source: Iris: A Memoir of Iris Murdoch

Good, but not effective. This is my summary and it means a great deal. The lead actor- Jim Broadbent was really good in the film and indeed most believable, however Judi Dench was very disappointing. I felt she didn't sensitively deal with the storyline and her acting was awful. The plot was realistic enough, but rushed and ruined. I felt very little sympathy for Alzheimer's disease was appreciated in the film and this was disappointing, it was rushed and ruined as a result. Itb was quite dramatic, but I felt very disappointed on a whole for the film. Acting- Average. Genre- Average. Plot/Storyline- Poor. 4.

Very good example of British acting at it's best from all concerned. Using the flash backs was a good way to show the contrast and how the disease affects the victim.

Starring Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent, and Hugh Bonneville in the story about author Iris Murdoch and her marriage to author John Bayley and their struggle as Murdoch suffers through Alzheimer's disease. Wonderful performances make `Iris' one of 2001s finest films, especially from Broadbent (`Moulin Rouge'), who won for Best Actor for his heart wrenching portrayal as Bayley living with his ailing wife. ***

Very poor execution of a contrite message. Pseudo-intellectuals will rave about the message. But will forget to mention: the movie was terrible from every technical aspect:cinematography, lighting, sound, score...you name it; terrible plot, uncreative use of fractured time, ostentatious (very unlikely) script, grotesque acting; director should stick to TV; Might have been much better done by different director, actors, etc. If you like boring, heady movies and like to pretend that you caught on to something no one else could, basically that you are an intellectual above and beyond the masses, go see it. But you will have to pretend, because even you will have a terrible time.

Without reflecting any of the writers literary output and contemplation, this film roams aimlessly into sentimentalism of an aging couple, which, the viewer doesn't have particular reasons to relate to or care for. Iris Murdoch is striped off her artistic existence, and is treated as any ordinary human being struggling with dementia. So, why make it a movie about her, than any other person in the world, if we're not going to fully understand why it was such a tragic loss for her particularly? Too much ordinary human story, too little information, and an obnoxious performance by the otherwise lovable Kate Winslet.

I found Iris to be a brilliant film that stirred a vast array of emotions inside of me. I felt anger at Iris' treatment of John, I felt pity towards John because of these, yet at the same time such admiration for John. Iris made me laugh and cry. Iris had me reflecting on my own life, and I felt incredibly scared that I might not have the "unconditional" love and support of someone to care for me, and that I may have to journey such a hardship alone. Iris entertains and educates about the harrowing Alzheimers, and how Alzheimers can attack even the most brilliant of minds. A must see, but keep the tissues handy.

This movie was one of those ultimate rarities: a winner that I picked off the shelf at the local (Blockbuster) video store without so much as a summary beyond what was on the packaging. Dame Dench is stunning, as are her supporting actors. The interplay between the aging Murdoch and the youthful one is managed skillfully. It does, as it promises, end up being far more about love than about illness. One particular scene was brilliant: the juxtaposition of Iris, with great pain, noticing that John has observed her failing memory and the young John's excrutiating peeking in on Iris in her merry, Erica-Jong-this-is-just-sex-nobody-gets-hurt escapade. Don't miss seeing this marvelous movie. I'd give it a 10, but even Bo Derek doesn't deserve that.

Review- Iris The Film Iris I about a writer there gets Alzheimer's disease. Iris is a sad and frustrating film, not least because it can't get out from under its own sadness and frustration. But the film renders this terrible loss with clichés rather than insights. It's difficult not to respond to the tear-jerking devices (perhaps especially if you've any experience with Alzheimer's patients), but it's also difficult not to see them as devices. While the film does include a lovey-dovey scene or two, it's more interested in the more exciting moments, the ways Iris makes John's life rather hellish, before and after the disease. True as this may have been, this choice of emphasis doesn't give the film much time to consider her work or thinking, supposedly key aspects of her appeal to John and everyone else. I think the film give us a great chance to see how it is to have a Alzheimer's disease and how the relatives focus on the life story of a dementia patient.

The film, Iris, written by Richard Eyre in 2001 is a British-American biographical drama film. The story tell us about a British novelist, Iris Murdock, and her relationship with John Bayley. Iris was an outgoing individual, who became sick, and the story tell us how it is to live with an Alzheimer's disease. We see a lot of throwback's of how John's and Iris' life was before she got sick, in their youth. I think it's a nice sequence when we experience the swimming in the lake both as young and elderly. It's a symbol of a clearing process and a rebirth for Iris. It's a beautiful story of a lifelong romance, and how to overcome the problems that follow a life with the dementia disease. I think the film give us a great general view of how it is to be a relative person in a dementia patients' life.