy.
Christmas is a family time and it opens with a husband's plot on his wife. From this opening, the story grows with amusing characters and MIA Farrow's on the run and reflecting on family and the holidays.
It was adapted from a play which I never saw, but probably gives structure to the screen play.
Forget what the critics say, see it for yourself and enjoy.
So ridiculous it's sad.
Jonathan-1811 December 1999
Produced by International Playhouse Pictures, it looks as if filmed in a doll house. Everybody's a liar, everything is dream-like, toy-like for no good reason. I'm not saying everything in all movies should be totally realistic, but such unbelievable fantasy things and situations in one movie are way too much. How did they get these fine actors -actresses particularly- to this movie? It's nice to see Mia again; if we were meant to understand why her husband wants to kill her, Mia does do it well. Not funny, not moving, just fake. Stephen Dorff briefly appears at the end, fitting for a play maybe, less for a movie, but this isn't one to measure things at. Terrible.
Negative
charleyroth14 July 2002
Saw this movie on one of the so-called premium channels (HBO, etc.) on a slow day on a vacation in Wisconsin. Got into it about two minutes after it started and since the plot??? begins during the opening credits I missed just exactly why her husband had put out a hit contract on her. As another critic has said, probably with good reason after seeing her act in this movie. The plot??? is so murky that I never did understand what it was all about but I don't think a Director has ever done a better job of making almost every actor in the movie look and act like a Dork and that about sums it up.......A Dork Movie!
Ludicrous
Ripshin2 October 2004
Frankly, this film is unwatchable. It is a pretentious train wreck, that gets worse with each passing minute. The acting is cartoon-ish, and while I am aware the tone is intentional, it simply does not work. Apparently, the director was extremely ill when filming this, and his cynicism is clearly evident. He died the next year.
Surprisingly, the same director and writer are responsible for "Longtime Companion," which while overrated, comes across as Oscar material compared to this diatribe. (Well, Bruce Davison WAS nominated for that one.) Some stage plays cannot make the cross-over to feature film territory; this is a prime example.
Surprisingly, the same director and writer are responsible for "Longtime Companion," which while overrated, comes across as Oscar material compared to this diatribe. (Well, Bruce Davison WAS nominated for that one.) Some stage plays cannot make the cross-over to feature film territory; this is a prime example.
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