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The Whole Wide World Customer Reviews (28 - 30 of 32 Reviews)

DVD version is missing 12 minutes of the film
I first saw this film on Showtime(cable TV)and was immediately struck by the chemistry between Vincent D'Onofrio and Renee Zellweger. There is never a slow or dull moment in the movie. You are transported back in time to the 1930s not only by the props, clothes and settings but also by the actions of the actors. They truly capture the era in their portrayals of Robert E. Howard and Novalyne Price, two star-crossed people who wanted to love one another but just couldn't make it happen. This movie has what I would consider to be the MOST PASSIONATE KISS in film history. My spine tingles every time I watch it.
The DVD however, is a disappointment. I don't know who is responsible for re-mixing the film for DVD release but they have OMITTED 12 minutes of the film that really help to tell the story with much more clarity. They have also rearranged some of the scenes to try to camouflage their butcher job. Interestingly enough in the special feature commentary Dan Ireland, Vincent D'Onofrio and a few others begin to comment on an upcoming scene when they realize it is no longer in the picture. They quickly change the subject but not without the viewer picking up on their obvious embarrassment.
The jacket for the DVD shows one of the omitted scenes on the back cover. Personally, I feel that any film that has been remixed, especially when scenes have been deleted for a DVD release, should be labeled as such so the buyer is aware that they are NOT GETTING the same film they may have viewed at the theatre or on TV.
With that said....I would still buy the DVD just for the kissing scene. It is THE BEST!

This is Robert E. Howard as I imagined him
I have looked forward to seeing this film for quite a while. Finally I got hold of a VHS copy and sat with my wife (and such kids as were interested) and watched it. Impressions: The two principle actors are just about perfect for the roles of Howard and Price. Having been a Howard fan for years, and being familiar with his life's story, I was sceptical that any film would play it straight. But this story seems to not have needed any embellishment to make it more romantic, sad and triumphant. I agree with what one reviewer has already said: that KISS is probably the most passionate I have ever seen in a movie ! And it is important too; because it shows up how hard it is to recapture feelings when things are said (and left unsaid) and love fades away. The timing of their lost love for each other (which was growing by fits and starts first one feeling it, then the other) is what forms Novalyne Price's life-long regret (so I gather from the tone of the story): that had she just said the right things - felt the right things - at the right time, Howard would not have been lost to her. (That constitutes almost a spoiler; and for those who do not know the story I appologize.) But the triumph of the story is also in the ending of it: it has to do with faith and hope.

For those who want a real-life romance, this film is perhaps the best I have seen. It is sort of like "Out of Africa" in that respect; but I enjoyed it far more, because it is about someone (Howard) that I care about.

Conan's Creator
I can not vouch for the authenticity of this film, but it just feels right. This movie is based on the last few years of Robert E. Howard's (Vincent D'Onofrio) life. He was the creator of Conan the Cimerian for Depression-era pulp magazines. Howard fell in love with a school teacher, Novalyne Price (played by Renee Zellweger). Zellweger plays Price as sweet, pretty Texas spitfire. It is D'Onofrio who commands our attention as the wild tempered writer. He is funny with his excentric behavior, but at the same time sad in his devotion to his ill mother. Eventually Howard commited suicide, and his friends (including H.P. Lovecraft) declared how sad his death was, and how the literary world was robbed of a great talent. This movie focuses on the human loss, and it is sad. For all his faults, he was a jubilant personality that would be missed by his family (he was survived by his father) and friends. I generally don't care for bio-pics, but this is pretty good stuff.

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