The best scene in this Diane Keaton-directed film has drunken dad Walter Matthau showing up at a kid's birthday party bellowing and vulgar, but it doesn't belong in a comedy. It's more like something out of "Shoot The Moon", which Keaton starred in, and would fit much better in a film with a darker tone. "Hanging Up" wobbles around in search of appropriate emotions, but Keaton just can't get a consistent rhythm going. Her performance as the eldest of three unhappy sisters is also wan (she's winging it), however Meg Ryan as the middle sister has some fabulous moments: she hugs a coffee machine, she tries to convince her husband that driving a wrecked truck is going to work for her, she tells off her father but cries because she loves him. This is a performance well worth watching, but the picture definitely needed a director with a tighter grip on the reins. ** from ****
135 Reviews
Bittersweet In Many Ways
sddavis631 June 2001
Some very good performances help this otherwise forgettable film about the relationship between the three daughters (played by Diane Keaton, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow), of a dying man (Walter Matthau.) There isn't anything particularly noteworthy about the story itself. Told largely in flashback style, we see how the father-daughter relationship evolved over the years from a happy, loving one through the breakup of the parents and into the last days before Lou's death. The movie features fairly typical scenarios of the types of things that might cause family breakdowns (divorce, alcoholism, sibling rivalry, etc.) There are some humourous moments, but all in all I found myself largely disappointed by the story.
As I mentioned, though, there were some good performances which lifted this from a bad one to the ranks of mediocre to average. Meg Ryan was particularly good as Eve, the daughter who bears most of the responsibility for caring for Lou. She's guilty of a bit of overacting at times, but is definitely worthy of the leading role. Walter Matthau played Lou very well - but, of course, he should have been accustomed to playing crotchety old men by that point in his career. There were some surprise performances as well. Lisa Kudrow demonstrated more acting ability than I expected from her based on having watched "Friends" a few times, and, in a very limited role, Duke Moosekian was really quite funny as Dr. Omar Kunundar, whose car Eve manages to damage in a car accident. On the negative side, I was also surprised by what I thought was a very below average performance by Diane Keaton (who also directed, and who, in my opinion, showed no great talent as a director.) She simply began to grate after a while.
The best word I can come up with to describe this movie is bittersweet, both in the story of how a seemingly happy family turned out to be so consumed in anger and jealousy, and in the sense that the movie had possibilities, particularly in the strong performances I mentioned, that just didn't seem to add up to anything. Generously, I rated this as a 5/10.
As I mentioned, though, there were some good performances which lifted this from a bad one to the ranks of mediocre to average. Meg Ryan was particularly good as Eve, the daughter who bears most of the responsibility for caring for Lou. She's guilty of a bit of overacting at times, but is definitely worthy of the leading role. Walter Matthau played Lou very well - but, of course, he should have been accustomed to playing crotchety old men by that point in his career. There were some surprise performances as well. Lisa Kudrow demonstrated more acting ability than I expected from her based on having watched "Friends" a few times, and, in a very limited role, Duke Moosekian was really quite funny as Dr. Omar Kunundar, whose car Eve manages to damage in a car accident. On the negative side, I was also surprised by what I thought was a very below average performance by Diane Keaton (who also directed, and who, in my opinion, showed no great talent as a director.) She simply began to grate after a while.
The best word I can come up with to describe this movie is bittersweet, both in the story of how a seemingly happy family turned out to be so consumed in anger and jealousy, and in the sense that the movie had possibilities, particularly in the strong performances I mentioned, that just didn't seem to add up to anything. Generously, I rated this as a 5/10.
Blood relationships don't always indicate a need for a personal relationship.
mark.waltz7 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
As their mother, Cloris Leachman, points our, just because your a mother doesn't mean you feel like one or even want to be one. This is not a feel good family movie, even as a comedy. The three daughters are Diane Keaton, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow, and the plot surrounds life with father, not mother. He's Walter Matthau, a lovable but senile 79 year old, more consumed with John Wayne's supposed small pecker and a giant bullet that the Duke gave him when he starred in a film that Matthau wrote, than his increasing dementia. Ryan is the caretaker in the family, there constantly at his side, while magazine editor Keaton and soap opera actress Kudrow are far too consumed with their lives to really care. It's obvious that Matthau is slowly fading so it will take a major wake up call to get the other two sister's attention.
While Ryan and Kudrow seem like sisters, Keaton is as far from being believable, even as (apparently) being much older. It's interesting too that the oldest is the most distant, because usually, it's the opposite. Matthau is the consummate scene stealer, so delightfully un p.c. and speaking his mind freely. One scene shows what happens to the mind as Matthau goes on a rampage against Ryan, the only one of the three who certainly doesn't deserve it. The script seems to be all over the place, having one scene being at Christmas, and one right after at Halloween, with no evidence that it is supposed to be a flashback.
Still, the script does get certain truths right about family and reminds the viewer that the best drama comes from the conflicts within one's own memory of the hardships being around people that you are forced to love but always find it difficult once the physical closeness turns to estrangement. The focus on Ryan over the other two shows her as very flawed too, and her own flaw of driving while on the phone resulting in a car accident brought out an important point that must have gone over the heads of viewers at the time. In Matthau's last film, he is as commanding as Henry Fonda was in "On Golden Pond", although there is absolutely no subtlety in his characterization. A scene where Ryan lies about her mother being killed in a 9.11 earthquake is uncomfortable to watch, not only for the obvious lie, but for the irony of the numbers chosen. Leachman's appearance is barely a cameo. The scenes of the three sisters fighting then making up doesn't seem at all real. So much potential for a great film gone sour with poor choices in the overall structure and script.
While Ryan and Kudrow seem like sisters, Keaton is as far from being believable, even as (apparently) being much older. It's interesting too that the oldest is the most distant, because usually, it's the opposite. Matthau is the consummate scene stealer, so delightfully un p.c. and speaking his mind freely. One scene shows what happens to the mind as Matthau goes on a rampage against Ryan, the only one of the three who certainly doesn't deserve it. The script seems to be all over the place, having one scene being at Christmas, and one right after at Halloween, with no evidence that it is supposed to be a flashback.
Still, the script does get certain truths right about family and reminds the viewer that the best drama comes from the conflicts within one's own memory of the hardships being around people that you are forced to love but always find it difficult once the physical closeness turns to estrangement. The focus on Ryan over the other two shows her as very flawed too, and her own flaw of driving while on the phone resulting in a car accident brought out an important point that must have gone over the heads of viewers at the time. In Matthau's last film, he is as commanding as Henry Fonda was in "On Golden Pond", although there is absolutely no subtlety in his characterization. A scene where Ryan lies about her mother being killed in a 9.11 earthquake is uncomfortable to watch, not only for the obvious lie, but for the irony of the numbers chosen. Leachman's appearance is barely a cameo. The scenes of the three sisters fighting then making up doesn't seem at all real. So much potential for a great film gone sour with poor choices in the overall structure and script.
Didn't like it
ph_sorin25 December 2020
Unpopular opinion here, but some subjects don't make good movies.
If you still want to make this gamble, you need to remember that movies are suppose to be, above all, entertaining. Not tedious, not frustrating, not annoying. Diane Keaton seems to have forgotten that.
wildly uneven comedy/drama
Buddy-513 February 2001
The late Walter Matthau ended his long and illustrious career as a film actor in `Hanging Up,' playing, appropriately, the dying father of three adult daughters. I wish I could say that the vehicle he chose as his eventual swan song were one truly worthy of his enormous skill and talent. Unfortunately or rather fortunately however, this will not be the film for which he is most remembered.
Like so many films, `Hanging Up' starts off with the most noble of intentions. Writer Delia Ephron and director Diane Keaton have attempted to come to terms with the most complex issue facing the aging baby boomer generation: how does one cope with ailing, aging and dying parents while trying to keep a grip on one's own hectic life and personal commitments? And, to make matters more complicated, how does one expend the physical and emotional energy needed for such a task when the parent himself is often irascible, crusty and even downright unlikable in his behavior and nature? And, finally, how does a wounded child ultimately find it in his or her heart to forgive the parent and arrive at that moment of reconciliation so crucial when death finally comes?
When `Hanging Up' focuses on this theme, it achieves moments of point and relevance. All of us can identify with the main character, Eve (Meg Ryan), a sweet, warmhearted young woman who, alone of the three daughters, has unflaggingly dedicated herself to the care of a father who, more often than not, strikes out at her in unappreciative scorn and anger. Wearied and harassed by the enormous burdens of her hectic life and her own inability to say `no' to the people who demand so much from her, Eve emerges as a truly winning and believable character. Unfortunately, her two sisters, Georgia (Diane Keaton), a magazine magnate, and Maddy (Lisa Kudrow), a soap opera actress, come across as shallow, two-dimensional characters whose self-absorption and seeming indifference are (ho hum) really masks for the insecurity and hurt hidden deep beneath their composed surfaces.
Somehow, however, for all its attempts to deal with a truly universal theme, `Hanging Up' never seems quite real in its look and demeanor it always feels like a movie. Maybe it is the overall slickness of the approach that undermines the seriousness of the drama. The actresses, good though they are, seem somehow too glamorous, their careers too unrepresentative of most of the people in the audience. Another problem is that the film can never seem to settle on an appropriate tone. One moment we find ourselves steeped in searing drama followed the next by a scene of trivial slapstick. Time and again, Ryan is forced to trip over a discarded toy, tangle with an overgrown mutt or bang away at an uncooperative coffee dispenser. Such incidents end up reducing the level of the drama to little more than sitcom status.
`Hanging Up' has, however, been blessed with a wonderful cast. Ryan, Keaton, Kudrow and Matthau pore on the charm and play off each other nicely. (And the film has some devilish fun playing up the physical similarities between Matthau and Richard Nixon). These fine performers obviously had a terrific time making the film together. That is why one regrets the fact, that for all their hard work, the film they left behind is so lacking in credibility and grit. At the end of his career and life, Matthau deserved better.
Like so many films, `Hanging Up' starts off with the most noble of intentions. Writer Delia Ephron and director Diane Keaton have attempted to come to terms with the most complex issue facing the aging baby boomer generation: how does one cope with ailing, aging and dying parents while trying to keep a grip on one's own hectic life and personal commitments? And, to make matters more complicated, how does one expend the physical and emotional energy needed for such a task when the parent himself is often irascible, crusty and even downright unlikable in his behavior and nature? And, finally, how does a wounded child ultimately find it in his or her heart to forgive the parent and arrive at that moment of reconciliation so crucial when death finally comes?
When `Hanging Up' focuses on this theme, it achieves moments of point and relevance. All of us can identify with the main character, Eve (Meg Ryan), a sweet, warmhearted young woman who, alone of the three daughters, has unflaggingly dedicated herself to the care of a father who, more often than not, strikes out at her in unappreciative scorn and anger. Wearied and harassed by the enormous burdens of her hectic life and her own inability to say `no' to the people who demand so much from her, Eve emerges as a truly winning and believable character. Unfortunately, her two sisters, Georgia (Diane Keaton), a magazine magnate, and Maddy (Lisa Kudrow), a soap opera actress, come across as shallow, two-dimensional characters whose self-absorption and seeming indifference are (ho hum) really masks for the insecurity and hurt hidden deep beneath their composed surfaces.
Somehow, however, for all its attempts to deal with a truly universal theme, `Hanging Up' never seems quite real in its look and demeanor it always feels like a movie. Maybe it is the overall slickness of the approach that undermines the seriousness of the drama. The actresses, good though they are, seem somehow too glamorous, their careers too unrepresentative of most of the people in the audience. Another problem is that the film can never seem to settle on an appropriate tone. One moment we find ourselves steeped in searing drama followed the next by a scene of trivial slapstick. Time and again, Ryan is forced to trip over a discarded toy, tangle with an overgrown mutt or bang away at an uncooperative coffee dispenser. Such incidents end up reducing the level of the drama to little more than sitcom status.
`Hanging Up' has, however, been blessed with a wonderful cast. Ryan, Keaton, Kudrow and Matthau pore on the charm and play off each other nicely. (And the film has some devilish fun playing up the physical similarities between Matthau and Richard Nixon). These fine performers obviously had a terrific time making the film together. That is why one regrets the fact, that for all their hard work, the film they left behind is so lacking in credibility and grit. At the end of his career and life, Matthau deserved better.
it all adds up to nothing
lrn791 August 2002
when this was released at the cinema I read that it wasn't very good, so I didn't see it. But when looking through the video store I decided to give it a go. Why? Well all the ingredients looked right. I like all the leads, Keaton as director sounded ok (surely she must have picked up something from Woody after all these years). I've liked all of Nora Ephron,s films to date, so what happened? When I saw that Keaton was playing the other's sisters I lol'ed and said "meg and lisa's mother more like". The film itself was really poor all round. Story, acting, directing and even continuity (how many times does meg have to put those roses in the vase?). I was bored basically
1/10
1/10
This is the most disappointing movie I have ever seen.
Rooster9926 February 2001
This movie is so awful I don't even know where to start ripping it apart. I am starting to think that the Ephron sisters simply had a fluke in "When Harry Met Sally". With the possible exception of "Sleepless in Seattle", their other films have been unmitigated disasters. This film is no exception. It is simply terrible. In fact it is worse than terrible, it is exceptionally frustrating. The story, without giving away any of the non-existent plot, centers around three sisters coping with their relationship with their father. They contact each other incessantly by cell phone, hence the title. Halfway through the film, you just want to grab their cell phones and smash them on the floor. They interrupt whatever they are doing to answer their phones, and there must be 100 calls answered during the 90 minute movie.
Meg Ryan is apparently trying to prove that she is a one-dimensional actress. She is, once again (ho-hum), playing the cutesy, bumbling, blond that earned her fame in When Harry Met Sally. This is a role that she plays over and over and over again, and it is downright boring now. Diane Keaton is supposed to be her sister, there are scenes with the 3 of them playing as youngsters. Diane Keaton is about 25 years older than Meg Ryan, without even mentioning Lisa Kudrow. Kudrow has of course, simply re-played her character from Friends.
Please avoid this movie at all costs. It is worse than John Travolta's incredibly bad "Battlefield Earth". It is even worse than the up-to-this-film, worst-movie-of-all-time "Next Friday". At least you could laugh at John Travolta and know that he had proven himself in other works. But "Hanging Up" will leave you seething with frustration and unfulfilled promise. I gave it a 1 out of 10. Truly awful.
Meg Ryan is apparently trying to prove that she is a one-dimensional actress. She is, once again (ho-hum), playing the cutesy, bumbling, blond that earned her fame in When Harry Met Sally. This is a role that she plays over and over and over again, and it is downright boring now. Diane Keaton is supposed to be her sister, there are scenes with the 3 of them playing as youngsters. Diane Keaton is about 25 years older than Meg Ryan, without even mentioning Lisa Kudrow. Kudrow has of course, simply re-played her character from Friends.
Please avoid this movie at all costs. It is worse than John Travolta's incredibly bad "Battlefield Earth". It is even worse than the up-to-this-film, worst-movie-of-all-time "Next Friday". At least you could laugh at John Travolta and know that he had proven himself in other works. But "Hanging Up" will leave you seething with frustration and unfulfilled promise. I gave it a 1 out of 10. Truly awful.
Truly terrific motion picture filled with heart
mattymatt4ever21 December 2001
My main motivation for renting this movie was to see Walter Matthau's final performance. Matthau was one of our most talented, all-around actors. It was sad to see him go, but his performance in this movie was a fine conclusion to his thriving career. I don't think he could've picked a better final role to play. And being that Matthau played a dying father, it was even more heartbreaking to watch. I didn't break into tears any time during the movie, but I came close to it quite a few times.
First off, "Hanging Up" was pretty much marketed as a comedy. A fluffy romantic comedy, or chick-flick if you want to go with the stereotype. There are undeniably some very funny moments, but it's all done as comic relief. Overall, this is a sad, touching story that should hit home to many people who've had--or have--severed communications with their siblings or parents. I personally don't experience that in my family, but I know many who do. The father-daughter relationship, especially between Meg Ryan and Matthau, is brutally realistic. It's very touching to see how the two of them stick with each other through thick and thin, even through Dad's messy alcoholic rages. The other two sisters, Lisa Kudrow and Diane Keaton, have grown distant from their sick, elderly father with Alstheimer's Disease. While Ryan uses every ounce of her free time to visit her Dad in the hospital, the other sisters use their work as an excuse for never finding time.
I've heard people say that the scenarios in this film are unrealistic. Well, as far as I understand, the movie is based on the real life relationships of the Ephron sisters (who wrote the screenplay). Of course, there's some witty dialogue and situations that were obviously thrown in for entertainment purposes, but it's all based on real life. Truth can be stranger than fiction. Besides, I wasn't once doubting the plausibility of the film. Maybe it's because I was so indulged in the characters and the spirited performances, but whatever it was--it worked.
I have to say, I never thought Meg Ryan looked really attractive, before I saw her in "You've Got Mail." I liked her "When Harry Met Sally..." and some of her past movies, but she just had a conservative, housewifey appearance that never really did anything for me. Now she looks soooooooo cute with her straight blonde hair. Every minute she was on screen I just wanted to run up to the screen and kiss her! And may I say, she has a smile to die for.
Walter Matthau is both entertaining and touching in an understated performance that he should be remembered for, not just because it was his last performance (Hell, I loved John Candy, but I'm not going to say his performance in "Wagon's East" was the greatest), but because it was a brilliant one. Not only does he make the funniest, sometimes vulgar and off-color, wisecracks but he's so likable. Yet he has an alcohol problem. Showing us that even the most likable people have their faults. You do feel the sisters' pain when (in a flashback) Matthau barges into his grandson's birthday party, completely drunk, yelling obscenities, humiliating everyone and finally destroying the party altogether and causing the kids to cry, but you also feel his pain when his daughter's husband (Adam Arkin) chases him out of the house and wants to make sure that he never sets foot in the house again.
"Hanging Up" has everything you can possibly want in a film: humor, romance, sentiment, drama, moments of truth. Yet it's not delivered in a schmaltzy, "Lifetime" Movie of the Week format. And you leave with a good feeling in your heart. I definitely recommend this movie, especially since it reached a very scant audience in theaters. Just make sure you have the phone numbers of your sisters or fathers handy, because you're definitely gonna want to give them a call afterwards!
My score: 7 (out of 10)
First off, "Hanging Up" was pretty much marketed as a comedy. A fluffy romantic comedy, or chick-flick if you want to go with the stereotype. There are undeniably some very funny moments, but it's all done as comic relief. Overall, this is a sad, touching story that should hit home to many people who've had--or have--severed communications with their siblings or parents. I personally don't experience that in my family, but I know many who do. The father-daughter relationship, especially between Meg Ryan and Matthau, is brutally realistic. It's very touching to see how the two of them stick with each other through thick and thin, even through Dad's messy alcoholic rages. The other two sisters, Lisa Kudrow and Diane Keaton, have grown distant from their sick, elderly father with Alstheimer's Disease. While Ryan uses every ounce of her free time to visit her Dad in the hospital, the other sisters use their work as an excuse for never finding time.
I've heard people say that the scenarios in this film are unrealistic. Well, as far as I understand, the movie is based on the real life relationships of the Ephron sisters (who wrote the screenplay). Of course, there's some witty dialogue and situations that were obviously thrown in for entertainment purposes, but it's all based on real life. Truth can be stranger than fiction. Besides, I wasn't once doubting the plausibility of the film. Maybe it's because I was so indulged in the characters and the spirited performances, but whatever it was--it worked.
I have to say, I never thought Meg Ryan looked really attractive, before I saw her in "You've Got Mail." I liked her "When Harry Met Sally..." and some of her past movies, but she just had a conservative, housewifey appearance that never really did anything for me. Now she looks soooooooo cute with her straight blonde hair. Every minute she was on screen I just wanted to run up to the screen and kiss her! And may I say, she has a smile to die for.
Walter Matthau is both entertaining and touching in an understated performance that he should be remembered for, not just because it was his last performance (Hell, I loved John Candy, but I'm not going to say his performance in "Wagon's East" was the greatest), but because it was a brilliant one. Not only does he make the funniest, sometimes vulgar and off-color, wisecracks but he's so likable. Yet he has an alcohol problem. Showing us that even the most likable people have their faults. You do feel the sisters' pain when (in a flashback) Matthau barges into his grandson's birthday party, completely drunk, yelling obscenities, humiliating everyone and finally destroying the party altogether and causing the kids to cry, but you also feel his pain when his daughter's husband (Adam Arkin) chases him out of the house and wants to make sure that he never sets foot in the house again.
"Hanging Up" has everything you can possibly want in a film: humor, romance, sentiment, drama, moments of truth. Yet it's not delivered in a schmaltzy, "Lifetime" Movie of the Week format. And you leave with a good feeling in your heart. I definitely recommend this movie, especially since it reached a very scant audience in theaters. Just make sure you have the phone numbers of your sisters or fathers handy, because you're definitely gonna want to give them a call afterwards!
My score: 7 (out of 10)
Why? Just why?
ItalianBombshell14 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Of all the movies that deal with the delicate subject of elder care and Alzheimer's diagnoses, this movie, by far realistically portrayed the struggle within the patient. Thanks to the incomparable skill of Walter Matheau. Everything from the tendency of the patient to wander, mistake people for others, fixate on objects that evoke memory, and the acerbic tone that melts into a questioning almost childlike tone when re-acclimated with reality. That, right there, was why I felt compelled to give the film 2 stars. The rest of the movie isn't worth a mention. I cannot believe that Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton, and Lisa Kudrow could not deliver, together, what is directly in their wheelhouse, individually. Meg Ryan, hey, you're in your 50's. Time to stop trying to cash in on the cute, little blonde, girl next door. The scattered character she's trying to portray deserved better. And since we're at it, Diane Keaton, you're not all that either. I know the character called for self obsessed,driven, seemingly heartless wretch that you delivered, expertly. But, your direction was horrible. Lisa Kudrow couldn't shake the Phoebe curse. And, well, enough said. I know it was supposed to be heart-wrenching. It was supposed to be uplifting and empowering. All it was, unfortunately, was really long. The whole mess of the middle eastern physician and his mother, just complete nonsense. The big reveal of "what happened in the house" wasn't anything new. An alcoholic, early onset Alzheimer's behavior. It wasn't endearing us to Eve. It made me wonder why it took so long to get him placed in an ALF. Poorly dealt with, poorly acted (with the exception of Matheau),and incredibly poorly directed. Ambling, disconnected characters in a very long, disjointed film. That, at the end of the day, was really nothing more than a vanity project at the hands of Keaton.
basic but amusing
EvilCuz21 October 2005
OK, so, a lot of people are saying that they were disappointed, that it looked funny but wasn't, that there was more drama than comedy etc etc etc. BUT, I just have to point out, this movie isn't just listed as a COMEDY but also as a DRAMA, therefore, it is to be expected that there is a fair bit of drama involved in this movie. Just a forewarning: if you don't like flashbacks, don't watch this flick, it's full of 'em! This movie really amused me, and if you get it on DVD, watch the cutouts! I laughed myself silly.. the cast of this movie is brilliant (even if you're like me, and aren't the biggest fan of Diane Keaton). You have Meg Ryan, with another of her light comedies, Lisa Kudrow with another ditzy roll (lol), Diane Keaton in a role I would expect her to play in a comedy/drama and Walter Matthau, who always puts in a very amusing performance.
It's a fun, light comedic/dramatic flick, full of flashbacks, with hilarious cutouts. I'd recommend it to anyone.. Have fun :-P
It's a fun, light comedic/dramatic flick, full of flashbacks, with hilarious cutouts. I'd recommend it to anyone.. Have fun :-P
not funny
SnoopyStyle21 January 2016
Sisters Georgia Mozell (Diane Keaton), Eve Marks (Meg Ryan) and Maddy Mozell (Lisa Kudrow) try to deal with their elderly father Lou (Walter Matthau) who is slowly fading into dementia. Party planner Eve is his caretaker as well as her own family and husband Joe Marks (Adam Arkin). Georgia is a successful editor of her magazine. Maddy is the self-obsessed soap actress. Their mother Pat (Cloris Leachman) is estranged from the family after the divorce.
Walter Matthau dies soon after the movie's release. I wish he has a better final curtain call than this. The movie's premise seems to be that everybody is on their phone and they need to hang up. It doesn't make for an appealing cinematic experience. It tries to be comedic without actually being funny. I would rather this stay being more serious. The writing is too manufactured without real heart. The movie gets better whenever the sisters hang up and get together. I know that's the point of the movie but it just makes for a more comfortable watch.
Walter Matthau dies soon after the movie's release. I wish he has a better final curtain call than this. The movie's premise seems to be that everybody is on their phone and they need to hang up. It doesn't make for an appealing cinematic experience. It tries to be comedic without actually being funny. I would rather this stay being more serious. The writing is too manufactured without real heart. The movie gets better whenever the sisters hang up and get together. I know that's the point of the movie but it just makes for a more comfortable watch.
Hated it, and then I loved it.
Jane5210 September 2004
The first time I saw this movie, in the theater, I was too caught up in the unexpected awfulness of Eve's situation to be rational about my reaction. Only someone who has lived through an experience like this could possibly understand her feelings about her father, her selfish sisters, her truly horrible mother, while trying (unsuccessfully, but sincerely trying!!) to maintain some kind of family life with her husband and son. I loved the frequent flashbacks. I think this is a movie for the over-forty audience, because I'm not sure anybody else could understand it. The second time I watched it, I was able to concentrate more on the story, and the story is a good one. Sure, it's no knee-slapping comedy, but it never presented itself as such. It's almost too realistic in parts, if you've ever had a parent in this situation, you would understand. If you haven't yet reached that part of your life, there is no way you could possibly understand. The doctor's mother was a love of a person. I'd like to see her again. I wish I knew her in real life. And, the soundtrack is absolutely awesome. Jay McShann's "Once Upon A Time" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. And when it was sung over the flashback of Eve's mother and father dancing, I cried through the whole scene. If you are seeking a comedy, seek elsewhere.
If you are at that stage of your life where you are seeking a great mixture of comedy, tragedy, irony, and frustration (just like our real lives!) then go rent this movie tonight. Have some Kleenex handy.
If you are at that stage of your life where you are seeking a great mixture of comedy, tragedy, irony, and frustration (just like our real lives!) then go rent this movie tonight. Have some Kleenex handy.
Completely misunderstood by most...
www_dot_tmcc2 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
There are some movies that are based on books, and it's important to read the book first in order to "get" the movie. Hanging Up is definitely one of those movies. This problem is only made worse by hiring four great comedic performers and marketing the film as a comedy (it definitely is not). Most of the complaints about the movie could be cleared up if people had read the book first. For example, there are a lot of complaints about Diane Keaton playing Georgia, because she's just too old. If you'd read the book, you'd know that Georgia and Eve are not extremely close in age, and that Georgia has always looked old for her age. This wasn't ever intended to be an ensemble show. For those of you out there who feel like the story is supposed to be about three sisters, but it focuses it on Eve too much, I'm serious, the story is about ONE woman dealing with too much on her plate. Therefore, great actors like Walter Matthau, Diane Keaton, Lisa Kudrow and Cloris Leachman are playing supportive roles in varying degrees. Now that that's out of the way... The story really is beautifully filmed and edited. No, the script isn't all that great, but I have two sisters, and the relationship between Georgia, Eve, and Maddie is very real. I also really liked how Keaton stylized the sisters in different ways. Any of the scenes with the sisters together emphasizes a sisterly bond, but each one's individuality at the same time. For example, Georgia, the CEO, has a black limo. Eve, the practical soccer mom type, drives a family-friendly SUV. Maddie, the carefree soap opera actress, drives a black sports car. A large portion of the book's plot is lost in translation in the movie. Overall, though, it's not a bad movie, especially if you have aging parents or love/hate relationships with your siblings.
Really Really Bad
maxmik12 February 2001
This movie should be required viewing in all film schools so future film makers will know what a truly bad movie is. It is excruciatingly bad from beginning to end. And make no mistake about it: this is a Meg Ryan movie. You can blame the director and the writer and everyone else involved - but Meg Ryan is in almost every scene & even though the movie is ostensibly about three sisters - it really is all about Meg. That could have been the title: All About Meg. She mugs, she screams (a lot) she pratfalls, she slobbers with the dog, she drives her family nuts, she wrecks the car, she stares into space wondering why her parents are separated - but mostly she is on the phone - hence the title Hanging Up. This is a movie that is meant to be deep & funny. It is not funny. It is not deep. It is very shrill. And it is very painful to watch. It is also very painful to listen to since it has one of the most horrible soundtracks ever. Finally, it is very painful to see Walter Matthau in what must be one of his last roles. It is so sad to think that this great actor ended up in a horrible mess like Hanging Up.
Crank Call
inspectors715 February 2007
Telemarketer irritation--that's the feeling I had when I watched Hanging Up, an almost cartoonishly clichéd "woman's movie." Diane Keaton's direction of this mess is so incompetent that I hope she never stands behind a camera again. The movie fails on every level--it bored my wife and daughter (and it's only because I'm anal about finishing movies that I sat through 95 minutes of Hell; they went to bed).
This was Walter Matthau's last movie, and it hurts to see such a premiere talent being wasted (although his toupee looks as if it could live on). Meg Ryan appears to have lost weight for Hanging Up (if that's possible) and seems to be carrying the mass of the world on her shoulders, physically dissipating in front of our eyes while wearing one paper-thin muscle shirt after another. Looking scrawny and bra-less isn't appealing to anyone.
Okay, enough for the nastiness. This really is a waste of film stock. Whatever BIG messages it has about sibling rivalry and familial relationships and keeping your accident from your insurance company are lost in Keaton's attempt to play cute and/or sweet (the dog and the pill; the Iranian mom).
The movie's called Hanging Up. My suggestion is to take the phone off the hook before the opening credits.
This was Walter Matthau's last movie, and it hurts to see such a premiere talent being wasted (although his toupee looks as if it could live on). Meg Ryan appears to have lost weight for Hanging Up (if that's possible) and seems to be carrying the mass of the world on her shoulders, physically dissipating in front of our eyes while wearing one paper-thin muscle shirt after another. Looking scrawny and bra-less isn't appealing to anyone.
Okay, enough for the nastiness. This really is a waste of film stock. Whatever BIG messages it has about sibling rivalry and familial relationships and keeping your accident from your insurance company are lost in Keaton's attempt to play cute and/or sweet (the dog and the pill; the Iranian mom).
The movie's called Hanging Up. My suggestion is to take the phone off the hook before the opening credits.
Walter Matthau's final film. And what a stinker it is
studioAT24 September 2015
Take a lot of talented and funny actresses, put them in a set up that should work and then sit back and wait for laughter. That was the plan anyway. Sadly it doesn't work and this film is poor, often coming off as a cheaper version of Sex and the city without the bite.
It's talky, it's glib, it's a lot of old nothing really, with some scenes not feeling linked despite being straight after each other. The two girls (and Diane Keaton) try their best but come on, they must know it isn't working.
The only bright spot of the film is Walter Matthau, who sadly makes his last appearance on screen before his death. Sadly he can't elevate this film but does have some smart lines and still manages to act his co-stars off the screen. We miss you Walter.
It's talky, it's glib, it's a lot of old nothing really, with some scenes not feeling linked despite being straight after each other. The two girls (and Diane Keaton) try their best but come on, they must know it isn't working.
The only bright spot of the film is Walter Matthau, who sadly makes his last appearance on screen before his death. Sadly he can't elevate this film but does have some smart lines and still manages to act his co-stars off the screen. We miss you Walter.
What could you get from watching this movie?
msbluerasp10 January 2004
When I watch a movie I hope to get some kind of enjoyment, or learn a little something. I'm not quite sure why this movie was made. The movie seems to get more and more depressing as it goes on. I figured the only way I'm gonna feel better is to turn it off. Dreadful. Not worth a rent, even if its free.
The worst movie I have ever seen.
WoofGrrrr9 July 2000
I thought stabbing myself with a blunt knife would have been less painful than watching this movie, and far more entertaining.
If I had known that the people I was at the theater with were hating this movie as much as I was, I would have insisted that we walk out.
I just do not enjoy watching a two-hour family argument.
Not one of the characters had any qualities that I found endearing in the least. Not the self-absorbed sister. Not the self-loathing martyr. Not the ditz. And certainly not the angry, bitter, alcoholic father.
If I had known that the people I was at the theater with were hating this movie as much as I was, I would have insisted that we walk out.
I just do not enjoy watching a two-hour family argument.
Not one of the characters had any qualities that I found endearing in the least. Not the self-absorbed sister. Not the self-loathing martyr. Not the ditz. And certainly not the angry, bitter, alcoholic father.
4.5/10?
moviesfan1114 July 2003
Hanging Up, with Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow and Diane Keaton, is a very good movie that deserves a lot more than 4.5 out of 10! Actually, it is one of my favorites now. Their are some sad stuff, but this is pretty funny, too. I would recommend this to anyone who really aprecciates any movie that has everything: laughs, drama, and things that help you deal with life.
Very Good Film! 8/10!
PG-13 for language and some thematic elements.
Very Good Film! 8/10!
PG-13 for language and some thematic elements.
You'll hang up
sugar_daddyo16 November 2006
I can sit through most movies. Even 'B' movies that make you laugh from their sophomoric acting, plots, etc. offer more than this one. However, I could not finish Hanging Up.
So unfortunately even if I wanted to I couldn't spoil this one for you. That's right, I don't know how it ends. I don't know if dear ol' dad bought the farm or instead there was a surprise twist where dad walked into a gruesome scene where the three sisters had strangled each other with their phone cords. But even though I was ready to crawl through the TV and strangle them myself, I recognized that sanity was an eject button away.
So unfortunately even if I wanted to I couldn't spoil this one for you. That's right, I don't know how it ends. I don't know if dear ol' dad bought the farm or instead there was a surprise twist where dad walked into a gruesome scene where the three sisters had strangled each other with their phone cords. But even though I was ready to crawl through the TV and strangle them myself, I recognized that sanity was an eject button away.
Nerve wrecking start, nice ending...
bunnyk6 August 2001
When i was watching the movie for the first half hour I couldn't stop thinking: "Calm down!!". The charachters kept running around and didn't take any break.. I thought i was gonna have a nerveous breakdown instead of Eve (Meg Ryan).. But when the plot came, it all settled down a bit and then i could start enjoying the movie. Still, Meg Ryan kicks ass! (who could resist her?!? ;) )
Completely null
yevonwm11 May 2008
A completely pointless film. Its a case of where do I start!? Meg Ryan's character appears to sit in the house all day wearing full make up looking like a supermodel yet she's deeply distressed by her fathers illness so she pouts a little bit. Any humour Walter Matthau could have brought to the film was quickly dissipated by the lack of script and screen time for him. After watching this film I still don't understand what it's about, I see Lisa Kudrow, Meg Ryan & Dianne Keating all dressed up with no party to go to.
Whatever the writers were trying to convey didn't work and they managed to accomplish FAIL.
Whatever the writers were trying to convey didn't work and they managed to accomplish FAIL.
Truth hurts
kenandraf16 July 2001
Touchy subject matter is a slap to the face for the way many people treat their dying senile parents,thus causing the typical masses to under rate this film.Too much reality for mainstream taste.But for those few who have MATURE INTELLECT,this film truly delivers.Heartwarming and bitter at the same time,it shows us that we have to try our best to give time to our senile parents no matter how close you were in the past.It also shows us that we must also learn to cut off some things from our lives in times of stress in order to deal with priorities.We must learn to compromise and prioritise carefully to lessen regrets.Well acted and directd film despite it's lack of story.Only for fans of drama and dark comedy who understand life.....
It's just about real life
gonzalus22 May 2000
I don't usually like this kind of movies. It's a strange mix between a girlie movie and a Woody Allen movie. But why did I like this one? Well.... maybe it's closer to Woody Allen. The thing is that reality is as simple as this movie. People relations are usually this way. I've seen the three sisters behavior in real life so many times that it surprised me. Does it matter if the father's disease is Alzheimer or if he had a stroke? No (we just need to know who he is and the fact that he is dying), even though the movie lets you know subtly (it is not Alzheimer). Because the movie is about real people and real relations and the rest is not important. Doesn't people fight and argue for stupid things? Brothers and sisters don't need a dark past to be apart. You don't need extreme characters to show how society works. Maybe it gets too close to reality and I believe that's why most people feel uncomfortable with it. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that Diane Keaton doubles Lisa Kudrow's age. One line about Walter Matthau. He REALLY reminded me of a close relative who died with Alzheimer, it was as real as it can get. Remarkable. Be warned that this movie is a drama with a few moments of comedy. I would give it 7 stars out of 10.
Shoot me now!
moviemeister-272-93516822 January 2012
My English professors always taught me to get to the point when making a point. So here's the point: this movie sucks very large donkey huevos. Never have I seen such a contrived plot with such contrived and whiny women. "Squak! Squak! Squak!" "Wah! Wah! Wah!" It's no wonder the father in the film goes into a coma and dies. He got off easy. And what's with Diane Keaton. Talk about abuse of director privileges and miscasting herself as the sibling of women who are almost 20 years her junior. There was not enough Oil of Olay and panty hose on the lens of the camera to soft focus her way out of that age difference. Bad directing, lousy script, and over-acting. A boring movie, period. From this man's perspective, there are good chick flicks out there, but this is not one of them. Movies like "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "The Princess Bride" are chick flicks that a guy can watch and enjoy, huevos intact. I want my time and my huevos back. This movie took both of them.
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