I kind of hated this movie. As it progressed, it seemed to be heading toward a sort of Hitchcockian, creepy tale. But then it just . . . wasn't. Nikki was a terrible person in many ways. Yes, her husband died, but she then exploited this poor man who had his own identity and his own pain. Had the movie taken Nikki to a truly obsessive place, I would have been on board--but it didn't. Except for one brief moment, it stopped short of that path. And so it didn't work; the only pay-off for the awful treatment of Tom would have been our fascination with Nikki's deranged obsession, and we didn't get that pay-off.
And worse, the final scene shows Nikki glorying in the experience, apparently relishing the brief, warped love affair with Tom. Again, had she been fully disturbed, it would have been a wonderfully appalling moment. But the movie didn't go that far; she was simply a sad, lonely woman. And so in that last moment, she's a sad, lonely, selfish woman who ignores another person's humanity.
Oh, and Robin Williams? Is simply terrible in this film. I like him, and I like his serious roles; he was great in One Hour Photo. But the dialogue here is so stilted and false, and so inappropriate for him, that he comes across as a total amateur--which of course he is not.
Still, I love me some Ed Harris--sexy, aging men rock. And Annette Bening is fabulous, too. Too bad they're in a sucky movie.
And worse, the final scene shows Nikki glorying in the experience, apparently relishing the brief, warped love affair with Tom. Again, had she been fully disturbed, it would have been a wonderfully appalling moment. But the movie didn't go that far; she was simply a sad, lonely woman. And so in that last moment, she's a sad, lonely, selfish woman who ignores another person's humanity.
Oh, and Robin Williams? Is simply terrible in this film. I like him, and I like his serious roles; he was great in One Hour Photo. But the dialogue here is so stilted and false, and so inappropriate for him, that he comes across as a total amateur--which of course he is not.
Still, I love me some Ed Harris--sexy, aging men rock. And Annette Bening is fabulous, too. Too bad they're in a sucky movie.