Main Street (2010) User Reviews

Very Vapid And Vague

[LeonLouisRicci · 4/10 · 21 October 2012]

This could remind one of a Steven Soderbergh snore fest. It is a lingering, slow moving, vaguely interesting story of the modern American condition that promises much but delivers almost nothing.

It is a character study of realistic people in a realistic situation forced to make difficult choices that come from a changing society. But it is all very vapid and the plot points are as unresolved and unanswered as is the finality of it all.

The ending is so anti-climactic and the "change of mind and heart" from the "villain" of the piece is just abrupt and embarrassing, as is the final narration that is nothing but consummate corn-pone. The storage of hazardous waste in a formerly hazardous to your health tobacco facility is the one and only irony and the film is just uninspired.

Wasted Talent

[nowego · 4/10 · 19 January 2011]

When I saw the movie had actors Colin Firth, Orlando Bloom, Amber Tamblyn, Patricia Clarkson participating I thought this would be a movie worth watching, unfortunately I was mistaken.

While the actors do a good job with what they were provided with, the movie does nothing for them, it is a go nowhere movie that to me was a complete waste of time, thankfully not a huge amount of time to waste considering the length of the movie.

I have long been a big fan of Colin Firth and generally seek out movies that he is in. Unfortunately, while I felt he did a good job I think he made a bad choice with this one.

4 out of 10 for me.

Good actors in a B movie - not much of a storyline

[homespun13 · 5/10 · 11 January 2012]

I watched to the end, so it wasn't "that bad", as I saw the movie on a DVD at home and could have turned it off at any time. But that much said, it barely crossed my personal limit for "tolerable". The storyline is pretty dull and nothing can "fix" this. When you start with an uninteresting story, you get an uninteresting movie. I have no idea what Colin Firth was thinking to accept this part. I chose the movie because I figured he was a star and would surely only appear in a solidly good movie. I was wrong! Perhaps he thought it would be a challenge for him to play a character who is a Texan and felt this would give him a chance to break into being offered also roles for characters who are supposed to speak with American accents. He did quite well in terms of portraying a Texan, but that hardly compensated for a lack of an interesting plot.

A great movie with great actors and a timely plot. If you liked Company Men you will love this. Firth is excellent. I say A.

[cosmo_tiger · 11 October 2011]

"The company sent me to look for towns or cities that might benefit from our services. Durham was on my list." The town of Durham, like most cities has been hit hard by the bad economy. People are moving out and the unemployment rate is high. Gus Leroy (Firth) comes into town with a track record of helping towns recover and end unemployment. The town is unsure of his method, storing hazardous waste until it can be transported. This is another movie that proves that just because a movie has no CGI or explosions every five minutes it receives no marketing and the release it needs. This is a movie that is full of great actors and great performances. The plot is not that exciting, but the acting makes up for it. Colin Firth does a fantastic job in this movie of playing a guy who you aren't sure of. The entire movie he keeps you on edge wondering if he is really as good as he seems. Much like "Company Men" this is a movie that is a serious subject that sounds boring when you read it, but the acting makes it great. A must watch. Overall, a great movie filled with great acting that deserves a bigger audience then it will get. I give it an A.

Would I watch again? - Yes I would.

*Also try - Company Men

Expected Better! 2/10

[leonblackwood · 2/10 · 14 March 2015]

Review: Personally, I couldn't see the point of this movie. All the way through the film I thought that there was going to be a major twist, especially with Firth's character, but nothing really happens. Its about a small community which used to be the main producers for cigarettes and Firth company decides to rent some space in the town to store hazardous waste. The lady that he is renting the space from, has severe money problems and she is scared about losing her house so she is relying on the rental money to keep her house. Once her niece realises that the company is storing waste, she decides to take action but after a bad accident with one of the trucks that was transporting the waste, Firth decides to leave the business. I honestly found the movie cheap and really boring. The cast sounded promising, with Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom taking the lead, but the movie was a waste of time and money. The acting isn't that bad from the cast but I didn't like Bloom and Firth's terrible deep South accents and I didn't find any of the characters that interesting. I'm glad that the director didn't make it into a 2 hour epic movie because the storyline really does dry up after a while, which is a shame because it would have been half decent if there was actually a point to the characters individual stories. Disappointing!

Round-Up: After the successful Lord Of The Rings and Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, I thought that Orlando Bloom was going to be a major star but I haven't really seen him shine in any other movies. At the age of 38 he still has a chance to prove that he can really act, away from the big budget movies, but I'm yet to see him do anything that great. As for the award winning Colin Firth, this just has to go down as another bad day at the office but he really does need to make some better choices in the movies that he takes on. In this film, Bloom and Firth only really cross paths once so the director really didn't take advantage of the cast. He also could have made some use of Andrew McCarthy, who has been missing from the big screen for ages but he only had a little part which wasn't that memorable. At the end of the day, I really didn't enjoy this film but I will give it a couple of stars, just for Ellen Burstyn's performance.

Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $2,560 (Really Terrible!)

I recommend this movie to people who are into their dramas about a small town which is promised a prosperous future after a company rents an available warehouse to store hazardous chemicals. 2/10

Awful Film, Bad Plot, Poor Directing

[getlost2-1 · 1/10 · 18 January 2011]

Not to knock Hallmark Channel movies, but this is far worse than something that network would air.

Main Street has a fine cast, but the plot is lacking, editing and directing are poor, and the entire film suffers.

There is no antagonist. We keep expecting things that we are being told to develop and instead they do not. Many characters seem to be in a different movie, and sometimes the plot thinks the viewers are in second grade.

For example, one character, we are repeatedly told, used to "go steady" with another character in high school. They are still in daily contact. At one point in the film the other character stops to explain that another character isn't her father, he's her step-father. The first character says, "I know". He should, he dated her for years, according to what the characters keep telling us.

The biggest problem with the film is that it simply ends, with no clear ending point. I felt like much more had likely been filmed but it was edited in this manner to get it out the door and let the studio wash their hands of it.

A complete waste of an hour and a half.

Did I miss something?

[emailstuart · 1/10 · 15 April 2011]

I waited and waited for the plot to develop - to no avail. There seemed to be no point to this film; no in depth character development and more disappointedly, no story. Colin Firth, undoubtedly a superb actor where quintessential English characterisation is required, is appalling when cast as an American. His accent is shocking and comparable only to Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent in Mary Poppins!

The world has some brilliant English actors, and some brilliant American actors. Why does the industry insist on using UK actors to depict US characters and vice versa?

An absolute waste of time.

Touching story with fine performances if not 100 percent realistic.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 22 June 2012]

I cannot say anything about the truth regarding the real location of this tender story of how city life has changed for some. What I see is one person's point of view in how this story was told and can only judge by what I see on screen. I was taken in immediately by the magnificent Ellen Burstyn's performance as the now broke tobacco heiress whose father once knew Doris Duke's father, the tobacco king of the first part of the 20th Century. Having reviewed the TV movie "Too Rich: The Doris Duke Story" and watched it several times since, this gave me an insight to the tobacco industry I only recall from one other film-"Bright Leaf", which I also have reviewed.

The story of how community in her town has changed in Burstyn's lifetime is a metaphor of what the aging must see in this age of constant advancement in technology, changes in the way people communicate, and the break-up of the family unit. There is a sadness in all of these character's eyes, even though they are basically all nice people. When Burstyn explains her family history to the Mexican guard at the warehouse she owns and has leased to Colin Firth, I could see why he couldn't help but be interested. She is the walking proof of the existence of a simpler life when a beautiful day in the country could lead to a family picnic in the woods, a concert in the local park, and the simple gathering of townsfolk celebrating America. The sadness is as equal in niece Patricia Clarkson's eyes as she realizes what she's lost early on in her life. The presence of Nuclear Waste in her Aunt's warehouse is simply the fly in the ointment of their lives.

There really isn't a lot of plot here. In fact, it could be called a modern day "The Mad Woman of Chailot", the French play about an eccentric countess who battles the government over oil under Paris. But not every movie or play or TV show needs to throw its story in your face like a parking ticket. But it is an exercise in looking at today's world and the antipathy towards society that keeps growing. I highly recommend it for the wonderful performances, its subtle nature and gentility, and especially for the fact that it simply makes you think.

On a casting note, it was nice to see Broadway veterans Victoria Clark, Tom Wopat and Margo Martindale in small roles.

Anemic content considering the acting talent involved

[JohnRayPeterson · 4/10 · 10 December 2011]

The talent in this movie would make any director jump for joy; it's unfortunately used to deliver a weak character study, and not a character study of people so much as a character study of a town with the 'Main Street' a symbol of slow death. There is a user review by 'tarmcgator' from Durham, that elaborately sets the record straight about Durham N.C. and I was happy to read it. The actors Colin Firth, Ellen Burstyn, Patricia Clarkson and Orlando Bloom, all talented and experienced, were likely just filling in time between projects because I don't understand why they would have signed on to this project. They can't be faulted for doing a good job in a movie so tedious and slow; supporting actors Andrew McCarthy, Margo Martindale and Amber Tamblyn can no more be blamed for the anemic film. There is nothing compelling, nothing in way of build up, no climax; a couple of days in the life of a city that has seen its best days decades ago and where the story of three typical small families (what's left of them) is told with no emotional investment for the audience. It has a low rating and few will recommend it; I certainly don't.

Surprisingly Good Sleeper

[dansview · 7/10 · 22 July 2014]

I was waiting for some kind of clever liberal message, as I do with almost everything I watch these days. I didn't really detect one. It's about an Operations Manager for a Hazardous Waste disposal company.

I don't know why the guy would have to travel all the way to Durham, NC for a warehouse and ultimately a processing center, but I guess there is only so much room in his home state of Texas. You probably know the story. This guy sets up these waste disposal centers in cities that could use the work and the revenue. He encounters some locals who then encounter each other.

As other reviewers have pointed out, Durham is not a small dying city. It has a couple hundred thousand people and is part of a thriving region. But this picture could have been set at an earlier time. There are no computers or smart phones, so maybe it is supposed to be earlier than 2010, although there is no indication of that.

Anyways, it is not about any of this. It's about hope, transition, renewal, and fear. Most importantly, it's about ordinary people. Having said that, these actors did an excellent job with the material. I too don't understand why they need to give the work to two Brits, but they did well.

As other reviewers have mentioned, you keep waiting for the Colin Firth character to turn into a slime, but he doesn't. He is genuine. The best part is when the young woman calls her ex-boyfriend a "loser" for staying in town and accepting a potentially humble life. You could see that a part of her meant it, and that he was deeply hurt, but also that she didn't really want to hurt anyone, and didn't fully believe what she said.

I loved the way they portrayed the ex high school sweethearts. Faced with the girl leaving town, the guy tells her straight out that he loves her and always has. That's what you have to do. Stake your claim. She reciprocated.

Ellen Burstyn could have easily relied on clichés, but she didn't. Her facial expressions and reactions set her performance apart from that. I don't get the ending. I won't give it away, but it seems like the guy is admitting that he was never comfortable doing what he does to begin with. He fooled me.

What a bizarre concept for a movie. That's why I like it. Because there is potential intrigue in the most mundane of circumstances. The main character mentions that a city's fate is dependent on how its' residents look at it. The same thing goes for a movie plot. You can turn a seemingly boring circumstance into something compelling with good writing, settings, and performances. They did that adequately here.

Watching Paint Dry

[chipsdipsanddorks · 2/10 · 14 April 2021]

So it has some great actors, but after an hour and half you want to stick a pencil in your brain or somebody's brain for wasting your time. Now I was stuck watching it because the other inmates had chosen Prime this Tuesday evening. I begged to go back to my cell, but only one guard was available and he enjoys movies as exciting as watching paint dry, so we watched too. .

A gentle, modest character study

[demma52 · 8/10 · 19 January 2011]

A rather sweet, sensitive, modest little film that had me enthralled all the way through - until the very abrupt ending, which came much too soon and left me without a clear sense of resolution. It almost feels as if the film ended half way, just as it was starting to get really interesting. Nonetheless, the acting is superb, especially on the part of Colin Firth, who virtually disappears into the role, though his innate gentility and decency shine through. Orland Bloom looks gorgeous but a bit affect-less, as usual. Ellen Burstyn makes a pleasant appearance. While I certainly don't feel like I wasted my time, this gentle film could have been so much more - and it would not have been so difficult to carry it a bit further....

Not exactly a "main stream audience" oriented film, but, it has a great cast and some weighty topics

[inkblot11 · 6/10 · 29 August 2012]

Georgianna Carr (Ellen Burstyn) lives in a sleepy North Carolina town that has seen better days. Her father was a prominent businessman, in his day, and he kept a large warehouse for the tobacco farmers to store their product until it was manufactured into cigarettes and so on. That was long ago and this is now. Miss Carr is not wealthy and may have to sell her house. But, unbelievably, a Texan man, Gus Leroy (Colin Firth) wants to rent her warehouse and gives her six months rent in advance. Is this her way to keep her house? She agrees but finds out, too late, that he is storing hazardous waste, in government-regulated bins, until it can be properly disposed. Now, Miss Carr is so worried she asks her daughter, Willa (Patricia Clarkson) to help her find a way out. Meanwhile, Mary (Amber Tamblyn) a young twenty-something, beautiful lady discovers that the man she has been dating is married, technically, with two kids and won't seek a divorce until the children are adults. Whew! She contemplates moving to Atlanta, to the sorrow of Harris (Orlando Bloom) the town's sheriff who secretly, passionately loves her. Also, her parents are very reluctant to see her go as well. As to the warehouse, Willa tries to discuss things with Gus and finds out that they, both divorcees, may have a mutual attraction. Hey, this may not be a sleepy little town after all! When a heavy rain storm arrives, things get even more complicated. What will happen to these fine folk? Don't be fooled by the cover, with a smiling Mr. Firth in the center. This is not a light-hearted story but a fairly heavy look at a bevy of diverse topics. Among these are hazardous waste, aging Southern towns and the pursuits of the heart. The script, written by Horton Foote before his death, may have attracted the big name cast and they really are terrific. Firth has a genuine Texas twang so that's fun and Bloom sports a Southern drawl as well. More importantly, all of the principals give very touching turns. The small Dixie city has its charms, especially Miss Carr's house, and costumes, photography and direction are up to snuff. But, its generally a slow-moving, reflective film so not everyone will appreciate its better qualities. If you think you will, go for it.

Acting/Script Mismatch

[donnaches · 3/10 · 21 February 2021]

This movie represents what happens when some good actors are given a sub-standard script. Pulitzer prize or not, the good acting by some did not make up for the undeveloped script. Firth's Texas accent is overdone and sounds phony. Clarkson seemed asleep or sleep walking. Burstyn and Bloom kept me watching to the end. Then the end. Oh, my. All I can say is hokey.

A Film That Promises More than It Delivers

[l_rawjalaurence · 14 July 2013]

At first glance, MAIN ST. would seem to have all the ingredients for an absorbing piece - a top-notch cast (with two Brits doing very creditable Southern accents), a strong sense of place (Raleigh, North Carolina), and a taut, spare script by veteran Horton Foote. Then why is the movie such a disappointment? Its subject-matter is a pertinent one: the decline of American urban life and the schemes hatched by entrepreneurs to regenerate it, which might not necessarily please the existing residents. However the production is particularly slow-moving: the camera spends a long time focusing on tight close-ups of the protagonists, especially Ellen Burstyn as Georgiana Carr. This would be a perfectly acceptable strategy, were it not for the consciously showy nature of the performances: the actors are allowed to get away with the kind of theatrical gestures and facial movements that would not seem out of place in Victorian melodrama. As a result, we end up not really caring about the characters at all. Matters are not helped by the treacly soundtrack (from the normally reliable Patrick Doyle) that obtrudes itself on several occasions. Perhaps the material might have been better if another director had handled it.

Main Bore

[caslater-60756 · 4/10 · 16 July 2022]

Great cast selection, but the plot isn't keeping my attention at all. I'm very disappointed. Colin Firth, Orlando Bloom, Amber Tamblyn, etc. All these names I know and like, yet this movie does not allow them to show us their best work.

Useless

[gianmarcoronconi · 4/10 · 15 January 2023]

A film without a soul and without a plot that results in a stalemate with a horrendous and useless awareness and banal closure of all the stories. This frighteningly pointless film tells a very banal story without suspense and without the slightest imagination of a man who wants to open a factory for the disposal of hazardous waste in a small town and then instead change his mind because the waste is obviously dangerous and instead in parallel there is the story of unrequited love between a policeman and a woman with whom he has been in love for a long time which obviously ends with her confessing that she loves him in a blaze of horrendous banality.

Yet another liberal Hollywood message movie

[johngarrett911 · 1/10 · 21 February 2011]

Main Street is yet another liberal Hollywood message movie masquerading as entertainment. The dialog is lame and the message is lame. Their subplots are no more than sugar syrup to get you to swallow their progressive poison that "all technology is bad." Strip away all of the subterfuge and what do you have left? Recycling industrial waste is all bad! A true lie if I ever heard one. Obviously this movie was made to promote the progressive anti-industrial agenda by forming public opinion against recycling industrial waste. They don't tell you where the waste came from nor do they tell you what products or materials were manufactured to produce the waste. And they certainly don't tell you how many people earned an income generating this so-called evil waste.

Doyle and Foote must hate average Americans – assuming Americans are their intended target -- because of their underhanded use of illegal Hispanic laborers to foment hatred towards the evil industrial waste.

Why did Doyle and Foote choose an American town for this movie? I thought progressives had successfully driven away most manufacturing from this country? Oh I understand now. They want to form public opinion against building more nuclear power plants. So where does Doyle and Foote think we'll get the juice to charge up our electric cars? Then again, where will we find jobs to afford the $40,000 electric cars in the first place? If you think I spent too much time on the politics of this movie, then I have made my point.

Ellen Burstyn is the best!

[patengel · 7/10 · 25 August 2022]

This was a fairly simple story, but the ending built up to drama that was never really fulfilled. An old tobacco town is dying, a slick Texan comes to store suspicious material in an old warehouse. That's about it. Burstyn plays the last of the tobacco heirs, trying to hang onto her house and renting out the warehouse to stay afloat. Colin Firth is good, but why they hired a Brit to play a Texan is beyond me. Subplot of a young gal anxious to get away, but things don't work out, was not really necessary.

What a Joke

[TheBetrayed012 · 1/10 · 10 September 2011]

Definitely the worst movie of the year so far. People still get paid for this garbage!? Further proof that the movie industry is nothing more than a joke at this point. How and why does the United States of America continue to allow people to make money for pathetic trash such as this!?!? These actors aren't very good, I've seen Amber Tamblin is several other movies, none of which were very good at all. Ellen Burstyn, come on lady what are you like 90? Just die already... Colin Firth, certainly the most overrated actor of this generation. Nice moustache on Orlando Bloom too (haha, when will that bum give himself a clean shave?) Truly horrendous film, not sure if any of these actors or even the film industry as a whole will be able to recover from this one.

Not quite as bad as I expected, but really massively outdated

[barbt1956 · 5/10 · 23 July 2012]

As others have indicated, this was an amazing ensemble cast wasted by a truly poor script. But, I think the biggest issue here is the outdatedness of the issues identified. In the world of 2010 United States several factors are just wrong in this film.

I am wondering if Horton Foote actually wrote this script in the 1970's or 80's when the issue of Hazardous Waste was front and center. Yes, we still have concerns, but the use of nuclear energy is almost a given in our day and age. We rarely hear of hazardous waste spills, as the technology has so improved. We recognize that the risks often outweigh the benefits of a cleaner environment, but it is our reality until we can effectively convert to wind or solar energy to a large scale. The public demand, although present, just is not strong enough to get this job done. Therefore, hazardous waste is simply a fact of life today. In this script, I find Gus's fears of a spill far from believable, and cannot imagine him acting in the way presented.

In addition, Mary's issues as a woman are truly outdated. First, we are no longer the mobile society we once were. People do not just leave to find work in other cities. A woman like Mary would be much more inclined, in today's world, to stay in her home town and become an entrepreneur. Women do have more options today. Also, losing her job for not sleeping with the partner at the law firm is just so passé. In our world of diversity training and liability, Mary would win hands down in a lawsuit. In Main Street no one even blinks when she is fired for being unhappy about sexual harassment. Give me a break!! And, as for her calling Harris a potential loser, $30,000 as income for an entry level cop doesn't sound really all that bad! And, if Harris is planning to become an attorney in the Raleigh/Durham area, it sounds like he has a very good future. Mary's leaving, therefore, is questionable!

Bottom line for me, although I agree the script was pretty boring, I can imagine actors very interested in one written by a Pulitzer Prize winning author. But, watching this film, I felt like I was watching one of the preachy films of the 70's or 80's. It's biggest sin being it's irrelevance.

Brilliant acting; plot as metaphor

[JP-106 · 9/10 · 2 September 2011]

As previous reviewers have synopsized the plot, I will not do that. The number of negative reviews is surprising, especially since most of those have no clue what this movie is about. And, their lack of insight is what leads them to think it is simple and uninteresting. Nothing could be further from the truth for movie-goers who are more interested in humanity than in over-wrought drama (e.g., serial killers, absurd disasters, cartoonish fantasies, etc., etc. -- save me from "Hollywood")that offer no real insight into our humanity.

Here is what this movie is about: the "hazardous waste" is pure metaphor for our fears: our fears of the future, of technology, of the unknown. The question this movie poses so clearly and powerfully is: how should we confront the fear of the future, which is inevitably one of confronting the nature of what our humanity involves: technology and change? And, it does have an answer, with which I could not agree more -- and with which I would hope anyone watching this movie would also, easily or not, come to agree.

Just as "To Kill a Mockingbird" was about our fears of others who are unknown to us and with whom we have no real experience, this movie asks us how we react to the unknown: Do we flee, or do we stand and make something out of whatever it is we have? The heroes in this movie do the latter and show those who would do otherwise the way forward ... which is what the best in our humanity always does, after all.

Orlando Bloom's character's mother (Mrs. Parker) and his erstwhile girlfriend's mother (Miriam) are afraid of the future and want to withdraw, hunker down. They have no will for their children to overcome. Orlando Bloom's character deals with the uncertain future by working hard to make something good of it. His girlfriend's character wants to run away.

Ellen Burstyn's character is caught in the middle of a dilemma: trust the unknown that offers progress and salvation, or give in to something safely predictable by selling out. In the end, she let's go of what is truly in the past (her home) and embraces what it is that offers hope for the future (the warehouse).

When our cities, our lives, our civilizations appear to be crumbling, what works: retreating from the challenge? Or, embracing new, uncertain, potentially scary things (metaphorically -- yes, metaphorically -- represented by nuclear waste)? This movie deals powerfully with those who would point to every "problem" on the way to the future (e.g., Fukushima) as a reason to retreat rather than as a lesson to learn, a problem to overcome. It basically says: accidents will happen: some good, some bad; get over it by learning from them and moving on. Imagine humanity retreating in the face of all the disasters it has encountered on the way to its current future? We would be still chipping flint with a lifespan of less than 30 difficult years.

Yes, this movie makes plain that Luddites are much to be feared, as are those who believe that "corporations" are bad and industry is almost certainly hiding are all sorts of horrible things. Instead, this movie says that we humans are, on balance, good. If we do not give in to our fears we can overcome those among us who would give in. By moving ahead (not by retreating or running away) we can overcome the challenges we create for ourselves because our very nature is to overcome. We are tool makers. We are proactive. We want good things for our children. Those who are destructive among us are a minority and will be overcome. But, do not fear what we are. Do not fear technology. Do not fear the way we organize our abilities to trade our best efforts with each other (i.e., industry, corporations, technology, progress).

Typical "Hollywood types" will not like this film because it counters every one of their most cherished beliefs: that Western Civilization, in its current most fully-realized form, is almost certainly bad for the humanity in us. Instead, it shows that our humanity is most realized when we trust ourselves to use our knowledge to give us what it will. After all, we (and I mean all 7 billion of us) would not be living longer, more satisfying, more comfortable lives than our predecessors in the 18th or 19th centuries had we not done so before now.

Beyond the point of the movie, the plot is one that could not be more satisfying in its simplicity or more poignant. These are real people leading real lives that many among us have led. No serial killers, no absurd global calamities, no over-dramatic nonsense. Just real people facing difficult human emotions and choices and helping each other through them. I can see why these fine actors decided to work in this film. Each of the actors delivers powerful performances: Ellen Burtsyn has never been better. My heart ached as she dithered about what to do with her life, both past, present, and future. Colin Firth was perfect in presenting the face of the future: shining with promise, but making us wonder nonetheless. Can we trust him? Until we realize the real question is: can we trust ourselves? Orlando Bloom shows us why it is so hard for those who believe in themselves and believe in the future to soldier on, despite so many disbelievers around, especially among loved-ones.

I could go, but the cast was magnificent and did the screenplay such justice. Horton Foote, despite his age, was at the height of his story-telling prowess. If you like real people; if you like movies that are real about humanity, then you will like "Main Street."

Great Cast with Disappointing Results

[Ladybugking · 15 August 2011]

A few first things first. One. What were these very fine actors thinking, appearing in this movie? All due respect to the great Horton Foote, but, honestly.... Did anyone read the script beforehand? Or was it originally good and then cut back to the shell of a story that this movie became? Two. The Southern accents of its two British leads, Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom. Much has been written and criticized about them. I am a Texan. I had no problem with either of these actors' renditions of Texas and North Carolina accents respectively. I have known north Texas guys who sounded very much like the twangy, nasally Mr. Firth. That said, Bloom carries off this requirement with much more ease, in my view. My quarrel is in the casting, or MIS-casting, of Mr. Firth in the first place. If they needed a big, tall, good-looking guy who happened to be Texan, I think maybe there are several American actors who could have filled that bill. Or, in view of the BP oil spill, he could have convincingly remained British. (Though I think this movie's filming preceded that tragedy. It also was filmed prior to Firth's triumphant roles in "The King's Speech" and I would think "A Single Man" as well.)

The other actors/actresses, who are all fine in their own right, were woefully underused.

These actors struggle mightily against a truly tepid plot. No one comes off really well because there is no there, there. Stories are truncated or non-existent, or simply have some sort of quick resolution which no part of the story leads to in the first place. I won't go into detail about the plot of this movie, since it is so thin, but I would imagine a Lifetime cable movie with unknown actors could have pulled this off equally well. In brief: Big bad company and its big bad Texas rep comes to a small town where a sweet cop, his sorta sweetheart, an old lady and her niece, and a sad city council all strive to keep their lives going in a dying town. Texan, Gus, offers rewards and happiness in return for storing, y'know, a few lil' ol' barrels of bad stuff in the old lady's warehouse, which he has leased.

I won't go into the nutty notion of grown children living with their parents and there being maybe a problem for them getting out on their own. Or the change of heart Gus gets in the blink of an eye to help wrap this thing up -- dust off hands -- the end.

I am a fan of Firth, Bloom, Tamblyn, Burstyn and Clarkson and wishing this had never come their way or that they had chosen not to appear in it. My only guess is, they felt it had the potential to be something very good and they ended up participating in something they may not want to mention in the catalog of their individual careers.

Disappointing

[emmapocl · 1/10 · 21 March 2024]

Going by the disparate cast members (Colin Firth to Tom Wopat) this movie sounded promising. I was wrong.

No spoilers, but Colin Firth trying to speak with an unidentifiable southern accent was both cringeworthy and laughable. What in the world was he thinking?

I have never understood why foreign actors try to affect American accents, especially when there are so many differnt regional dialects from which to choose. It would be like an American actor trying to speak like someone from the Holme Valley in Yorkshire England when they are supposed to live in the east end of London. Unless you are familiar with regional dialects of both areas, you can tell the difference. This results in a big fail. It would fall flat on the ears of those viewers who know the difference. Just speak in your native language.

The plot of this movie could have been expanded in so many different and successful ways, but it was dull and I was bored spitless.

I watched it because I am a big fan of Colin Firth. This is the only move I can remember with him as a cast member, in which I was truly disappointed. Sorry I can't give it more than one star.

nicely captures the rhythm of small town life

[gregking4 · 5/10 · 1 May 2011]

Durham is a small rural town in North Carolina that is slowly dying. Its once prosperous main street in now but a mere shadow of itself, and businesses are closing down. Symbolic of the town's faded glory is Georgina Carr (Ellen Burstyn), who lives alone in the family house. Her family fortune was founded on the tobacco industry during the 20th century, but now she has fallen on hard times. The family home is now far too big for her, and she is struggling to maintain payments. Salvation seemingly comes in the form of Gus Leroy (Colin Firth), the smooth talking representative of a Texas firm that specialises in handling and storing hazardous waste materials. Gus manages to gain a lease on Carr's vacant warehouse by promising that his business will help turn the town's fortunes around. We also meet a number of the town's other residents who are affected by the downturn in prosperity and are eager to leave to find employment and excitement elsewhere. Harris Parker (Orlando Bloom) is a local policeman who is studying law at night school in a futile effort to please Mary (Amber Tamblyn), his high school sweetheart. But she has made the mistake of falling for the smooth charms of her boss (Andrew McCarthy) at the law firm where she works. And Georgina's headstrong niece Willa (Patricia Clarkson) helps her aunt in the negotiations with Gus regarding breaking the firm's contract. Willa herself left town, but has returned following her divorce. Leroy finds himself slowly involved in the town's daily business, which eventually pricks his own conscience about the nature of his company's business. Main Street is the final script written by Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winning playwright, the late Horton Foote (To Kill A Mockingbird, Tender Mercies, etc), and it offers a eulogy to small town America, which is slowly dying in the severe economic downturn. While it nicely captures the rhythm of small town life, it is also part of the film's major failing, in that we never really get to identify with the characters or sympathise with them. There is some evocative cinematography from Australian Donald McAlpine. This is the first feature film from John Doyle, who is better known for his theatre work on Broadway. His direction is measured, but he seems unable to effectively draw the various subplots together. He draws some nice performances from his solid cast, in particular, Burstyn who is effective as the wilting Southern belle, and Clarkson is also very good as Willa. However Firth seems miscast and struggles to acquire a convincing Texan accent.