TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Jeff Isles I have just finished watching this movie and i loved it from beginning to end. Then i thought i would come on here to see what it was rated and what others thought of this movie. During the movie i even said to myself i rated this an 8 out of 10. So you can imagine my surprise when i see that it has an average rating of 6.6. I read through the majority of the reviews and to be honest and i suspect to be expected i disagree with a lot of the reasons provided to mark it down. Firstly the acting is first class. I was unfamiliar with Ryan Reynolds as an actor and i was gripped by his performance. It did take a little questioning throughout to keep up with the family structure and who was related to who - as the scenes changed from the present to the past for example. But once you sorted this out - the change of tense worked out well i thought.I also really thought Willem Defoe played a great tormented character. The abuse dished out to his son is a manifestation of his own failings as well as in part the abuse dished out to him as he was growing up.A lot of people spoke about "missing bits" or missing story lines. Which is the part i don't get. It is never straight forward why families are dysfunctional in the first place. I think these days viewers want absolutely everything spelled out for them or served on a silver platter before they are satisfied. I actually enjoyed the fact that the movie in some way leaves it to the viewers to form your own opinions about what may or may not have transpired during the years between the relatives. These opinions might come from your own experiences in your own dysfunctional family - or indeed other experiences from other real life situations. The underlying temptations and unhappiness of some of the characters. The character development was also well thought out.Sure the movie could of been longer and no doubt it would of been an even better movie if it was. But I really enjoyed this movie and please don't be discouraged from some of the negative reviews on here.If you are a type of viewer that needs to have absolutely everything explained to you - then yes you probably will be left wanting. However if you are a type of viewer that doesn't mind a movie with leaving some questions unanswered to give you the opportunity to write your own conclusions then i think you will really enjoy it.

SnoopyStyle Charles Taylor (Willem Dafoe) is a domineering abusive father to Michael and constantly fighting with his wife Lisa (Julia Roberts). As an adult, Michael (Ryan Reynolds) is a successful romance novel writer. He's coming home to see his mother graduate with his sister Ryne (Shannon Lucio). He's still bitter at his ex-wife Kelly Hanson (Carrie-Anne Moss). Lisa has a younger sister Jane (Hayden Panettiere/Emily Watson). As Charles and Lisa drive to her graduation from college, they get into an accident killing Lisa. This movie flashes back a lot to Michael as a young boy when Jane comes to live with them.The flashbacks are handled poorly. There are too many of them and it's a confusing mess to get a handle on who's who in all of this. It doesn't help that Emily Watson is nothing like Hayden Panettiere. I don't mean their looks. They don't have the same personality. It needs to settle down on all the main characters before they do extensive flashbacks. It all ends up in a ball of chaos.The good part is Willem Dafoe. He has the power of presence. He sells his domineering personality. Ryan Reynolds holds his own. There are some good actors in this movie. There is a compelling dysfunctional family drama, but writer/director Dennis Lee can't quite put it all together. With the caliber of actors, this should have made a much better movie.

JohnLeeT This is a fairly good film with a good cast. However, it is Emily Watson who shines in what good have been a rather insignificant role if not for her utter brilliance. She brings a realistic fire and passion to the role of a protective mother who witnessed the abuse perpetrated by a savagely disordered relative while she was a child. Perhaps what was most interesting about her presence in the film is that she towers over the pathetically inadequate Julia Roberts in talent, depth, and even beauty. Roberts may have an Academy Award (a joke) and Emily Watson may have only been nominated twice (an utter outrage she has not been recognized by the Academy), but pay attention to what they accomplish in their respective parts. Watson is a true actor while Roberts is a mere curiosity in her pitiful attempts to be something other than what she is. It is Watson who the audience can not take their eyes off of and they hang on her every word. While this motion picture is worth seeing on its own terms, it is Emily Watson who makes it memorable and a film with meaning and beauty.

Tony Heck "If you don't know how to take care of something you don't deserve to have it." When Michael (Reynolds) comes home for his mother Lisa's (Roberts) graduation the family is rocked by a tragedy. The family is now forced to live together in close confines and old and new problems begin to come to the surface. This is a very difficult movie to review. The acting is amazing. Every single person does a fantastic job throughout. The story is a little overused but still is a great idea. The glaring problem is that there is absolutely no personal connection to the characters and that really hurts the movie. I don't think that that is the actor's fault but when these awful things happen it doesn't affect you the way it's meant to. Overall, a good movie that doesn't create the effect that it was supposed to. I give it a C+.