Did anyone else watch this thing? Was it as lame as I think, or is it just me? I should have suspected lameness because of all the hype HBO was giving it, but I mean c’mon: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ed Harris and Helen Hunt? How could a film be boring with this kind of talent? Nevertheless…
I didn’t think I could be annoyed by Helen Hunt, but I wanted to choke her. Even Dennis Farina was annoying. What a disappointment.
Good God is was lame. My wife & I started watching it one chapter at a time using the “HBO on Demand” feature of our digital cable. After the first chapter I concluded it’s suck level to be high. My wife continued watching the rest of the chapters while we were laying in bed. I kept falling asleep and waking up to find it still on. I’d watch a little bit of it and get bored back to sleep. My wife didn’t think much of it either. She kept watching it thinking it HAD to get better sooner or later.
It didn’t!
The book it’s based on is probably the worst effort Richard Russo has produced. HIis other novels are terrific, including Nobody’s Fool, which also had Paul Newman in it.
Nobody’s Fool: One of my favorite films.
Empire Falls: A waste of everyones’ time.
I loved the book Empire Falls, but I haven’t seen the TV movie, which probably means I have no business in your thread. However, I was curious if you had read the book and if you liked that but disliked the movie, or if the movie was bad enough that you disliked it on its own.
couldn’t agree with you more on the whole richard russo thing. I was a HUGe fan of his and nobody’s fool was outstanding. I was literally skipping out of the bookstore after buying Empire Falls and then gave up around page 100. Just was soo - umm - Boring! So needless to say, I didn’t check it out on tv.
Haven’t read any of his books, so can’t comment. The movie was bad enough on its own. I hoped the second night would heat things up a bit, but it was just pathetic.
Empire Falls was the first Russo book I hated. Hated. The tyranny of the happy ending became an outright despotism. The characters were cardboard. And the ending was really really freaking happy.
It seemed really inappropriate considering the subject matter. It is also bad writing, if you ask me.
The previews looked so bad that I couldn’t bear to watch it. . .and that cast was awesome. I love Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
HBO makes some of the most god-awful movies. They’re. All. So. God. Damn. Significant.
Think about it. . .that “Sometimes in April”, and “Hot Springs” (whatever, the FDR movie) and the Black Doctor Movie with Mos Def. Now “Empire Falls”. Lighten UP, already!
Coming soon is a rom com by the guy who wrote “Love, Actually”. THAT, I’ll watch.
Just about the only original HBO movie I’ve liked was “Wit”, which was heavy, but very good. I liked “Angels In America” too, but didn’t love it, and again. . .so heavy.