source: Desires of a Housewife

I too chose to watch because of Sharon Stone. And, as things started out, I was all geared up to applaud her sensitivitve side.., perhaps overestimating her input, since she was the producer and all. But by the end.., after seeing that there was never really going to be any kind of artistic payoff at all.., I'm sadly relegating this film to the category of efforts at poignant insight.. made by people who want to be seen as sensitive and perceptive about the mundane lives of the "little people".., but don't really have the capacity to be either. In other words, the film was (ironically) rather forced, like lucid dreaming.. or her virtually inexplicable, celebrity smiles (painful to watch).., and therefore lacking all semblance of reality. Let's say...... I see Sharon Stone's next (equally shallow) creative challenge as perhaps being a remake of Black Like Me. It seemed that her only lines that had any ring of authenticity was the brief, semi-coherent whining about losing her youthful good looks. Oh..., the word I've been looking for.. to describe this style of cinematic pretending is "slumming". At least, early on.. when the hand shadows morph into the classic triple 6 sign, we're tipped off that it's your basic Masonic film.., and even if the movie's a dud, one can always spend the time trying to spot the transgenders. cheers!!

This is a film for those who like an indie character study. Gary (Timothy Hutton) works late at night. He may lose his job and go to jail, although he doesn't discuss the matter with his friend or wife. He drinks and take sleeping pills to help him escape life. Karen (Sharon Stone) is married to Gary. She has passed the "let's talk about the relationship" stage and wants to live a separate life. She is depressed about getting old and losing her looks. She resorts to shop lifting to escape boredom. Bill (Dylan Baker) is the night time janitor. He went to school with Gary and Travis and is a recluse who attempts to live his life in a world of lucid dreaming. His apartment building doesn't afford him that luxury as he is forced to interact with the world. Travis (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is Gary's old friend. They have recently got back together. Travis likewise is a semi-recluse since his wife died in a car accident. Sadie (Stacie Bono) is Bill's neighbor who gets into loud fights with her husband. She attempt to makes friends with Bill, who can only fantasize about her. Will (David Wiliams) is the son of Gary and Karen. We find out about him about two thirds through the story. The movie is about how people's lives get into ruts that spiral downwards. These downward spirals are connected to each other. In order to break out of it, a drastic measure is required. Acting was good, but this is not a film most people would want to watch. It is a "people watcher" film. No F-bombs, sex, or nudity.

This film is a dramatic look at the lives and relationships (or lack of relationships) of the four main characters. It is a thought provoking look into what can happen when we allow ourselves to dwell within our personal misery to the point that we can no longer connect to those around us. The acting, writing, cinematography and direction are excellent, and the film is riddled with beautifully captured moments of life to which so many people can relate. If you are looking for a shallow sexy thriller, see Basic Instinct or Sliver. But if you are someone who appreciates the simplistic intricacies of what makes up the soul of a person...this movie is an excellent choice for you. It is a mature film that doesn't lay the emphasis on effects and the usual circus but on the subtleties and realities of people standing in the middle of their lives.

So 1, the description on the box calls this movie a psychological thriller. That is the biggest lie I have ever seen. It's boring. Nothing happens in this movie. I didn't care for any of the subplots. I was honestly happy when the major scene happens with Gary. Nothing in this movie makes you care what happens to its characters. Huge waste of time

***SPOILERS*** Slow moving and at times confusing melodrama involving a number of people with problems that never seem to end. Mosty because the persons who have them don't or can't seem to face them. There's at first Bill, Dylan Baker, a janitor at a downtown high rise office building. Bill is so scared of everything that for some eight years on the job he never tried to get to know any of the people he works with. It was only by sheer accident that Garry Fields, Timothy Hotton, who works in the building as what looks like a housing or construction contractor finally sees Bill and recognizes him as someone he went to high-school with. Being the wimp that he was in high school that he is now Garry and his friends used to make life miserable for Bill back then and now feels very guilty for doing that. It's one of his high school buddies Travis Gilmore, Pruitt Taylor Vince, whom he hasn't talked to in some four years that Garry gets in touch with to have a couple of drinks together with in the local bar and talk over good-or bad-times with. Travis as it turns out has been going through a personal hell after he hit and killed a young woman who ran a red light in front of him and has now become a mental case when it comes to being behind the wheel on a car! In fact Travis spends all his free time from work, as the manager of local 7-11, in bars drinking, until he could barley stand up, his troubles away. As for Bill he's created a fantasy world for himself in him thinking that he's the knight in shinning amour for every damsel in distress in the neighborhood focusing on his next door neighbor Sadie, Stacie Bono, as the distressed damsel he's to rescue! It's Sadie who seems to be constantly being worked over by her abusive husband-David Paules-but in Bills unbalanced state of mind your not quite sure if what's happening to Sadie is real or just being imagined and conjured up by him! We then come to what has to be the most whacked out person of the entire lot Garry's not all there in the head wife Karen, Sharon Stone. Karen who feels that her husband Garry is taking her for granted and spending more time or money on her wants out of her marriage and go on with far more important things in her life, when not working as a receptionist at brokerage house in town, like being a full-time kleptomaniac or shop lifter. This later in the movie has Karen finally being caught by a store detective at a swanky clothing store where she tried to sneak out with about a half dozen blouses stuffed under her dress! Things really start to fall apart when Garry and Karen's son Will, David Williams, shows up for a visit from his collage break and soon realizes what a terrible mess of a life his parents have gotten themselves into. This leads Karen to go completely off her nut where Garry tries to find peace and tranquility by finally having her put away for her own good before she ends up either hurting herself or anyone else. ***SPOILERS*** In the end Garry does in fact finds that elusive peace that he's been looking for during the entire movie in off all places a local hardware store when all his troubles abruptly and unexpectedly ended in a flash. In like what happened in the Bible to Lot's wife when she, in her not listening to her husband, was in an instant converted from being a living breathing flesh and blood human being into a pillar of lifeless salt!

SPOILERS!!! Despite cameos from Ray Liotta and Ransom Monroe, nothing gives this film the kick it needs. When the Sharon Stone character shoplifts the gloves, towels, guns, and diamonds, we are led to believe that she is the one abusing the girl next door to Bill. It turns out that she is not the one. Two or three scenes are stolen from The Big Chill, directly. At least twice, clocks are shown in the background showing different times. Sharon Stone looks good for an actress who is over 70 years of age and really is hot. Dylan Baker is underrated for an actor that can play a good weirdo. I knew a guy in high school who was weird like him so we picked on him until he snapped like the Bill in the movie. I was eating a taco while watching this and I had the feeling that someone else was watching me eat the taco, and, watch the movie. Then, I realized that someone could be watching the person that is watching me eating the taco and watching the movie. These random thoughts made watching the movie infinitely more interesting.

The problem with making a movie about life feeling tedious is that if it is a good film it will feel tedious and if it is a bad film it will feel tedious...Although artistic merit is quite evident in this film, its unfortunate choice of subject matter left me as numb as the characters and like the characters, the only relief came in the ending of the film and also like the characters, by that point I did not care what form the ending took, as long as it was over. That may have been the point, but that is not why I watch movies. I wanted to like the film, the acting was great, but there just wasn't one single redeeming moment or any relief at all from the constant droning monotony of these character's horrible, boring, pointless lives. Again, that may have been the point, but people watch movies to get away from that, not submerse themselves, no, ever so slowly drown themselves in the thick viscosity of utter boredom and meaninglessness. A nap would have been better (another point literally and ironically made in the film).

I still can't believe I've spent 90 minutes of my life watching the same thing on and on again, waiting for something to happen. Turns out it doesn't happen, it's the most boring movie I've ever seen. I thought of sleeping at 45: but I thought it WAS gonna get better, and I was repeating that to myself all the time... but hell no, the same crazy indie story all again. Sucks. And WHAT THE HELL is wrong with the Sharon Stone character? She seems like a robot without any emotion, distorting every world from reality, couldn't stand it at all. Weirdest thing is that in Brazil the dubbing for the movie is called "Autodestruction". How's that for strange.

I don't think young people will appreciate this movie though us older folk will understand the doldrums middle age can fall into this movie does that state justice with a good example of that proverb "be careful of what you wish for" Sharon is not the total beauty you are used to but not hard on the eyes either ... Tim does a bit of a supposed spontaneous phone call that is a bit on the too good to be spontaneous side but doesn't detract from the essence of the theme and growth of the storyline. to anyone who understands this state of depression and disillusion some aspects are a bit obvious but the story still does its job as a tear jerker of sorts.