I saw this movie with high expectations-- the media and classmates all gushed about how wonderful and powerful and moving it was. Well, it wasn't. I felt guilty the whole time I was watching it, because I didn't "feel" anything. In fact I found it to be a pretty boring/sterile film save for the moment in the middle where the hotel owner walks in the foggy cloud among dead bodies. I can't believe that this was supposed to be about the real, devastating events that actually happened in Rwanda. I bet most of people who gave this movie rave reviews are just compensating for their previous ignorance and apathy. It's a mediocre, shallow movie parading itself as a powerful film about the great feat of a man standing up for humanity and protecting refugees during a time of ethnic genocide. Instead of wasting your time with this pathetic attempt, look up the subject and read the literature instead. (Try _We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families_ by Phillip Gourevitch, part of which is actually inspired Hotel Rwanda)
Reviews
2 Reviews
Modigliani
(2004)
Mediocre
23 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I really love Modigliani's work, so I was excited to see this movie.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be disappointing. While Andy Garcia is a good actor, he's an unconvincing Modigliani-- he looked much too clean, well-fed and robust for (most) of the film! The music was bland, terrible and out of place- instead of heightening the experience, it transformed most scenes into cheesy, sentimental, and trite. The ending was far too drawn out, and it only made the movie more clichéd and sentimental. Jeanne talks about her intense love for Modigliani at the beginning and end of the film, but we really hardly even get to see that-- her character is flat. Consequently, these "dramatic scenes" of her love for him come off as contrived and ineffective. Another thing I didn't like was the way the characters spoke. As a reviewer mentioned before, they switched from different languages and accents at the drop of a hat.. which was weird. From American English to European accents to European language. It was annoying.
But, I liked Elsa Zylberstein as Jeanne. She looked just like a Modigliani painting. A good scene was the one where Modigliani and Picasso visited Renoir, as was the scene at Picasso's exhibition where one of Modigliani's paintings was shown.
But, overall, I feel that the movie was trying way too hard to be dramatic, artsy, and decadent and it really didn't accomplish any of it. I thought it was a rather contrived, emotionless effort that didn't do much justice to the artist.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be disappointing. While Andy Garcia is a good actor, he's an unconvincing Modigliani-- he looked much too clean, well-fed and robust for (most) of the film! The music was bland, terrible and out of place- instead of heightening the experience, it transformed most scenes into cheesy, sentimental, and trite. The ending was far too drawn out, and it only made the movie more clichéd and sentimental. Jeanne talks about her intense love for Modigliani at the beginning and end of the film, but we really hardly even get to see that-- her character is flat. Consequently, these "dramatic scenes" of her love for him come off as contrived and ineffective. Another thing I didn't like was the way the characters spoke. As a reviewer mentioned before, they switched from different languages and accents at the drop of a hat.. which was weird. From American English to European accents to European language. It was annoying.
But, I liked Elsa Zylberstein as Jeanne. She looked just like a Modigliani painting. A good scene was the one where Modigliani and Picasso visited Renoir, as was the scene at Picasso's exhibition where one of Modigliani's paintings was shown.
But, overall, I feel that the movie was trying way too hard to be dramatic, artsy, and decadent and it really didn't accomplish any of it. I thought it was a rather contrived, emotionless effort that didn't do much justice to the artist.
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