Yar, you be here: Grand Canyon > Customer Reviews
Grand Canyon Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 16 Reviews)
One of the most horrible movies of all time
This film attempts to parallel the exquisite (yet sadly dated) "Big Chill", also by Lawrence Kasdan, but instead makes a laughingstock of important issues that have been treated with more care. Borrowing the masturbatory excesses of the worst acting performances in any movie I have ever seen (Steve Martin, with fake beard, is most suspect) and needlessly forced social commentary, "Grand Canyon" tries so hard to "say something important" that it almost rises to the point of unintentional hilarity. The social commentary is so force-fed and heavy, and the actors don't even know what do to otherwise but stand back and let the audience get pummelled to death: we are all racist, materialistic, unloving scum, and don't you ever forget it. "Boys In the Hood" is nearly kind and gentle by comparison.
This ridiculously bad film has somehow become a prototype of sorts for interlocking-plot-social-commentary flicks like "Crash" and "Traffic". But this dog is about as far away from those fine films as one can get. I don't know, maybe it's Danny Glover, who should have never been in a movie ever, or Kevin Kline, who is woefully miscast, or the overrated Mary Louise Parker, or the Martin Beard Fiasco, but the whole thing just reeks. BAD. I almost guarantee that at least one time during this film, if not several times, you will say out loud, "OH GIVE ME A BREAK!" Dated the day it hit the screen, "Grand Canyon" remains one of the most embarassing and sad displays of Hallmark Card filmmaking ever, about as sympathetic and open-minded as any shock-jock radio political commentator, and as gentle in getting its trite point across as a steamroller. This is evidently what happens when out-of-touch movie celebs get together with self-inflated, egotistical directors and try to "say something relevant about America".
And the fact that it is set in Los Angeles doesn't help.
Grand Canyon-dvd
I recieved this item promptly and in excellent condition. I'm always pleased with this company's service, so I use it for all my special ocassions.
Send lawyers, guns and money . . .
Let me tell you right off the bat, I think this is an excellent movie. No one overacts, no one steals scenes, no one is more self important than the others, and all converse easily with his or her counterpart. It was really panned by NYT and a whole host of others but there's a message here that we missed then and now, thirteen years later, is significantly more important.
I teach a Leadership class at a local college and I show the first 20 minutes of Grand Canyon just for the scene with Simon arriving on the darkened streets of West Inglewood. You know the one I mean. "Are you the one I should be talking to?"
I think Kasdan was speaking from his heart sort of like Davis after he is shot. We need to take a stand. Simon says to the gangbangers, "you may not know this but things aren't supposed to be this hard." And Claire says to Mack, " . . maybe this is your miracle."
We pass eachother on the street and have a chance to deliver random acts of kindness and mercy. Often instead we take the route that will give us the most "feel" and the most bang for our buck. Simon asks Mack why he is pursuing him and Mack says because he doesn't want to take a chance that he's supposed to do something. Random acts of kindness. Thinking of the consequences of your acts. Not turning your back on people places or things because it's an inconvenient time. Hell. It's always an inconvenient time.
Mary McDonnell is fantastic; Danny Glover is brilliant; the supporting cast fantastic. You could see Big Chill in it but in Grand Canyon, there's a message for all of us. 5 stars. Could be 10.
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 | Next Page |
