Sean Penn has grown tremendously since his graduation from "Ridgemont High". After being nominated herein, and then for Sweet and Lowdown and I Am Sam, he deserved to grab that Oscar at the 76th Annual Academy Awards for his acting in Mystic River.
However, other than Penn's performance and an equally engaging one by Susan Sarandon, there's not much to see in this film. The writing is trite, the direction deplorable. Mr. Penn and Ms. Sarandon could have been just as impressive talking to cardboard cutouts. They were great in spite of the poor direction by Tim Robbins. The other actors were not strong enough to overcome it.
There are too many cliches, too many blunders. And who was that man caught outside the window in one scene? Not a big enough budget to shoot over?
I strongly oppose the death penalty, but that doesn't mean I'm going to laud this soppy and sloppy excuse for a film.
However, other than Penn's performance and an equally engaging one by Susan Sarandon, there's not much to see in this film. The writing is trite, the direction deplorable. Mr. Penn and Ms. Sarandon could have been just as impressive talking to cardboard cutouts. They were great in spite of the poor direction by Tim Robbins. The other actors were not strong enough to overcome it.
There are too many cliches, too many blunders. And who was that man caught outside the window in one scene? Not a big enough budget to shoot over?
I strongly oppose the death penalty, but that doesn't mean I'm going to laud this soppy and sloppy excuse for a film.