The Myth of Fingerprints (1997) User Reviews

A family gathering

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 13 December 2005]

Thanksgiving is that time of the year loved by movie makers as it presents an opportunity to bring together families, even dysfunctional ones. Bert Freundlich sets "The Myth of the Fingerprints" in such a setting. We saw the film it during its initial release, we thought it was a good effort for a young man starting his career in films. On second viewing, the other night, the film, although enjoyable, did not have the same effect as when it made its debut.

First of all, some of the relationships don't ring true. That is the case of Mia, the oldest of the girls. We watch as she and Elliott arrive by train while they are involved in a quickie before getting home. This action of being seen in public in such a compromising position, is completely out of character with the Mia we get to see in the scenes that follow. Right after they get to the family home, we get the impression these two are as compatible as oil and vinegar. What is she trying to prove? She goes into town with an attitude of a city slicker, when she meets Cezanne. She reacquaints herself with the boy that had a crush on her, but she has erased from her mind, to the point of appearing this guy was from Mars. This, we didn't buy. Her eventual involvement with Cezanne is something Mia, who hates the rural setting of her youth just doesn't make sense after her haughty demeanor and city ways.

Then there is Warren. He still pines after the loss of Daphne, the beautiful former girlfriend who comes to see him when he gets home. Daphne obviously has not stopped loving Warren, but there is an incident that happened some time before during a party. When she tells Warren about it, it becomes plain he had witnessed the incident, but didn't do anything to stop it from happening.

The seemingly contented parents are also a puzzle. The father, Jake, is an enigma. He is a taciturn man who doesn't interact with his children well. Lena, the mother, seems to know much more than what she led us to believe about her marriage and her relation with Jake.

The acting, in general, is good, no small feat to achieve by someone without much experience under his belt, but Mr. Freundlich succeeds in getting some inspired appearances, especially from Noah Wyle and Julianne Moore. The cast is young and do ensemble work. Hope Davis, Blythe Danner, Arija Baeikis, Michael Vartan, are seen among the supporting cast.

Bart Freundlich showed a promise with this film, and has continued to be among our best young directors since this effort.

Pass the turkey

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 10 December 2000]

Greetings again from the darkness. Caught this one on IFC and was really impressed with the ensemble cast. Especially great work from Julianne Moore, who's role in lesser hands would have crushed the film. Beautifully shot in Maine, the scenery and warm home almost lull you into normalcy. However, the characters shock you into the ultimate dysfunctional family. No warm holiday fuzzies here. A couple of great scenes with Noah Wylie. First, with him alone in bed, while everyone else in the house is "intimately involved". Also, a flashback scene showing a moment of true weakness with his father, and the subsequent 3 years of guilt he carries. Good stuff. My tidbit on this one involves the tangled web of the cast and crew. "Roseanne" series ties together 3 of the actors, while Julianne Moore and Laurel Holloman worked together on "Boogie Nights". Also director Bart Freundlich and Moore parented a child together. Aah, the close knit fabric on independent filmmaking! Worth a rental.

respectable story of a family with something to hide

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 6 October 2023]

Admittedly, there are a lot of movies about family get-togethers that open old wounds. Examples include "The Celebration" and "August: Osage County". "The Myth of Fingerprints" doesn't really add anything new to the genre, but the performances buoy the movie. Although nominally the main character, the dad (Roy Scheider) has an understated role, leaving room for character development among the mom (Blythe Danner) and the offspring.

This isn't a masterpiece. Not even really a high-quality movie. What I liked was the fleshing-out of the characters. In addition to Scheider and Danner, Julianne Moore, Noah Wyle, and the rest of the cast members turn what could've been a talkfest into a perceptive analysis of familial relations. Worth seeing, if only once.

Better than you might think

[Red7Eric · 23 September 1998]

I would recommend this film; I was drawn in by the cast, particularly Julianne Moore and Blythe Danner. It's a typical situation...tense family angst around the Thanksgiving table. But this time, it's not played for cuteness (i.e., Jodie Foster's "Home for the Holidays"). Dad (Roy Scheider, giving a really icy performance) is seriously unstable, as is the eldest daughter (Julianne Moore). Mom (Blythe Danner) and the baby of the family (Noah Wyle, also a producer) are more likeable -- this being an indie, it also means they're less interesting. The other two children are pretty much ignored by the script, though Hope Davis as the eldest son's romantic interest gives the picture a lift whenever she appears on screen. There are a few amusing moments and clever lines of dialogue, but it's not a Woody Allen comedy/drama -- this one is more raw and probably more honest. Definitely worth a rental. You might love it or hate it, but it will assuredly affect you one way or the other.

Not for everyone

[preppy-3 · 6/10 · 29 November 2004]

A heavily dysfunctional family gets together for Thanksgiving. We see their interactions and their inability to connect with each other.

Very quiet and somber with touches of humor. This is a slow, moody film. Some people will love this, others will hate it. I personally wasn't too thrilled (I found it much too slow and quite a few people left the screening I attended) but I can see why some people like this. It has a great cast and is very well-acted and written. The direction seems a little off though. So, if you're into a quiet, moody study of a family--this is for you. Also it is interesting to watch now for the cast--some of them were unknown when this came out and have gone on to bigger and better things.

There are two great sequences:

The children's' reactions when their parents start to tell them about their sex life and, at one point, one woman sees a huge spider who is killed by her boyfriend. She says, "That was a huge spider! It would have whomped Charlotte's ass!" That line had me giggling for 10 minutes and has never left me--and I saw the film back in 1997!

Can you spell DIS-FUNK-SHUN-AL?

[=G= · 6/10 · 23 November 2001]

"The Myth..." is yet another of many films about families converging on the parent's home for a holiday with all their baggage in tow, emotional and Samsonite. The film is a good shoot and offers a good cast doing good things with what they are given. Unfortunately, the audience is relegated to voyeurism with little in which to partake as the film wends it way through family matters and issues of little consequence which seem curious at best. A lukewarm watch for those into relationship films.

Julianne Moore Rocks!

[johnny-143 · 6/10 · 9 June 2001]

She is quickly becoming our countries Cate Blanchett, which I think is a

good thing. This film is a terrific little postcard to dysfunctional

families, well acted and beautifully filmed apparently in Maine. It's

great to see Roy Schieder back in action again. Haunting and painful yet

totally real, this is a movie to savor. Probably not a great date film,

see it with your family and cringe. I only wish that the family looked

more like a family. If you're going to have Julianne Moore in a film,

how about Eric Stolz as her brother and Carol Burnett as her mother?

"Myth" is a terrific first film, I look forward to what this director

does next. (by the way, thank heavens for the independent film channel,

where I saw this. I'd never heard of it before, but caught it on this

little station and I'm renewing my subscription!)

Bo-ring!

[fee_tambo · 3/10 · 13 February 2007]

I just watched this film, and I came on here to see if I'd missed something that I really should have paid attention to! I really cant help but think 'Geez, that's an hour and 40 minutes of my life that I'll never get back!'

I must admit that I think the acting was great, Juliana Moore was amazing and so was Noah Wyle, but what was the point of the sister and the other brother? What was going on with the brothers blonde girlfriend? she was perky and had some personality but it went nowhere... the story was just so slow and - how do I put this? non descript!

If you want to see a film with a dysfunctional family, inappropriate relationships, humour and an answer to the questions posed during the movie, then watch The Family Stone...now THAT'S a movie worth seeing.

thanksgiving

[chicklet-2 · 8/10 · 28 June 1999]

Ok, in all I loved this movie. I kept returning to a comparison of the other kids come home for another painful thanksgiving with the people you feel you have outgrown movie, Home for the Holidays. The Myth of Fingerprints was much darker, and in that way a little more real. No slap stick or cotton candy can be found in this film. However, this can also be looked at as a detriment. Other than an old movie shown twice in the film we see no evidence that this family ever liked, or even had any sort of playful feelings for each other. The joking atmosphere that mists about most families is conspicuously absent in this movie. So much so that you are nearly shocked to see Warren (Noah Wylie's character) attempt to comfort his sister Mia (Julianne Moore)when she is so obviously upset by something. You expect him to do as the rest of the family did: leave her there. They try to be a family. Warren, Leigh, and their mother (Blythe Danner) are the most accessible of this wacked out crew seeming to be the most feeling and tender. The father, Hal, and Mia are emotionally unavailable and distant, but Mia shows glimmers of hope every once in a while especially in her exchanges with her brothers and childhood sweetheart. Hal on the other hand remained a complete mystery to me. We see him trying to steal his son's girlfriend in one scene and watching home movies getting teary eyed at the sight of his young children in the next. I was barely aware that the eldest brother Jake was in the film, he was of little consequence but for one scene with Mia which is cut short in favor of sex with his girlfriend. They were all such very different people with one important thing in common. They loved their family and had no idea why. I think that's what it comes down to for all of us. After leaving home the first time we come back we look around and think, "Who the hell are these people?" I don't know if we ever figure out the answer to that question ever again. But I do know that one day, years after we asked it for the first time, we realize that whether we know who they are or not they are part of us and we love them. Even if we have to confront them, dislike them, or are forced to sever ties with them. It's just the way it is. "You have to remember the good things. They remind you of who you are." - The Myth of Fingerprints

*yawn*

[VeeZzZ · 6/10 · 5 January 2000]

The story (if any) is going nowhere. It's just a bunch of people doing stuff, but nothing worthwhile mentioning, let alone make a movie of it. Don't bother watching this. I read some other comments of people who claimed to be really touched by this story because it reminded them of their own thanksgivings. Well... Djeez, am I glad i was never invited to a thanksgiving party at their place; I would have probably fallen asleep right then and there out of plain boredom. embarrassing when that happens :)

A trifle too boring

[ipswich-2 · 3/10 · 10 April 2000]

This movie is a dark account on a family with some very dysfunctional members coming together for Thanksgiving. I don't know if you can label this as comedy or socio-drama as it has elements of both. Trouble is the the story plods along so slowly that all your patience is exhausted by the time you reach half of it. Yes, you either love it or hate it. If you're expecting something more lively or engaging you can forget it. The movie simmers so agonisingly slow it never gets to boil. Strong characterization fails to save an otherwise lackluster plot. Even accomplished performances by Roy Scheider as the mentally-disturbed father and Julianne Moore, in one of her more fascinating portrayals as the caustic and moody elder sister in the family, fails to save the movie. Mediocre.

Surprisingly honest with no sell out at the end!

[yossarian100 · 9/10 · 3 March 2004]

As those who can personally relate to this story well understand, not all stories about damaged families can have resolution and closure. The Myth of Fingerprints is quite honest in that regard. The story provides some explanation of what happened but not why, much like real life. What we do get is richly painted characters provided by strong performances, good writing, and good direction who tell us their story and allow us to draw our own conclusions. It's well worth the effort for those who appreciate a drama that doesn't take short cuts and permits the characters to tell their own stories instead of spoon feeding the audience and neatly wrapping everything up like an unwanted birthday present.

Story Doesn't Quite do the Cast Justice

[gpeevers · 6/10 · 27 March 2019]

Story of a dysfunctional family getting together for Thanksgiving. One son has been moody and alone since a breakup three years earlier, and the other son is unwilling to commit to his significant other. One daughter is cold and standoffish, while the other daughter seems fine. The father is distant and grumpy, while the mother tries to hold it all together. Throw in a few revelations and this is supposed to make for a tale of engrossing family dynamics.

Instead you end up with lots of moody people who are internalizing, and unwilling to discuss their problems. When the revelations come about its very over wrought, and the ending is ambiguous

There are some good performances and its watchable if a little annoying..

Is it too much to ask? Can't we just try to get along?

[michaelRokeefe · 5/10 · 14 May 2002]

Noah Wyle, of TVs ER, plays a young man than returns home after several years for a Thanksgiving reunion of his dysfunctional upper-class family. The weekend is marred by unresolved issues. Conflict, rage, guilt, animosity and apathy cloud the incompatible gathering. Heavy weight drama written and directed by Bart Freundlich. Passions simmer and there is very little people pleasing skills applied.

Along with the very good acting of Wyle is Julianne Moore. Also cast stand outs are Blythe Danner, Roy Scheider, Laurel Holloman and Christopher Duva. Skip your twelve step meeting and watch this. It works if you work it.

Intensity comes from inside

[christof.diem · 27 February 2001]

"The Myth of Fingerprints" promises reality and the audience is in fact confronted with a wave of honest, hurting, wonderful, banal, outstanding and intense situations. Everything turns out to be the pure essence of life. During the whole movie the spectator is looking for an extra-ordinary action that makes sure that "The Myth of Fingerprints" is a film, a visualized story, an artificial product but the expectations are again and again reduced to absurdity. Because life doesn't mean to immediately commit suicide when something does go wrong, real life is far away from having responses to all asked questions. Life is often quiet and simple with some beautiful, warm and grand moments. "The Myth of Fingerprints" is life projected to the screen: authentic and beautifully simple. The cast is brilliant and Julianne Moore, as always, gives a wonderful performance showing the versatility of a disillusioned character that though is still desperately looking for love, sympathy and understanding. 9/10

Just barely worthwhile

[emd5w4 · 3/10 · 8 July 2005]

Nothing really to spoil, as there's hardly any plot to speak of. Knowing that in advance actually made it bearable to watch clear through. The title doesn't seem to fit, and my local Hollywood Video had it under Mystery & Suspense (probably because of the word "fingerprints"), with an M sticker on the spine, instead of D for Drama where it belongs. Everyone mumbles their lines, and I didn't care enough about the characters to rewind even once; for anyone still curious about this film, I recommend turning on the closed captioning, if you have the option.

That said, THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS has 3 things going for it: (1) casting Noah Wyle and Michael Vartan as brothers; (2) the subplot with Julianne Moore's character and the book. (How could her dad *do* that to a book??); And best of all, (3) the Rufus Wainwright song near the end. By far the best thing about this movie, as it introduced me to his music!

Goes beyond a family gathering

[Assboy · 10/10 · 17 May 1999]

For all of the movies I have been forced to accept and comprehend, _The Myth of Fingerprints_ is far and away the one that I most wish that I could have had a part in. It flows over a holiday visit like the cold breeze out their Maine window. The characters are more real than human beings could hope to be; some are willing to disclose who they are, and others leave us with only a trace understanding.

I could not hope to make a movie this sincere and beautiful; it achieves in an hour and half more than I could hope to see in a lifetime. Let's hope that Bart Freundlich can top this one.

Should have been called Myth of a Plotline

[Galahad-6 · 3/10 · 15 September 1999]

Great cast, lousy story. What am I saying - what story? If ever there were a stereotypical chick flick, this would be it. Dysfunctional family, rocky romances, stodgy father . . . please. NOTHING happens in this movie. No character development, no resolution, no climax, no denouement. What a flatliner.

A modern masterpiece?

[West Hol · 9/10 · 28 July 1999]

I am always hard-pressed to find a movie made in this decade that can move me as much, as say, 'Love Story' or 'The Way We Were' did simply because people aren't making movies now that are so GOOD. 'The Myth of Fingerprints', however, is astoundingly powerful, in its subtle way of course, but its power is there nonetheless, and that is the point. This movie's plot is not really very original, its story emulating that true and tested family gathering "genre" where feelings long hidden and events long supressed inevitably surface, leaving the audience with a rather cathartic ending where normality is established and the house is once again set in order. There is something about this movie, however, that brings to mind Redford's masterpiece "Ordinary People", because like that movie, 'The Myth Of Fingerprints' "imprints" the thoughts and feelings and the subtle nuances of family life on the viewer so damn well. This movie doesn't just invite you to share the joys and pains of this family, but it grabs you and places you right into the scene. It is almost as if you are there, too, eating Thanksgiving dinner with them, like you were a friend of the family's and have known them for a long, long time. Noah Wyle gives a great performance, considering he is an amature to the big screen. Blythe Danner is still as lovely as ever, as are the rest of this astoundingly good looking family. If it is not quite a modern masterpiece of family drama in the 90's, show me something else that surpasses it, and I'll make my judgement then.

Great Cast in a puzzling movie

[gtmarcyk · 5/10 · 16 March 2023]

My wife rented this movie because of its great cast. Always intelligent Julianne Moore, veteran Roy Schneider, Blythe Danner, Hope Davis, and Noah Wylie.

Yes, you get to see Julianne Moore convincingly breakdown into tears as she does in so many of her films.

Great movies often don't explain all the details of the plot or the character's motivations. They leave the viewer to use their own imaginations to fill in the space. However, in this movie the viewer is left with a Grand Canyon of missing motivations.

Why is Julianne Moore so bitter and caustic? Why is her boyfriend attracted to her other than frequent sex? What in the world is wrong with the relationship between the father and the mother? She claims to still love him even after. After what? Does the father have dementia? And is Moore showing early signs of the same disease? Why does Julianne Moore's kindergarten friend act like a doofus but with a photographic memory for an obscure (and totally fictional) tragic novel about bunnies? Does Moore's boyfriend get more than a foot rub from her perky younger sister? And why are the beds so tiny in this enormous New England home?

My favorite scene is where a split screen reveals the father watching a home movie of a happy childhood birthday party while silently wallowing in regret. Bravo!

The answer for several characters in this movie is to just get up and walk away from this dysfunctional family. I felt the same way.

Amazing

[bucklind · 16 April 2000]

I was completely drawn into this movie. One thing I love about families are the ranges of relationships that occur, and this movie is big on that. The big sister, Mia, was incredibly insufferable and it made her an interesting character. You hope and pray her boyfriend will just leave. The big brother, Warren, is a joy to watch go through the movie wondering about his father, falling back in love with his girlfriend and questioning the ways of life. And Noah Wyle was just awesome as Warren. A good movie, I loved it.

Not Good, Poorly Written

[suesmith3 · 1/10 · 23 August 2013]

This movie had superb acting talent across about 2.5 generations of actors- and all of this talent is just wasted.

The writing is poor, disjointed and does not tell either a good overall story or good individual stories. Slow, boring, bad. A real waste of talent.

I do not know what the budget was but it had to be small. Still with Danner & company the results should have been much better. The viewer is dragged through a bunch off scenes that do not connect with each other at all.

Don't waste your time.

A great hypothetical movie

[paolo_geek · 10/10 · 4 August 2007]

Myth of finger prints is truly an interesting film with great performances by the cast and a great screenplay. It is worth buying the DVD. The film its self can tell a thousand words so i just summarized the good things about it. 1. Great directing 2. Outstanding cast 3. Intelligent 4. great cinematography 5.great editing 6. Just a great movie and the standards of movies or films must go higher to be able to beat how great this movie is. The greatness of this film just glows already when you are only holding the DVD.Julianne Moore throws to us an outstanding performance which of course will not be forgotten and i believe that a book that talks about the greatest films ever made this film will be in it.

Better than it looks

[ecorno · 9/10 · 3 March 1999]

another thumbs up. Amazing movie, that gives a dramatic touch to a comical family. "POOR CARTER" - see the movie and understand what I mean.

I want my 90 minutes back

[tracibrink · 23 January 2002]

Working within a tired construct, this movie puts stereotypes and almost-characters in painfully self-conscious "real-life" situations within which they ape human reactions. Although the plot is reliant upon a buildup of tension, no such progression comes, and nothing changes for any of the (mostly inexplicably) bitter characters who congregate in the family home for a supposedly revealing and explosive holiday reunion. This profoundly irritating story is clumsily written, poorly shot and populated by dull, unsympathetic and self-involved characters. Its 90 minutes felt like days.