sebastianv50

What does everyone think of this movie? I saw it recently and the main thing I would say is that Robin Williams did a really great acting job. The movie is unique and quite well done. It seems like not everyone likes it though. Your thoughts?

adamblast

The painting-world was certainly interesting and unique. I know several people who find the film deeply moving, but I thought that its script didn't actually *earn* any of the angst, or depression or big cathartic moments it was reaching for. Instead, I thought it was so blatantly manipulative that I was kinda insulted and thought it was dumb rather than moving...

devilshalo

I liked it. Of course at the time I was going thru relationship problems so I was able to find more in it that most. Yeah, it may seem sappy, but again.. at the time I related to the themes. I've never read the book to know how it translated to the big screen.

Plus my old boss was the visual effects producer on the film and garnered an Academy Award for it. So I'm a little biased.

meritocracy

taa455

Somewhat interesting concept, but the script did not deliver. Some unique visual effects, but that's about all it had to offer for me.

mndtrp

It's been a long time since I've seen it, but I liked it when I did. Maybe I'll have to rent it and see if I still do.

NatrlBornThrllr

I thought it was stunning, visually speaking. The acting was solid, and I thought the screenplay was mediocre. All in all, I liked it.

-JP

Fincher Fan

One of only a very few number of films that I haven't watched all the way through. I might give it another chance sometime.

Puzznic

I don't like it at all. It's right up there with I am Sam and Pay it Forward for movies that just annoy me.

Count Dooku

It sucked.

Bell65

Flat out garbage and I went in thinking it was gonna be great and an oscar contender...man was I wrong!

movieking

The only thing that I really remember is how much I hated it.

My Sweet NeoCon

For me its a Masterpiece of Existentialism at its finest. Very moving, very sad, very bittersweet. I love this movie.

Flave

Worth seeing just for the cinematography.

Liking the story comes down to personal taste -- as you can tell from the posts above, people either really love or really hate this movie. And I think the reasons for this come down to personal experience. I thought about my (departed) mother a lot while watching this movie and so it reverberated with me. But I can see how this movie could be quite onerous to watch for those lucky few who haven't had a loved one die. And even if you have had a loved one die, if you don't accept the spiritual element of the film, you will probably find very little to like about it (other than the visuals).

atlantamoi

Nightmarish. Went into the theater thinking I'd like it and thought it was awful.

tanman

I remember thinking it was good but a little creepy.

jaeufraser

I thought it was a solid idea, matched with some very beautiful visuals.

But I agree, the script and story was sappy, melodramatic and really didn't work for me. But it was pretty to look at.

The Bus

The visuals I thought were very interesting. Kind of like The Cell, but safe for more audiences.

Holysmoker

I loved it. I thought it was a great story. I also found it visually stunning. I don't watch it often because it's one of those movies that can put me in a sad state of mind. I don't understand the hate for it. Then again, I aslo loved Pay it Forward (up till the very end of it).

al_bundy

saw it back in the late 1990s when it first came out on VHS. Great movie.

Some parts I didn't like

Why does RW wear a trench coat the whole time in heaven and hell?

I swear there was a change in dialogue from the VHS version to the DVD. In the VHS I swear Cuba Gooding Jr told RW that his wife is a suicide and will spend eternity paying for this gravest of sins. Or something like that.

ILM did the effects on this and they had to make up some new technology for it. Surprising since it wasn't a huge blockbuster.

Also liked the Dante touch they gave to hell

Ginwen

My sentiments exactly.

Fok

It was okay, but not a movie that I would buy.

Josh H

I liked the movie quite a bit. Loved the visuals and found it to be moving.

NatrlBornThrllr

In addition to this, it's the only movie I ever walked out of in the theater. It was early in high school, and I just wasn't the type of moviegoer to appreciate any aspect of this movie at the time. Funny how things change.

-JP

movielib

I was surprised at how much I liked this movie when I first saw it. And as an atheist, a film with a theme such as this has at least one strike against it going in. I usually hate soft-headed sentimental garbage such as Pay It Forward or Patch Adams, two total pieces of mushy crap. I simply do not think What Dreams May Come is in this category.

I think the feelings in this film were genuine and the movie did a good job in bringing them out.
I've watched it a couple times since and it holds up for me and gets to me every time.

On the contrary, although I don't at all accept the spiritual aspects of this film in real life, I can accept them within the context of the film. Willing suspension of disbelief. It's like any fantasy. I can accept hobbits or magic in a film and I can accept an afterlife as well, especially if it is done well. I think WDMC was done well. Anyway, to me, the theme of the movie was love and its power far more than it was afterlife or reincarnation.