Miranda (2002) User Reviews

Meet you at Trafalgar Square at 4pm

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 12 July 2005]

Marc Munden's "Miranda" is a film that shows great visual style. As written for the screen by Rob Young, this movie's fate seems to have been a limited release and then directly to video. Not having seen it before, we watched it on cable recently. While this film offers a lot, most viewers seem to react against it, judging by the comments sent to this forum.

Christina Ricci, as the mysterious Miranda is perfectly intense. Ms. Ricci deserves much better. Her character is not clear enough for most people to care for her. The excellent John Simm, is Frank, the young librarian in love with this flighty woman who decides to stick to her and ultimately make her love him. Kyle MacLachlan, makes an appearance as Nailor, the man behind all the plot, and John Hurt, makes a perfect Christian.

I Tried To Like It...

[Darkest_Rose · 6/10 · 16 July 2003]

A lonely librarian Frank(John Simm) who loves dreaming his life away suddenly meets the beautiful and mysterious Miranda(Christina Ricci) and immediately falls in love with her. As the two of them become closer, Frank starts finding out that Miranda isn't who he thought she was and that she leads a dangerous life with many different identities. I tried to like this movie because Christina Ricci is my favorite actress in the whole world but I just couldn't get into it. I really liked the first half hour or so of this movie but then the story started becoming boring and somewhat complicated. It seemed that this movie couldn't decide if it wanted to be a thriller, a romantic drama or a comedy. Everything was just kind of mixed together. I would give Miranda 6/10.

An Absolute Miss

[samkan · 5/10 · 15 December 2006]

The graphics/animation opening this picture are just great. The first twenty minutes are VERY funny, thanks almost exclusively to Mr. Simms hilarious enthusiasm. Then the film just falls apart. It could have been a good romantic comedy. But instead it thinks it creates suspense, intrigue, danger, etc., which it badly employs. John Hurt does fine but neither he nor Kyle MacLaughlin seem to now what kind of film they are supposed to be in. Hurt is deadpan drama and Maclaughlin is over-the-top zany. I'd accept ridiculous plot devices if the tone of the movie, like the first 20 minutes, remained ridiculous. Especially annoying to me, an attorney who does some real estate, is the suggestion you could con sophisticated people into accepting title to property you didn't own, a virtual impossibility no matter how gullible the Client. But I had to give it a "5" as Mr. Simms introduction is so charming.

Great!

[elcinematico · 18 March 2004]

A quite underrated movie that's very well acted and shot. It's got good romance, decent humour, madness, spiced up with a good bit of sickness. I think the story is a pretty nice and interesting one and especially Rod made me laugh all the time. Kyle McLachlan fits his role perfectly, that sick psychopathic dude. Of course this movie misses the realism, but take it as an entertaining and twisted crime comedy flick with a tawdrily ending (no clues here!). During the scenes at the beginning where Ricci starts falling in love she's really, really charming and quite sexy as well. Her "other self" is more the opposite. Good acting there. John Hurt was nice too, but I don't really like him since his role in Rob Roy ;-)

This movie deserves more than just a poor 5.9 rating. I won't rate the individual aspects of this one with numbers since I've mentioned some of that stuff above already (mostly positive), however my overall rating is: 7.2/10.

Great entertainment! Worth watching!

Take the good with the bad

[MarshallStax · 5/10 · 9 July 2003]

"Miranda" has nice performances, well-composed and lighted shots, snappy editing, whimsical and funny moments... so then why does it ultimately fail to make a lasting impression? Perhaps because there is so little connection to the "real world", as evidenced by the way that not a single character in this piece behaves in the manner a real person would. The entire film is an artificial construct, an abstract meditation on human nature that sadly fails to reference anything recognizable in most peoples' lives. The result is a film that bores, but occasionally rewards.

That said, the writing is clever and even rises to the inspired once or twice. Likewise, the visual sophistication of what and how things appear in-frame, the camera movements and the just-right switching between shots and angles points to something far beyond competency. Let's just say that "Miranda" was an artfully realized misfire, a "nice try" for all those involved. Let's hope they all move on to find something that suits their particular muses better.

Independent film A+

[luetellenripley · 7/10 · 30 July 2004]

The story line was little hoakie, more like a re-hash of Paper-Moon( great movie by the way)except without the sex scenes. At any rate the filming of this movie was really intense and very visual. I really enjoyed how all the stories fit together. I would recommend this movie to everyone because it was real with no special affects or any computer imaging. We need more movies like that to not distract us from the actors ability to act. Ms. Ricci is FABULOUS!( I think she is way UNDER-RATED) and MR. John Hurt is one amazing actor. The rest of the cast was pretty good too. For anyone who likes independent films, this is one movie everyone should really take the time to watch with a nice glass of wine.

Really weird

[rps-2 · 3/10 · 19 April 2004]

Apart from 90 minutes of watching people smoke cigarettes, I don't really know what this movie tried to prove or say. The story is murky. The characters are ill defined. The cinematography is pretentious. The acting is (barely) adequate. I suppose swallowing a button like taking the eucharist might be considered profound by some. I thought it rather stupid and pointless. But if you like toe kissing and bare ass bonking, you may feel better about it. Channel 4 has done some interesting stuff. I suppose if you are going to pioneer and experiment, it's inevitable that you'll take a wrong turn now and then. Too bad this wrong turn led to a swamp. Too serious and too artsey dartsey by half!

Study in Black

[pantagruella · 7/10 · 17 January 2006]

This is an excellent film if you enjoy watching Christina Ricci walking and talking. She does these things very well and she looks very much like Wednesday Addams would look if she Wednesday had grown up. At one point Christina has her hair pulled back very severely.

John Simm is engaging and is inclined to treat Christina Ricci the way she should be treated if she ever came to Leeds. John is also making his mark in the Life of Mars TV series.

It's a romantic thriller and I'd guess the plot is not very original. It moves through some sordid aspects of modern life but doesn't wallow in them. John Hurt and Kyle McLachlan are suitably repellent.

A good film too for fans of Green Wing.

Don't waste a minute of your life on this one.

[Helena727 · 1/10 · 20 March 2006]

I'm a huge fan of John Hurt, Julian Rhind-Tutt, and Kyle MacLachlan (and a sometime fan of Christina Ricca), but even their considerable talents couldn't save this clunker. The plot -- an unsuccessful combo of a romantic comedy and a caper flick -- is improbable, and it fails; the dialog is often flat/trite/dead; Ricci, though an interesting and compelling presence, fails to make her character believable; and even though John Simm is wonderful as Frank the librarian, I didn't buy his passion for Ricci's character (the writer is to blame for final criticism and partly to blame for the third). What a waste of phenomenal talent and money, and a waste of 90 minutes of my life. Avoid this film.

Long on style, short on story.

[=G= · 6/10 · 29 November 2003]

"Miranda", misbilled as a romance/thriller (no thrills in this flick), is really a dark romantic comedy about an enigmatic woman, Miranda (Ricci), who beguiles a male librarian (Simm) with her haunting beauty and mysterious ways. Long on style and short on story, this film spends most of its time with the title character, of course, which Ricci plays well. The film crashes, however, on story as Miranda is really a pain in the a** and not something we, the audience, are inclined to wish on the more likeable Simm character. Meanwhile, bits and pieces of a story are doled out with the dots never really connected at the end making anything beyond the romantic quest little more than window dressing. Recommended for Ricci fans or dark comedy weirdos. (B-)

Miran- dulllllllllllllllllllll

[hokeybutt · 2/10 · 29 July 2004]

MIRANDA (1 outta 5 stars)

Pretty lousy movie about a conwoman (Christina Ricci) and a nerdy librarian (John Simm)who is smitten by her... even when he realizes that her sweet and wonderful character is nothing but an act, he becomes enamored of the bad girl she becomes. Ho hum. She leaves town... he follows her and becomes entangled in some convoluted scheme to embezzle money from some bizarre rich guy character played by Kyle MacLachlan. The actors are okay... but the movie itself is kind of pointless. Also, there is too much weirdness for the sake of weirdness. Eccentricity is no substitute for compelling characters and/or storylines. This is one of those small, independent movies that gives small, independent movies a bad rep.

Unusual Romantic Comedy Thriller

[Andreya · 8/10 · 12 January 2005]

Difficult to box this one which is, I think, why the reviews have been not entirely favourable. I had very low expectations after reading other reviews on this film but was very pleasantly surprised and would thoroughly recommend it. I very rarely watch a film twice but liked this so much that I sat through it (and enjoyed it) again with a friend.

This is beautifully shot and doesn't feel independent brit flicky at all - very slick and stylish. I think everyone turned in a really good performance and although the script was quirky I found it very believable. This does manage to get a little bit of everything in it - romance, comedy, thrills and although it doesn't sit fully in any genre I actually liked it for that. I think if you can watch this with a completely open mind and no pre-conceived ideas about what genre of film you're about to watch then you'll definitely enjoy it. Kyle McLachlan was deliciously pervy in it and Christina Ricci seemed to switch seamlessly between vamp and vulnerable. Def have a look.

Slightly dissatisfied

[laura-carvell-1 · 7/10 · 28 January 2008]

I expected a romantic adventure with a dark twist but felt that this film missed out on making the most of a terrific cast. I felt the contrast between the British indie type film and the American fantasy film made it confusing to watch and unbelievable from a British perspective. There are some great moments between the well rounded characters and the friendship between the lads is fun to watch.

Christina Ricci is good in this but I am unconvinced about how torn she feels between the Christian character and the Librarian. I also feel that the Frank character could have had a more bite as John Simm always excels at being pushed to extremes. Worth a watch.

Starts Fast Ends Slow

[iwatcheverything · 5/10 · 7 September 2003]

Not much to say here. Great acting from Ricci's part and little overacting on obsessive love guy. Film ended good but could have had a little more excitement to speed it up. All in all a decent watch if you have nothing to do on a week night, especially for Ricci fans.

A little slow but still watchable.

[Gordon-11 · 24 June 2007]

This film is about a con woman whose life is complicated by the appearance of an obsessive librarian.

I had great expectations when the initial animation was showing. Could it be a film like "Lola Rennt"? Well, no. The plot could have been promising, but the way it is told makes the film not too gripping. It gets boring at times, because of the slow pace. Fortunately, the film is made up for by the tension between Christina Ricci and John Simm. John Simm's portrayal of an innocent man who becomes obsessive about Christina Ricci is remarkable. Christina Ricci is also great in her portrayals of a cold and passionless con woman, a manipulative woman and vulnerable victim at the end. In short, it is a little slow but still watchable.

An American lead in a UK B-movie movie reminds me of the 1950s

[rowmorg · 3/10 · 1 October 2009]

In the 1940s and 50s there was some kind of rule that Americans B-list stars had to star in British B-movies (when there were double bills). I'm not sure why. This B-category film reminded me of those days, with an American "star" (Christina Ricci) standing out like a sore thumb in the middle of a British picture. It must have been something to do with the financing, although it's billed as a Film on Four production. Anyway, the casting of Ricci drove a stake through the heart of the movie before it was ever filmed. I never believed either the romance that drove the story or the intrigue that lay behind it. After a briefly engaging beginning, the film declined into sophomoric nonsense. The British film is in a parlous state, and we were told about 10 years ago that Alan Parker was going to clean it all up and get good scripts and directors happening, so that 99 out of a hundred did not flop and pass straight into video obscurity. Somehow this one squeezed through all the many blockages that stand in the way of any production, and I suspect that Ms Ricci was the reason. Pity!

interesting film noir feel to it

[mickeyfan-26642 · 6/10 · 25 December 2023]

Good romance and believable chemistry between john sims and christina ricci... the plot keeps you interested and ricci does a good job with character leading a double life. John hurt is good as her mentor/behind the scenes man. Kyle machlachlan (sp?) is great as the sleazy perverted guy that she has to deal with... honestly he steals every scene he is in. Definitely worth checking out. Wish more movies that this breezy fun feel to it and i get the impression that everyone involved was having a good time with the movie. Overrall i would watch this movie again and check out other work by the director.

original and quirky, but ultimately unsatisfying

[myriamlenys · 6/10 · 21 October 2017]

First the good : this is a pleasantly original and mercurial little movie, miles away from your usual formulaic conman thriller or rom-com. There are some good jokes and lines - and yes, even the titles at the beginning are pretty funny. Also welcome is the satirical bite. The story is set in a Great-Britain where the rich and powerful can build (or tear down) anything that strikes their fancy, while average citizens are supposed to live without such self-indulgent luxuries as hospitals, swimming pools or libraries, because who needs mental and physical well-being ?

On second thoughts : perhaps I was wrong in using the words "satirical bite", this is a pretty accurate representation of societal reality - and not only in Great-Britain.

Sadly the movie does not live up to the potential promised by its original premise. It's clever, but not as clever as it thinks it is. A small example : the various swindles perpetrated are not exactly models of criminal cunning and satanic ingenuity. One cannot shake the suspicion that they would have been undone by even a minimum of vigilance and due diligence. The dialogue and narration too are remarkably uneven.

The various actors bravely do their best, but much of their enormous talent goes to waste. With such a stellar cast this could have been a tragicomic masterwork for the ages, but aah... The things that might have been...

Odd and Interesting

[Brian B-2 · 8/10 · 14 March 2004]

Cristina Ricci not only warms the cold still nights where most of this movie's action takes place, she captivates our souls. Her eyes are mirrors of our inner desires. This film uses this to perfection. John Simm and John Hurt are well cast supporting players, owning their roles. Kyle McLachlan returns to his David Lynch quirkiness, after the shallow Sex and the City detour.

The camera worker bathes her in dark pools of light, approaching her from odd angles, as if she was a sleeping lover watched , or an object of art. Yet she breathes, and lives, and smokes, and smiles radiantly. Few actresses are both sun and moon.

When the nights are not still, rain motifs evoke the sad grasp of the dreariness of existence lived without heartfelt joy, whether the dangerous life of the con artist, or the drab librarian. Both are trapped. Only free will gives us freedom. But choice means pain and sacrifice.

The romance and thriller aspects of the plot clank against each other, and there may be one to many coincidence. None of this seriously harms the overall quality of the film.

Not the Mermaid...

[ih007b2077 · 10/10 · 8 November 2003]

I doubt if many people remember the film starring Glynis Johns. I always liked her. She had that husky voice, latterly impersonated to great effect by Felicity Kendall. But that was about a mermaid. Christina Ricci, rarely seen in these parts since 'Sleepy Hollow', makes a welcome return to my local Cineworld. I knew very little about this, having read something about it 2 years or so ago, except that CR was the lead. I have often wondered why she has not become slightly better known but anyway she is back. 'Miranda' is a good little offbeat movie, and anyone who knows me will know that I like quirky material. Therefore I enjoyed it. I suppose, if it has to have a 'shelf' at the video store, it would be in the comedy romance department, rather than the reverse. It certainly has its funny moments. It never succeeds as a thriller, though, which it may never have intended to do, but overall there is something very likeable about this material. Quite a good cast, including Kyle Maclachlan, who seems to age like the picture of Dorian Gray. The soundtrack is very enlivening and John Simm's voice, in the very funny Miranda song, is very good. Lots of verys, then, but at the close of the day, 'Miranda' is unlikely to find its way into many peoples' DVD libraries. Firstly, it may not even get a release here, and if it does, chances are that only strange obsessive people like me will want to buy it. Personally, though, I find Miss Ricci compelling, especially because of her looks, and also through her mysterious acting. I reckon Hitchcock would have killed to get her in a movie of his. She has that special kind of appeal. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was surprised it even got a release, as I'm certain it was made ages ago. 'Of all the libraries in all the world, she had to walk in to this one'. That's not the tagline, but it could have been! One final thought. Are they as big as Heather Graham's? Comments welcomed, but I'm referring to eyes here.

Love + pain = growth

[gypsyneleh · 8/10 · 25 March 2006]

Miranda: Schizoid or con woman? Innocent as a child or seasoned manipulator? Frank the librarian intends to find out, and in the process explores a new kind of love, trying to accept all the possibilities and not lose himself. Christina Ricci carries off all her character's contortions. John Simms' Frank -- WOW! Sweet, open, funny, wise, strong, honest -- forced to look at his preconceived ideas of love also forces Miranda to look at herself and her life; she realizes there is much more to living than just being "in control". Throw in a huge portion of the lovely, skewed British sense of humor and a mad dash of best friend Julian Rhind-Tutt, who sees the world through the eyes of Asian karate films. "Love IS a powerful force." The supporting characters Kyle McLaughlin, John Hurt, Matthew Marsh, etc., all do their jobs well in adding the appropriate tentative creepiness to this sexy film, making Frank a true movie hero. Enjoyed this film very much.

Twisted Rom Com!

[Andreya · 8/10 · 3 August 2004]

Frank is infatuated by the mysterious Miranda. When she disappears he goes in search of her, discovering a world of confidence tricksters and sadistic villains.

I think it's a mistake to try and pigeon hole this film into a genre. I think the closest I could get is that it's a twisted romantic comedy. It stars Christina Ricci as Miranda, an emotionally damaged con women. John Simm is Frank, the naïve northern lad who falls in love with her and the chemistry between the two is palpable. Kyle MacLachlan puts in an outstanding performance as a sinister, multi-millionaire pervert and John Hurt plays the sophisticated Svengali type figure to Miranda.

This is a very stylish film with a wicked sound-track. If you like your films to fit exactly into a pigeon hole than this isn't one for you. However, if you're prepared to watch with an open-mind then this is definitely one to watch if only for the fantastic shot of the imported Elvis rug!

Intensely romantic with the spice of modern love\pain

[anna_suddeth · 10/10 · 21 March 2006]

The leading man, so vulnerable yet, adorable. CR, so dark and full of secrets is seductive yet vulnerable in her own protected way. My favorite part is when they are on the sofa, and she jumps up after being asked a question that she doesn't like, then settles to "Let's just enjoy ourselves..." then the leading mans eyes become scared\hurt and full of love and he says..."Don't leave me"...with such a childlike innocence...haunting. You can tell he can hardly believe she even knows he is alive, and she can't believe he made her feel so alive... Definitely a great flick. I am into the Offbeat movies, which CR definitely fills. Her dark elf like beauty, so secretive...the innocent clumsy librarian, who has never lived enough to develop any secrets...Grab a cocktail and enjoy.. Anna

Films shouldn't be pigeon-holed!

[Andreya · 8/10 · 30 July 2003]

Frank is infatuated by the mysterious Miranda. When she disappears he goes in search of her, discovering a world of confidence tricksters and sadistic villains.

I think it's a mistake to try and pigeon hole this film into a genre. I think the closest I could get is that it's a twisted romantic comedy. It stars Christina Ricci as Miranda, an emotionally damaged con women. John Simm is Frank, the naïve northern lad who falls in love with her and the chemistry between the two is palpable. Kyle MacLachlan puts in an outstanding performance as a sinister, multi-millionaire pervert and John Hurt plays the sophisticated Svengali type figure to Miranda.

This is a very stylish film with a wicked sound-track. If you like your films to fit exactly into a pigeon hole than this isn't one for you. However, if you're prepared to watch with an open-mind then this is definitely one to watch if only for the fantastic shot of the imported Elvis rug!

Great twisted Rom Com!

[Andreya · 8/10 · 5 November 2003]

Frank is infatuated by the mysterious Miranda. When she disappears he goes in search of her, discovering a world of confidence tricksters and sadistic villains.

I think it's a mistake to try and pigeon hole this film into a genre. I think the closest I could get is that it's a twisted romantic comedy. It stars Christina Ricci as Miranda, an emotionally damaged con women. John Simm is Frank, the naïve northern lad who falls in love with her and the chemistry between the two is palpable. Kyle MacLachlan puts in an outstanding performance as a sinister, multi-millionaire pervert and John Hurt plays the sophisticated Svengali type figure to Miranda.

This is a very stylish film with a wicked sound-track. If you like your films to fit exactly into a pigeon hole than this isn't one for you. However, if you're prepared to watch with an open-mind then this is definitely one to watch if only for the fantastic shot of the imported Elvis rug!