Word: maudlinity
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...horse. That's the curse of the artsy indie, I guess. The film does have its moments, however, where the jumps in time and costumes serve a unique purpose I don't want to spoil. But they are quite amusing and provide the sorely needed comic relief in this maudlin melodrama...
...actually, Costner is just a supporting player to Robin Wright Penn in this movie. It's her story that is in the spotlight, though Costner's maudlin presence bullies her to the wayside once he's onscreen. She is Theresa, a gorgeous divorcee who has a healthy relationship with her young son, but a difficult time getting over her ex-husband. He's moved on with a new brunette and baby. Every day, Wright wonders to herself, "Did he hate me because I'm beautiful?" The audience wonders the same thing as she vacations on the Cape, sips...
...powerful opening and an attention to history that is emotionally edifying and alive. Still, the connecting material by which Robert Rodat's script moves from the opening battle sequence to the last is less than wholly compelling, and the framing device of the ex-soldier in the cemetery is maudlin and cumbersome. But Spielberg hasn't gotten an ending right in at least ten years. Disputation seems insolent in the case of this film. --Nicholas K. Davis...
...livered translator), and an attention to history that is emotionally edifying and alive. Still, the connecting material by which Robert Rodat's script moves from the opening battle sequence to the last is less than wholly compelling, and the framing device of the ex-soldier in the cemetery is maudlin and cumbersome. But Spielberg hasn't gotten an ending right in at least 10 years. Again, disputation seems insolent in the case of this film, but in this mediocre summer, even the best films bore compromises that were hard to ignore. Nicholas K. Davis...
...deja vu: the twin flugelhorns, the wispy strings, the fuzzy horns, the retro female background singers. Only when Bacharach stretches his orchestrations into more rock-oriented territory does the music suggest outtakes from the schmaltzy Michael MacDonald recordings from the mid-80s. Few of the songs, though, sound so maudlin, and the melodies themselves stay thoroughly grounded in reality; these pop songs may be old-fashioned, but they sound far from melodramatic or artificial. Heartbreak itself, after all, is awfully old-fashioned, but it always feels fresh...