What happened?


The film is really good for the first 75 minutes or so. Yes, it starts to slip but really comes apart when Paul's mom is cleaning up at Christmas. There's no ending either.

What kind of problems must have the production had to end the film like this? Was anything re-shot? Hastily rewritten? Ran out of budget?

Haven't read the original novel so I don't know if it's any more satisfying than the film.

It becomes almost two different films and sadly, the back end pretty much negates the really well done front!

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It's pretty clear that this promising film never measures up on any level.

David Leavitt's novel is much better and, more important, much clearer. I wondered about the disjointed dialogue in the film and was surprised, when I compared it, that much was lifted directly from the book. But Mr. Pons took the liberty of removing about every other line, which makes the remaining ones a crazy-quilt of non-sequitors. I can't imagine why Mr. Leavitt, in the extras, says how happy he is with the results. Obviously, he was not consulted.

The problems result from bad choices in every department: script, music, acting, story. A shame, because it should have been a great film.

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