Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

eric262003 If there are any faults to the 1996 Australian film "Shine", is that it is taken under control of a narrative that is at times very clichéd. Also pretty sketchy is the sequences of events writer/director Scott Hicks puts into the film. But still the film is saturated with sheer brilliance as it tells the tale of piano genius David Helfgott (Geoffrey Rush)as we chronicle his story from the time he was a child, to a troubled young soul to an out of it adult and was played off nothing short of brilliance.We first see Helfgott's problem stemming from his father, Holocaust survivor Polish-Jewish born Peter Helfgott (Armin Mueller-Stahl) who was very domineering in nature as he subjugates him which at times can be both a bit over-the-top but still very compelling to watch. I understand this is a biopic and not a documentary and there's bound to be some sort of dramatization, but it's hard to fully admit it or not if Peter Helfgott was really that cruel to David. Nevertheless it's very impossible that that this cruelty can ever be erased from David's mind and any kind of burden would be difficult to climb."Shine" then transitions towards David's youth to adult years (Noah Taylor and eventually Geoffrey Rush) where he gets the right training and musical experience with legions of friends helping him along the way. We see him succeed through his music to the point where he suffers a nervous breakdown which leads him to fifteen years institutionalized. However, once he's released, he comes back to playing great music in front of packed crowds and we as an audience cheer for his return as he was able to fight his way back to the top. There's a lot of quality behind it and it work effectively. In some ways the format feel very much like a sports film with a formulaic twist, but it's still very good in quality. We have the underdog musician with potential for greatness, then something lures him away, gets out of the jam and then faces the toughest challenge and then beats the odds.Even though underdog stories in movies are quite predictable, but why this one is orchestrated this way is simply because it works. The story is easy to follow through and never cowers away from scenes that can be at times unpleasant for the eyes. The flow of the story just runs naturally. The complexities regarding Peter's fathering towards his son and David's musical skills can be quite layered and compelling.If there was a weakness to "Shine" it would be that the three stages of his life seem to skim over and didn't have a complete disclosure behind it while the interesting scenes usurp the dramatic ones. The transformation between a sensitive kid with a quirky persona to the fragile eccentric can be complex in detail as life struggles David faces we aren't fully invested because it happens right from the early parts of the movie we know his capabilities are right there.Performance wise the acting is really good. Geoffrey Rush is the rightful person to win the Oscar but his role is oddly selected due to the character being the ones that you've seen many times before. The remaining cast members range from solid acting to just going through the routines that Hollywood favours. Aside from that they play off the more natural performance Rush's acting ability to grasp at David's incoherent quirks and limited attention span.Often times Hollywood likes their communications to be delivered very crisply. Very few people grasp or pause for words, it's all delivered straight and to the point and that's very acceptable. When a typical off-camera conversation comes on-camera, it takes the tone aback while the wheels are turning. What makes Rush's performance stand out is that we see a personality that is fractured that's contrary to the normal behaviour from his peers. The whole film may be Oscar inclined, but through Rush's acting this film's worthy to watch.

Parker Lewis Much has been said about Geoffrey Rush's incredible performance as David Helfgott, which launched him in the Hollywood stratosphere, but special mention must go to Chris Haywood as Sam, the owner of the Moby's, the restaurant where David really shines big time with his Rachmaninov. Noah Taylor as the adolescent David is a standout, and it's good to see him make it big in Hollywood. I must admit I sometimes get Noah mixed up with Ben Mendelsohn, a fellow Australian actor, and they do share some resemblance.Good to see Lynn Redgrave as David's wife. Lynn was excellent in the TV series House Calls co-starring with Wayne Rogers.

SnoopyStyle David Helfgott (Geoffrey Rush) can't stop talking and unable to relate normally. He surprises everybody by being a great pianist. As a child, he struggles under his domineering father Peter (Armin Mueller-Stahl). He's a child prodigy. His father pushes him to the breaking point by insisting on playing the difficult Rachmaninoff. As a young man (Noah Taylor), he gains some success and eventually escapes from his abusive father to go to school in London. He breaks down and is institutionalized.The adult Helfgott is fascinating with a terrific performance from Geoffrey Rush. His reveal to his acquaintances is a great scene. However half of the movie doesn't have Rush. It's about the younger Helfgott and the best part is his crazy father. It's a disturbing performance from Armin Mueller-Stahl. Noah Taylor also does a nice job.

Nuno Duarte Amazing movie. Go watch it if you haven't yet. Ugandian born (now Australian) Scott Hicks made this near masterpiece movie and actually left me willing to explore more of his works. Shine is about David Helfgott (Alex Rafalowicz, Noah Taylor and Geoffrey Rush). David sees since very young his life driven towards the fields of the piano. His father, visibly victimised by his austere father (Alex Rafalowicz), demands perfection from him and also extreme loyalty to him. His father sacrifices a lot of his potential in order to fulfil his desires and wills, including not allowing David to go study in the States. A few years later he receives a scholarship from the Royal College of Music in London, an opportunity which is father obviously declined. But David was already older enough and left home, what shocked his father, who decided to clear David from his family, believing his acts were a complete betrayal. Anyway, in London, David practises like an animal and reaches the complete success, winning a competition, when ha has a mental breakdown on stage. Years pass and he is forgotten, until his talent is rediscovered, by accident. Very powerful movie. Got me by surprise because I didn't knew, even during the movie that his mental illness, allied with his great talent, who be pu together so brilliantly. Geoffrey Rush received one of the most deserved Oscars the Academy has ever given. He had in my opinion what might just be his best performance of his whole career. Although works well to dramatize David's youth, it seems to me that his father is too much exaggerated, as his family say he was nothing like shown in the family. The same happens with David's quality in the piano after the breakdown, that is supposed to be a somehow worse that the movie implies. That clearly separates this movie from total perfection. Nevertheless, a real delight to both music lovers and fanciers of the devilries of the mental illness. 9/10