Product Details

• Actors: Peter O'Toole, Mariel Hemingway, Vincent Spano, Virginia Madsen, David Ogden Stiers
• Directors: Ivan Passer
• Writers: Jeremy Leven
• Producers: Charles Mulvehill, Stephen J. Friedman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Vidmark / Trimark
• VHS Release Date: April 27, 1999
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1573624934
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,771 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Exuding the charm and grace for which he seems to hold the patent, Peter O'Toole plays Doctor Harry Wolper, a renowned research biologist whose pet project is to clone his sorely missed wife, dead now for 30 years. Assisting him in fine fashion are Meli (Mariel Hemingway), a self-proclaimed 19-year-old nymphomaniac bent on capturing the affections of Dr. Wolper, and a research assistant (Vincent Spano), whose love interest is fellow student Virgina Madsen. This sweet and enjoyable romantic comedy is brought to a head when the Madsen character drops suddenly into a coma. Then Wolper's nemesis, played almost lovably by David Ogden Stiers, thwarts his cloning attempts by reclaiming the stolen equipment he's using to do so. While Dr. Wolper preaches the beauty of The Big Picture as a way of apprehending life, this one is decidedly a small picture, but in the sense of being attuned to small details, probably owing to the foreign sensibilities of Czech director Ivan Passer (Cutter's Way). The many disparate plot threads are eventually brought into harmony, though the sheer number of them may seem a jumble to many viewers. Better to let the big picture take care of itself, and content oneself with the many smaller pleasures this delightful film affords. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars epalfreyman, March 13, 2004

By 

Eric W. Palfreyman (McKinney, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creator (DVD)

This will be short. The movie is one of my favorites, ever. The romance is moving and both realistic and idealistic at the same time. Hemingway and O'Toole take a relationship that should be a joke and make it touching and believable. O'Toole is excellent as the eccentric professor. The theme of love is what holds the movie elements together and it deals with love in many manifestations. I'm not Catholic, but it was one of the few films that didn't turn Catholics into jerks, and I really enjoyed that here was a young couple trying to find love without having to disparage their faith to do it. The movie is charming, witty and touching. If you're a cynic, it won't be for you; but if you believe in love, believe in the big picture, and believe in redemption; this is a film for you.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Beware-Bad Pan and Scan, July 11, 2002

By 

T. Brewer (Roanoke, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creator (DVD)

I love this movie, but I HATE, HATE, HATE this DVD. It is the worst transfer I have ever seen on a DVD. It is full screen, but the pan and scan is terrible. You lose about 50 percent of the image from the VHS version. There are scenes where you can't even see the people talking in the scene because they are on the extreme right and left. You are left looking at a mostly empty room. Do yourself a favor and don't buy this DVD. If they ever release it on a widescreen, I'll buy it...but until then don't make the same mistake I did.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative genius, January 8, 2003

By 

J. Rea (Sachse, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creator [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I must first start out saying that this is one of the few movies that has actually brought me to tears.
Boris and Barbara's relationship struck me as the most sincere and heart wrenching love affair that I have ever witnessed. Peter O'Toole is captivating as the eccentric scientist and David Ogden-Stiers has perpetuated his typecasting with his role as the arrogant intellectual.
This is the first major movie role for Ms Hemmingway and she shows flashes of the talent that made her so famous on TV a few years later.
This is a love story with a cast of suporting characters that make it shine. It also asks some very serious questions about the medical establishment and how terminally ill patients are treated. Your hopes will be raised and your heart be broken by this movie. It is well worth the cost.