Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

gummitch-2 I admit I had never heard of this TV movie until a few weeks ago, as it never arrived on Italian TV. However I managed to buy the British DVD and I must say I'm glad I did. It's set in 1870, but the similarities with our own age are staggering, you're going to laugh and shiver at the same time... Trollope's characters are simply hilarious and the acting is amazing. Such an ensemble is quite remarkable even for British TV. Suchet of course, who's nothing short of mephistophelic and truly mesmerizing. MacFayden is excellent too as the annoying fop. Shirley Henderson and Paloma Baeza are always fine. I've read many inane comments about Cillian Murphy being "miscast" or "not looking like a young engineer". I pray you, how a young engineer should look like? His character is a ward of a man who's 50, of course he's young. I don't think Murphy was chosen because of his pretty face, but because even at 24 he was a very accomplished actor. He brings innocence and integrity to Paul Montague, adding also a wild flash in his eyes that suggests a dangerous past. Yes he's young and delicate looking, but is this a fault? Do looks determine what roles should a great actor play? I think it's nonsense. Watch the movie, you won't regret it.

marspeach Well, I finished watching the 2001 miniseries, written by Andrew Davies. A lot was altered from the book and since I wasn't the biggest fan of the book, you'd think I would love it, right? Wrong! I know Andrew Davies is famous for sexing up all his adaptations but this was ridiculous, even for him.I will admit, most of the actors were good with what they were given. The problem is, often I didn't like what they were given! Sir Felix as played by the lovely Matthew MacFadyen was portrayed as much more sympathetic as in the book and really isn't punished in the end. I think Davies was a little fond of the character, actually. His sister Hetta is unrecognizable from the book, being outspoken and free-spirited in the beginning- always giving her mother and brother a piece of her mind. I did find Hetta pretty boring for most of the book because she doesn't do much but it didn't really have any impact when she went against her family to be with Paul, since she was always so openly against them from the start! Mrs. Hurtle as played by Miranda Otto was horrible. The pitiful excuse for a Southern accent was grating to my ears. I found her character one of the most interesting in the book and still sympathetic, but not so in the mini. As for Paul Montague, they tried to make him a stronger character but I really didn't buy it from pretty boy Cillian Murphy. What were they thinking putting such an effeminate looking man in that part? I did like the casting of Lady Carbury, Roger Carbury, and Mr. Melmotte. The latter was very close to how I imagined him in the book. Shirley Henderson as her daughter, Marie, however, was just…bizarre, for lack of a better word.So yeah, I was really not happy with this adaptation.

gelman@attglobal.net If you watch Masterpiece Theatre with any frequency, you will long since have noticed that the BBC, which provides Masterpiece Theatre with its best material, seems to have access to an inexhaustible supply of superior actors -- mostly, though not all, British stage performers and mostly British trained. "The Way We Live Now" gives more proof of how deep BBC's acting bench is. David Suchet, the star of this series is familiar to American audiences for his portrayal of the fussy and fastidious Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, created by Agatha Christie. The character he plays here could not possibly be more different than Poirot. He is a crude, unethical financier who seems large physically though Suchet is on the small side. Supporting Suchet is a sizable cast of actors, most of whom are complete unknowns to American audiences. They are all good and several of them are excellent. Where were Helen Mirren and Judi Dench before they became stars in Hollywood? Learning and applying their craft in Britain. Perhaps it is the acting schools and the repertory companies that turn these actors out in such profusion. Perhaps it is the quantity and quality of theaters and stage companies that give them opportunities unavailable in the U.S. Whatever the reason, the overall strength of the cast is what distinguishes this British TV series as it generally distinguishes British-made films from their American counterparts. American films may be superior in other respects but not for acting that merges effortlessly into the role.

George Parker "The Way We Live Now", like most Victorian period satire, looks into the lives of numerous characters sorting through the intrigues and foibles of romance, wickedness, power, and the pursuit of peerage and property. A lightly perfumed costume flick which tilts unabashedly between comedy and drama, this story centers on a crude but rich businessman (Suchet) whose powerful performance is the backbone of the film. Side plots include an issue fraught romance, an attempt to marry into a fortune, a scheme to build a railroad from Utah to Mexico, cheating at love and cards, politics, a woman scorned, and much more. A four hour TV miniseries from the BBC, "The Way We Live Now" has plenty of time to sort through its many characters while tidying up at the end making it a busy and enjoyable Victorian period film. A should-see for anyone into BBC TV fare, Victorian period stories, and 19th century pulp fiction. (B+)