Customer Reviews

The Object of Beauty

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This little gem of a movie is one of those rare movies for grownups. The characters are real, imperfect people, not cardboard cutouts.

Unfortunately, the full-frame DVD doesn't do the movie justice. The sound is horrible, the picture is not especially good, and there are no extras whatsoever. Too bad. This movie deserves an audience, but this DVD will not help it get one.

This is a really good film for people who appreciate subtlety and somewhat offbeat character development. This will not impress people who tend to gravitate more towards action or overt drama. Malkovich and MacDowell turn in understated, nicely done performances as the films antiheroes, and they accomplish the somewhat difficult task of making us feel for these self-involved characters. All the other characters are played well and the different plots mesh nicely.

The only complaint I have is with the DVD itself. The audio was abysmal on my system, and I am not really the pickiest of audiophiles. In fact, this is the only time that I've been disappointed in or even noticed a DVD's lack of sound quality. My player has a special feature that brings dialogue to the center speaker, and for some reason it would not work with this DVD. The dialogue was difficult to understand throughout, and I often had to adjust the volume and replay bits of scenes to figure out what had been said. Also, there are zero special features on this DVD... no trailers, no commentary, nada.

I would wait for a better transfer rather than buying this DVD version of the film. It's definitely worth a rent, however, for those who can appreciate what it has to offer.

Here's a real clever little comedy about vacuous people and a stolen piece of art that turns into a morality tale.

John Malkovich and Andi McDowell -- who both bare their backsides as well as their souls in this flick -- are a couple escaping something and living in London far beyond their means. As a way to resolve this they hatch a plan to swindle an art dealer with an expensive trinket that looks like a Hurst shifter from the 1970s.

The little mystery about deceit, swindling and lost souls becomes much more than this when an attendant at the hotel where the pair live decides she is in love with the piece of art -- and takes it home. What follows is conundrum after conundrum for a half-dozen people, including all the principals, told in a very witty and funny style.

Lolita Davidovitch steals scene after scene as the deaf mute that makes up rooms in the hotel and makes off with the object of beauty, which she says speaks to her. Everyone gets theirs in the end, as the small diversion of a movie concludes with its characters exiting with less than they arrived.

This movie is good fun that delivers rewards to attentive viewers far bigger than its ideas.

This movie disappointed me. It's billed as a 'low key comedy', but ends up being so low key, you wonder (with the exception of a couple of scenes) where the comedy is. Most of my disappointment, however, stems from the script: aside from the chambermaid and her brother, I simply did not care what happened to the characters. The juxtaposition of the two ways of life was excellent - but it's too obvious where the scriptwriter's sympathies lie.

I was totally frustrated sharing one of my all time favorites with my husband and not being able to hear the dialog that makes this movie so unique. This movie has a depth, rich use of language, passionate characters, a plot and the classic American happy ending. I still learn something every time I watch it, but was surprised to find it in the Comedy section. And I love that I still cry when the deaf girl explains why she stole the piece. Great Art moves you. And for art lovers who want the real Henry Moore experience, go to the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto.

I was thoroughly enchanted by the main characters, Andie & John! I cared about all the characters in this film. Nice flow and views of life. The humor, was subtle and superb. Includes quotable quotes, and gamut of emotions!

I loved this movie! It's a lot of fun to watch and very entertaining. The plot was a little confusing but i'm a huge Andie MacDowell fan, so i was occupied by her charm in this movie. It has a lot of cute jokes and even non jokes were still funny by the expressions on the actors faces. It was a very cute movie to watch. For all Andie fans, this is a great on to see. She's stunning in it. So i highly recommend it, just for the joy of Andie and a cute fun movie to watch!

The turning point is dramatic as well as spontaneous. The movie represents a subliminal attitude resting in the life of everyone, potentially.

When I read the short summary of the story, I was anxious to see this movie. It evoked reminiscences of the exciting, urbane and witty thief-stories of the fifties and sixties. Instead, I saw 100 minutes where practically nothing is happening. The question arises: "Where has the director been?". Some films may have turned out the way they were expected to, flattening the tension curve to yawning dimensions. But this product hasn't even the slightest bud of excitement, veni vidi - that's all. You fans of Andie MacDowell - she's "Too marvellous for words". Rarely did she look better and her acting is charming as ever. That's the only recommendation I can give - but it would be enough reason to watch a bore like this film.

Both my roomate and I felt like we were watching a boring episode of a bad sitcome. Don't expect to find any story in the story. There is none!