At least the equal of Silence of the Lambs; Jonathan Demme's two greatest works.
shareAgreed. I personally think CITIZENS' BAND, WHO AM I THIS TIME? and A MASTER BUILDER also belong on Demme's list of masterworks, but THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and SOMETHING WILD are his crowning achievements.
shareWeird the so so rating.
shareYeah, but it's definitely not for all tastes. I've shown it to a good amount of people over the years and they either loved it or thought it was a complete misfire. It's definitely unusual in terms of its narrative structure, which is probably a key reason why it tends to be disregarded by the masses.
shareThat's one of the many reasons I love it so much--the complete change.
They still show the film on cable often, picking up new fans, I'm sure. I'm watching it for the nth time right now, it strikes me how the film doesn't feel dated at all.
Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels are fine too. But for me Ray Liotta stole the movie, I couldn't take my eyes off him.
I really liked the movie but I can see how some people would think it was forgettable. I mean it's one of those simple movies that doesn't scream quality, and on the surface doesn't really seem that special, but the way it was made was really impressive and unique. I believe that if you're a film buff and have a good appreciation for the way films are made, then you will love it, but the average person may not like it just cos of the simple easygoing kinda nature of the story.
shareI find it to be pretty great as well.
shareI was about 16 or 17 when it came out and didn't see it then, knew nothing about it beyond the title, had zero interest.
About 10-15 years ago my sister gave me a copy on DVD for my birthday. Very random. I watched it and didn't think much of it and forgot all about it.
I don't even remember what it was that made me want to see it again recently. I saw Criterion had released it on blu ray and bought it for some reason. I really loved it my second time around. Definitely intend to watch it again several times over the years.
EDIT: I remember now- a few months ago I found out Su Tissue was is in it... that's what made me want to see it again. I didn't know who she was the first time.