I am pretty shocked at the low rating, I don't understand it at all. Makes me sad.
shareIt is just a commentary on the sad state of many shallow viewers who can't take an interest in a story that doesn't have car chases and shoot-outs.
..*.. TxMike ..*..
Take a risk, Take a chance, Make a change. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
I despise car chases, action movies, thrillers and all such nonsense. I adore Richard Gere and admire what he stands for and his spiritual beliefs. I care very much about the homeless and the difficulty the poor have in navigating this capitalistic, inhumane country. I have been on food stamps, lived in public housing and had no money to my name. There, does that qualify me to now say that this is one of the most boring movies I have ever tried to watch? They couldn't provide more dialogue and plot? It seemed to me they took the artsy view and tried to demonstrate the lack of human contact and loneliness a bit too far. It was just too slow and monotonous, even for this old fuddy duddy. I was very disappointed.
shareYeah... I admire what the film was TRYING to do, but all I got from it is that homelessness is a sad and unfortunate situation. I knew that BEFORE I watched the film; you don't need to take two hours to tell me that. I care about homelessness as a general issue, but if you're going to make me spend so much time with someone, then you need to give me a reason beyond his immediate circumstance to care about THIS particular person, and for all Gere's fine acting, I didn't feel that the film achieved that.
Making a documentary about rough sleepers would be so much more emotional than the cliche of Hollywood star being made to rough it, and trying to get us to buy into reconnecting with estranged family... All the innovative camera angles in the world can't disguise the thinness of the main story.
"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"
Good points on this film's weaknesses, and there are many. This film takes a compelling but very downbeat subject, and just sort of wanders aimlessly. For as much ink as the subject of homelessness gets these days, it's rare to see a film that really tries to explain how they got there, what it' like there, and where they go from there. A documentary would indeed be much better, but the decent performances here maintained my attention. I gave this 7/10 stars, though perhaps that was a bit generous.
shareThere are definite things to recommend it - I just felt that it could've been even more affecting.
"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"