As you can see from the title of this review, I did not like this film. Not in the least. Basically, this film is about a man named Quoyle (does he even have a first name? Does anyone care?), who after marrying a hooker named Petal (in nothing more than a glorified cameo for Cate Blanchett), who sold his daughter (she's a piece of work herself) to the black-market (!!!) and was killed in a car accident, journeys to Newfoundland at the advice of an aunt named Agnes (played by Judi Dench, who really should know better than this) and gets a job writing articles on boats for this local newspaper company. So, what did I hate about this film?
1) The characters: First of all, Quoyle is an idiot. He falls in love with some random floozy, has the intelligence of a doorknob, doesn't seem to care that his wife brought home random men every night, and has the charisma of a Lima bean. When Quoyle's boat overturned halfway for the movie, I was rooting for the sea to drown him. Petal is also an idiot, just for different reasons. I mean, why in the HELL would you sell your daughter? That is just the most stupid thing I've ever seen.
2) The acting: Now, it's not enough that Spacey recites every line like he's on sleep mode, but seriously, how hard could it be to get Julianne Moore to do a passable Newfoundland accent? She sounds like she's from New Jersey or something. On top of that, she has no chemistry with Spacey. The two of them performing their scenes feels forced and shallow. However, the rest of the cast did a competent job (especially Scott Glenn and Pete Posthelwaite, who I believe can do no wrong).
3) The plot: Here's where we get to the meat and potatoes. These are all the things that me cringe at this film...in no particular order: Quoyle practically drowning as a child and his father doesn't even care; Quoyle telling a woman he's only met for ten minutes that he "loves her"; Petal shoving a donut in Quoyle's mouth after they have sex; Quoyle sitting passively while Petal has sex with some random biker dude; Petal selling her daughter into the black market and then getting killed; Quoyle having visions of things he never even saw (Petal's death); Agnes stealing Guy's ashes, then urinating on them in an outhouse; the fact that almost every person in Newfoundland is depicted as shallow, backstabbing, ignorant individuals (and I have visited Newfoundland, so I will tell you this is NOT the case by any means); the fact that Bunny can see ghosts, feel what an inanimate object is feeling, and has prophetic visions of thing happening; the fact that Quoyle's ancestors were pillaging pirates who dragged their own house across a lake....and that no one bothered to tell Quoyle; the fact that Agnes got raped by her own brother, had an abortion, and then decided to become a lesbian (makes sense to me); the fact that random Newfoundlanders destroyed a boat that a guy who came from Shanghai had finished; squid hamburgers; and the fact that no one bothered to check the "dead" guy who ran the newspaper company (have these people ever heard of checking for VITAL SIGNS???) before they decided to hold a wake for him.
Bottom Line: This film is pure, unadulterated pap. No question about it. It sickens me how so many accomplished actors were assembled for this film, and how little they all accomplished. Avoid it at all costs.
1) The characters: First of all, Quoyle is an idiot. He falls in love with some random floozy, has the intelligence of a doorknob, doesn't seem to care that his wife brought home random men every night, and has the charisma of a Lima bean. When Quoyle's boat overturned halfway for the movie, I was rooting for the sea to drown him. Petal is also an idiot, just for different reasons. I mean, why in the HELL would you sell your daughter? That is just the most stupid thing I've ever seen.
2) The acting: Now, it's not enough that Spacey recites every line like he's on sleep mode, but seriously, how hard could it be to get Julianne Moore to do a passable Newfoundland accent? She sounds like she's from New Jersey or something. On top of that, she has no chemistry with Spacey. The two of them performing their scenes feels forced and shallow. However, the rest of the cast did a competent job (especially Scott Glenn and Pete Posthelwaite, who I believe can do no wrong).
3) The plot: Here's where we get to the meat and potatoes. These are all the things that me cringe at this film...in no particular order: Quoyle practically drowning as a child and his father doesn't even care; Quoyle telling a woman he's only met for ten minutes that he "loves her"; Petal shoving a donut in Quoyle's mouth after they have sex; Quoyle sitting passively while Petal has sex with some random biker dude; Petal selling her daughter into the black market and then getting killed; Quoyle having visions of things he never even saw (Petal's death); Agnes stealing Guy's ashes, then urinating on them in an outhouse; the fact that almost every person in Newfoundland is depicted as shallow, backstabbing, ignorant individuals (and I have visited Newfoundland, so I will tell you this is NOT the case by any means); the fact that Bunny can see ghosts, feel what an inanimate object is feeling, and has prophetic visions of thing happening; the fact that Quoyle's ancestors were pillaging pirates who dragged their own house across a lake....and that no one bothered to tell Quoyle; the fact that Agnes got raped by her own brother, had an abortion, and then decided to become a lesbian (makes sense to me); the fact that random Newfoundlanders destroyed a boat that a guy who came from Shanghai had finished; squid hamburgers; and the fact that no one bothered to check the "dead" guy who ran the newspaper company (have these people ever heard of checking for VITAL SIGNS???) before they decided to hold a wake for him.
Bottom Line: This film is pure, unadulterated pap. No question about it. It sickens me how so many accomplished actors were assembled for this film, and how little they all accomplished. Avoid it at all costs.