Product Details

• Actors: Val Kilmer, Mira Sorvino, Kelly McGillis, Steven Weber, Bruce Davison
• Directors: Irwin Winkler
• Writers: Oliver Sacks, Steve Levitt
• Producers: Irwin Winkler, Rob Cowan, Roger Paradiso
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• VHS Release Date: January 9, 2001
• Run Time: 128 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000IBKY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,890 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The tagline states, "Only love can bring you to your senses." Well, your senses have to be pretty dulled to love At First Sight. On paper the story--based on the writings of medical writer extraordinaire Oliver Sacks (Awakenings)--is intriguing: a blind man regains sight after surgery yet can never connect with what he sees, including a lovely new girlfriend. Indeed, maybe blind was better. From such interesting stuff (and a talented cast) comes a tepid love story and an unconvincing drama.

Val Kilmer plays Virgil, a serene resort worker who plays hockey in the dark and is the best masseur this side of the Catskills. Onto his table comes Amy, a bone-weary NYC architect (Mira Sorvino) who cries the first time Virgil does his magic. Instead of a voyage into the world of blindness, Amy's first instinct is to take Virgil to an eye doctor who can restore sight (Bruce Davison). Virgil receives sight, crumbling the trust between him and Amy. The clichés start building up and by the time Amy is wooed by her ex-husband (Steven Weber), her boss no less, one's patience wears thin.

The medical curiosities of the story--Virgil can see an item but can't grasp what it is until he touches it--do not translate well on screen. The film's liveliest character is Nathan Lane as a teacher of the blind. A scene with Virgil that gets to the heart of his ailment is so filled with spontaneity, one wonders if it was scripted or simply Lane's own extemporaneous dialogue. After an admirable start as a director (Guilty by Suspicion), Oscar-winning producer Irwin Winkler has not been able to put cinematic highs or believable angst into his films (The Net, Night in the City). At First Sight may look good, but it is blind where it counts. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Length not a real issue in the end., February 13, 2001

By 

D. Litton (Wilmington, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At First Sight (DVD)

In watching "At First Sight," I found myself somewhat put off by the length that the movie takes in delivering its story. I was also vastly moved by the emotion and exceptional talent that the story and the actors have in creating it to life. In reaching the end of the movie, I found that even though it did seem lengthy in certain places, I was more than willing to watch the two incredible leads take us through an emotionally empowering experience that will have you seeing things in new lights.

Based on a story by Oliver Sacks about a real-life couple, the story begins when construction designer Amy decides to take a vacation from work and go to a health and beauty spa for the weekend. Driving along snowy roads, she arrives that same night, and the next morning, she goes in for a therapeutical massage. Not only is the massage therapist a blind man named Virgil, but he is also able to make her cry not five minutes into the session, and from this moment on, the two become inseparable. Upon returning to the city, Amy comes across the name of a doctor who wishes to restore site to someone willing to be the first for the surgery.

Up until this point, the story has already built up a momentus amount of emotions, most of them happy in relation to the budding relationship between Amy and Virgil, and a small amount of grief when we realize the pain the Virgil went through in the early years of his life as his father tried everything to get his son to see. Virgil's simple yet complex view upon the world is, at times, tear-jerking, especially in the abandoned building of his town where he and Amy escape to listen to the rain. This is one of the most moving moments of the film, because it shows that even though he is a blind man, he can take something as simple as rain and read so much into what he hears from it.

Virgil agrees to go through with the surgery, with some hesitation. He has normal fears about the repercussions of the procedure, as well as feeling that his life is normal the way it is, and is not hampered by his disability. After the surgery, when the bandages are removed, everyone involved in his life realizes that it is going to take so much more for Virgil to get used to the ability of sight because of his life's experiences as a blind man. He has no sense of depth perception, color, or what things are. He is used to feeling things and reading Braille, and soon, Amy realizes that it is more taxing on her life than she originally thought it would be.

The basis for this story is truly moving, and it makes for a very emotional experience that packs pure satisfaction in matters of the heart. The way in which this disability affects these two peoples' lives is truly authentic, going through situations from Virgil's learning to read and comprehend different aspects of his vision while Amy goes through emotions of stress and heartache until she comes to the realization that Virgil is the only person in her life that she truly needs.

There is an instant connection between these two characters that the film is able to keep solidly fused throughout the entire plot. Amy and Virgil are able to make it through good times and bad, and their emotion becomes the centerpiece for the entire story. I found myself crying in places I never expected to, laughing in all the right places, and feeling nothing but happiness and an uplifted spirit after it was all over. We are able to feel everything that the characters feel, while also going through the experiences and emotions they do right along with them.

The running time for this movie may seem a bit tedious for those unwilling to sit through a long love story, and some scenes do tend to drag out a bit. It takes a full hour before Virgil is able to see, and that first hour is spent going through the motions of the building romance, the hesitation, the aspect of living life blind. If the operation had taken place at least fifteen minutes earlier, then the film would not be hampered by this. Nonetheless, the second half of the movie is worth waiting for, and if you're a true romance buff, then you won't mind watching the whole thing and enjoying it.

There is a remarkable cast for this film, with some big name, award-winning stars leading the way. Val Kilmer is a truly magnificent Virgil, and while he plays the physical aspect of being blind quite authentically, he is also able to embody emotion and strength into his character's mental state. Mira Sorvino plays one of her best roles ever as Amy, the highly emotional woman who comes into Virgil's life. This performance marks her as one of the most believable and true actresses of our time, and she proves this when she cries and laughs and expresses her love for Virgil in various ways. Kelly McGillis plays Virgil's sister, who becomes slightly jealous of the fact that her brother no longer depends on her with Amy in his life. Nathan Lane brings his wit and charm to the movie as a teacher for the blind who reverses his teachings in trying to help Virgil understand what he is seeing.

"At First Sight" tells a harrowing story of the receipt of the gift of sight, and that it's a gift that takes getting used to. Through the experiences of the characters, we learn that to see with the eyes is nothing compared to when we see things with the human heart.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The miracle of sight...but what if you've never seen before?, February 28, 2000

By 

Fran (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At First Sight (DVD)

My husband of 12 years is blind from diabete's and dwindling health. We watched a movie about a blind man on our first date. So when this one came out we watched (actually I watched he listened and I explain any parts that needed explaining) it together. Unlike my husband, Virgil (Val Kilmer) has been blind since he was a very young toddler. Whose only memory of sight is a fluffy pink cloud. I have always wondered what it would be like for someone with no memories of sight to have their sight fully restored. When Virgil meets Amy (Mira Sorvino) they fall in love. He shows her his world and teaches her to ice skate on a frozen pond. She meets his family and guide dog. Then she, wanting to help him get more out of life tells him of a doctor (Bruce Davison)who can hopefully restore his sight. So after much encouragement he goes to her world in the city and agrees to see this doctor. But to Amy's shock, when his sight is restored he is not happy with his new world and sight is not what he had imagined it would be. It was very interesting that he could not identify an object as simple as a can of coke until he felt it with his hands, then understood the connection between the two. Living with a blind man for 12 years, that made perfect sense. After adjusting somewhat to this he comes to enjoy his newly found sight, and takes in all that he can. But has trouble coping with the new trials it brings. Though very educated, he can not read and doesn't have his blindness to explain why. I found it to be a very accurate movie dealing with blindness and sight restored. It ends well. And Val Kilmer did well portraying a blind man in this movie. I enjoyed this movie and learned a little more about what different blind people go through. I have known many through my husband over the last several years and admire them for their strength, courage and abilities to do just about anything. I don't know if I could be so strong. This is a very nice story I would enjoy seeing again.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars deeply emotionnal, November 29, 1999

By 

"bonatoy" (FRANCE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At First Sight [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Walking into the filming while on vacations in NYC, I decided to get that movie in english. Just to have a souvenir. what an awesome surprise to watch such a movie! It was not only watching, it was... feeling the play of Mira Sorvino and Val Kilmer. Were they the only ones to be able to play the story in the whole world? It seems to, as they are just perfect and I believe Winkler did a great job directing them. Actors goes through so many emotions in a wonderful way. Comes from the heart and sure goes right to the heart.Make sure you don't miss it. WAOW!