User reviews

Guinevere: Harper Sloane (Sarah Pollack) is a painfully shy young woman trapped in a household of lawyers lorded over by an alpha-mother (Jean Smart) who treats her like a servant. Destined to attend Harvard law school and join the pack, Harper finds her salvation in Connor Fitzgerald (Steven Rea), part-time photographer/philosopher, full-time con-man Svengali. Connor actually listens to what she says and offers her escape into an exciting bohemian lifestyle. Will he be her salvation or downfall? There are shades of Leaving Las Vegas in this film - it is dark and at times unpleasant - one scene in particular made me so uncomfortable I turned away from the screen. To its credit, Guinevere, like Leaving Las Vegas, is also a very good film. Sarah Pollack is outstanding as the withdrawn Harper (in stark contrast to her brazen, street-wise savvy Ronna in Go!). Although she's actually twenty, she looks fifteen, which helps to convey a believable vulnerability and transformation.

Rea is truly manipulative as Connor, more pathetic than sinister, who preys on young women - you're never quite sure if you should loathe or pity him. Finally, Jean Smart does an excellent job as the hard-as-nails matriarch, miles away from her smarmy character on Designing Women.

Well worth the price of admission.

Technically, Ms. Wells has a superb film here. The cinematography is innovative and germane to the story. The actors all give enjoyable and appropriate performances. The storyline, however, leaves a bit to be desired. I imagine that feminist critics would have a hey-day with this one. I don't buy it. I don't believe the relationships in the film are genuine and honest - it just doesn't work. Ms. Wells explained after the show that she works from a theme and creates her movies that way, and from that perspective, the movie works. If one only looks at the movie for the theme and disregards most other concerns, s/he will love this film. I was disappointed.

This is a murky, unfocused little film. It is clear that Audrey Wells is a talented writer-director, but I felt a lack of assurance in the execution of her story. However, Jean Smart delivers a brilliant performance that enriches the film, making it memorable. She nails every single SECOND of the film she's in; her monologue towards Rea is a devastating piece of acting that was shamefully overlooked by the Academy. This woman is one of the best actresses of her generation, and if you saw her hilarious, Emmy-winning spot on "Frasier" you know she's got strong comedic chops, too. Give Jean Smart better roles!

This was a slow moving but interesting story about a 50 something bohemian photographer named Connie Fitzpatrick (Stephen Rea) who is a serial seducer of impressionable young women. His seduction is not really about sex, although that is part of it. Instead, it is more of an emotional seduction that involves his creating a symbiotic mentor/protégé relationship that puts him in control while feeding his ego. His latest conquest is Harper Sloane (Sarah Polley), a recent college grad from a wealthy family who is all set to go to Harvard Law School. Clearly lonely and vulnerable and not used to the attention of men, she falls prey to the charms of this free spirited older man and eschews law school to run off with him and live the artsy life.

Director/writer Audrey Wells, whose best previous writing credits were for "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" does an excellent job bringing this story to the screen in her directing debut. Her shooting of the scenes was sensitively done and brought forth a lot of the emotional elements of the story and the characters. It is clear that this was a labor of love for Wells, but as is often the case, directing one's own work takes away the objectivity about the script leaving most of the plot problems intact.

It is believable that an insecure girl could be lured into a relationship by a charming older man who overtly appreciates her and believes in her abilities. May/September romances (or more aptly in this case April/August) are common and usually happen for all the reasons depicted here. The biggest problem with the story was the introduction of Billie (Gina Gershon), one of Connie's earlier alumni, so early in the story. Billie warns Harper of the specific manipulative lines that Connie uses repeatedly with each of his love interests, almost by rote. She gives great detail right down to the way he touched her and the fact that he calls them all Guinevere.

At that point, Harper does exactly what one might expect, she leaves him. Shortly thereafter, the story loses all credibility as she eagerly goes running back to him, knowing full well that she is being totally and impersonally manipulated. The entire relationship after that waits for an emotional explosion that never comes. The whole thing just sort of withers away with the eventual breakup being no more than a fait accompli. The breakup scene was weak and cowardly, which detracted greatly from the dramatic potential. If Wells had put Billie's scene closer to the end of the story to create the last straw it would have been more effective.

Wells also misses a great opportunity to add fireworks by not emphasizing Harper's relationship with her mother (Jean Smart). There was a natural emotional tension between the two and she was the one character who had complete clarity about the relationship. Finally, without giving too much away, the gathering of the five Connie alumni at the end was a bit goofy and highly implausible given the gravity of the situation. However, Wells does eventually redeem herself with a good ending and some of the best imagery of the film.

Sarah Polley was well cast in this film and exuded the pure naivety of a young woman inexperienced in the ways of love. She was wonderfully awkward and vulnerable and it was very believable that she could fall prey to the ministrations of an older man. Polley has a Winona Ryder quality about her and has excellent potential as an actress. It remains to be seen if she can break out of the role of quirky teen.

Stephen Rea was hopelessly miscast in this role. He didn't have the emotional horsepower to play this character. His acting is somewhat stoic and wooden and this character needed to be charming, passionate and obsessive. The part required an actor more like Michael Caine.

The best performance of the film goes to Jean Smart as Harper's outspoken and gregarious mother. She completely steals the movie with her confrontational scene with Connie, explaining to him why he can't make it with women his own age. She is terrific in every scene she is in and the fortune cookie scene is fantastic.

Overall, I rated this film a 7/10. This film will probably be most appealing to men over 50 and women under 25. None of the flaws were fatal, but the pace was slow and the plot implausible in parts. That detracted from an otherwise engaging story and some very good technical filmmaking.

A young woman living in San Francisco, who has just been accepted to Harvard, decides upon another path after meeting and falling under the influence of an older man, an artist, in `Guinevere,' written and directed by Audrey Wells. Sarah Polley stars as Harper Sloane, who lives with her career oriented, rather self-absorbed family-- her parents, Alan (Francis Guinan) and Deborah (Jean Smart), and her older sister, Susan (Emily Procter). Rather self-conscious and unsure of herself, Harper has allowed her parents to plan her future-- a career in law, though it is decidedly against her own wishes. Then at Susan's wedding she meets the photographer, Connie Fitzpatrick (Stephen Rea), an artist, who quickly gains her confidence and lures her into his own bohemian lifestyle. She moves in with him (unbeknownst to her parents, who think she's staying with a friend for awhile), and he becomes her mentor; she is his `Guinevere,' and the only demands he makes of her is that she `create' something every day. The choice of her artistic endeavors is entirely up to her; photography, painting, writing, dancing. but she must create.

Inevitably, of course, their relationship develops beyond the mentor/protege stage, and she learns some things about him that ultimately lead to complications. And she discovers that her reign as Queen Guinevere may not be all that she had expected it to be.

Wells convincingly presents the allurement of a lifestyle free of constraints and overwhelming demands, which makes it quite understandable that the indecisive Harper would choose to go with Connie, rather than adhere to the wishes of her parents, who are rather cold and impersonal and altogether controlling (especially her mother). The fact that Alan dotes on Susan and could seemingly care less about Harper, as well as Deborah's apparent lack of actual concern for Harper, qualifies the facility with which Harper is able to effect her plans so readily. And even when Deborah finds out what Harper is up to (which, of course, was inevitable), she seems to take it as a personal affront more than anything, and is content with merely denigrating the relationship into which her daughter has entered, rather than even trying to change it, which ostensibly at least, would be the appropriate reaction of a concerned parent.

Polley is well cast as Harper, as physically and emotionally she is able to fit Harper's profile perfectly, and she gives a credible performance, though given her unassuming manner and fairly nondescript appearance, it says more about Connie than it does about her. And what you have already been able to deduce about Connie from his pursuit of Harper is further underscored during a scene in which Deborah confronts him with her views on the situation (which is arguably the most powerful scene in the film).

Rea is perfectly cast, as well, affecting a patient, reserved manner, touched with an almost forlorn weariness evocative of a certain wisdom-of-the-world attitude that makes Harper's attraction to him believable. And as the story unfolds, he very subtly allows you to see more of what lies beneath the surface until, in the end, you have a concise picture of who Connie really is. It's a fine, understated performance, and a good bit of work by Rea.

In a supporting role that demands mention, Jean Smart gives a smoldering performance as Deborah, a woman of seemingly insatiable needs and an overwhelming desire to dominate. And Smart plays it perfectly, from the look in her eye to the telling way she carries herself, making the most of her limited screen time and making Deborah the most memorable character of the film.

The supporting cast includes Gina Gershon (Billie), Paul Dooley (Walter), Carrie Preston (Patty), Tracy Letts (Zack), Sharon McNight (Leslie), Sandra Oh (Cindy), Grace Una (April) and Jasmine Guy (Linda). Though not a film with which you can get too emotionally involved, `Guinevere' has it's moments and does manage to maintain interest. The characters are real enough, but they evoke a sense of ambivalence; these are not people you are necessarily going to like or dislike. In the final analysis, it's a good film, and worth seeing-- but with the possible exception of Smart's character, there is nothing especially memorable or compelling about it. I rate this one 6/10.

After going thru a similar relationship that Harper and Connie shared I've got to say that in that respect this movie sent many chills up my spine. The positive aspects of the film are: 1. It's shot in my hometown of San Francisco and done quite beautifully. 2. Great scene between Connie, Harper and her mom. 3. Pretty clear plot. Good representation of the nature / dynamics of their relationship. 4. Harper's character is contradictory in a way. On one hand she's smart enough to get into Harvard yet not experienced in the matters of the heart. 5. Character motivations were all pretty obvious.

However here is what I didn't like about the film: 1. Too many things did not make sense about Connie. He's supposed to be a successful somewhat famous local artist. Where were his shows? He's Irish right? A little about how he came to this country and his relationship to San Francisco's vibrant art scene would have been nice. If he is indeed bohemian, where is his "salon"? What artistic movement is he a part of? He also deteriorates towards the end. Is his alcoholism just a typical facet of being a tortured artist? Why does he stop shooting weddings?

2. I didn't like the "Titanic" choral music.

Anyways I did enjoy it for its nostalgic quality.

Harper Sloane (Sarah Polley) is a naive unhappy 20 year old going to Harvard. She meets wedding photographer Connie Fitzpatrick (Stephen Rea) at her sister's wedding. He seduces her calling her Guinevere. She lies to her family that she didn't get into Harvard. She pretends to stay with her friend Patty (Carrie Preston) but instead she's living with Connie. Billie (Gina Gershon) warns her that she's only the latest Guinevere in Connie's life. She leaves him temporarily but she feels stifled by her mother (Jean Smart) and she returns to him.

Sarah Polley is lovely and Stephen Rea is believable. Jean Smart overplays the mother figure a little but she gets one memorable scene. I like this movie up to that scene where the mother talks about Harper being inexperienced enough to be in awe of Connie. I guess writer/director Audrey Wells is trying to be poetic by forcing Harper to stay with Connie after that. The self denial of Harper when she's talking to Patty is off-putting. She needs to make a more calibrated turn earlier but instead it's all saved up for the climax.

I just saw of this film at the Montreal World Film Festival. Stephen Rea and Sarah Polley were in attendance. You could not ask for two better actors. Rea plays a 45-50ish photographer who seduces 20 yr. old Sarah Polley to give up her law school career and become an artist and his live-in- lover.

The director and writer, Audrey Wells, also directed and wrote The Truth About Cats and Dogs. I intensely disliked that film because it was implausible, not grounded in any reality, and because even the luminous Jeneane Garafalo couldn't save it. Audrey Wells also wrote Inspector Gadget; clearly, her writing leaves something to be desired. In this film she manages to put interesting situations (May-September romance / high vs. low class) forth but whenever they approach any hard edges here comes the soft humour or easy way outs or just plain ambiguously unrealized character motives. Polley's character would get to say one disturbing or strong thing, then have go on acting so obviously well below her & her character's intelligence.

I consistently thought scenes were misdirected and that the writing gave up on itself and fell into cliche, sapping it of any force it had. And with the potential force between these two great actors never realized it was a sad loss. This is no Lolita or Educating Rita. Consider even the ballyhooed scene were Jean Smart, in a good job, takes down Rea's character in front of her daughter (the 'awe' scene.) The camera focusses intently on Smart's malice. Think how much better that little diatribe would be if we were watching *Polley's* reaction while hearing the *mother's* words. That would be a real dislocation. Then we could see the full range of which Polley is absolutely capable.

Also, the soundtrack music was very synthetic and touchy-feely and it worked completely against the (potentially) creepy aspect of the film, until the white-light hogwash of the end. But if you liked all that white-light business in "Kissed" & if you could tolerate the preposterous situation of Cats & Dogs, then maybe you will like this film. As it was, I found it singularly unconvincing, the moreso as it went along.

ps. Sandra Oh is very funny with the two minutes of screen time she gets. Sandra Oh is always excellent. If you want to see a good Sarah Polley & Sandra Oh film, rent "Last Night". It's brilliant. For Stephen Rea, look forward to his next Neil Jordan film.

What would make a smart, young, beautiful woman fall in love with a photographer three times her age? What would possess her to give up a spot in Harvard for the opportunity to live with a tortured artist? Could it be a human desire to create and having the room to do so? Could it be he offers sage-like wisdom that outweighs the adjunct creepiness of the situation; Perhaps. It also helps to have low self-esteem and little direction in life. In the non-committal words of Harper Sloane (Sarah Polley), "He was the worst man I ever met, or maybe the best, I'm still not sure. If you're supposed to learn by your mistakes, then he was the best mistake I ever made…I was his Guinevere whatever that means." As you can imagine the basic outline of Guinevere (1999) is one of a relationship between an aging photographer (Stephen Rea) and a colleen with a self-image problem. As their relationship progresses, Harper uncovers Connie's bohemian lifestyle extends to his love life as well has his approach to art. Can she properly balance their love, her family's expectations of her, his expectations of her and a menagerie of rival "Guineveres"? Stephen Rea's Connie asks for five years of his muse's life. Five years rent free for Harper to coax and develop the artist inside herself. Can she truly accomplish this task? Okay enough with the rhetorical questions. The fact is those who will like this movie will like it because it is a mediocre film made relevant by its subject matter. Self-proclaimed artists and photography buffs will likely see Guinevere as a diamond in the rough; a romantic take on their struggles living with their gift. Luckily I have no artistic talent so I can speak for the majority when I say Guinevere is diminutive and not worth sitting through. There are moments that bring to mind other, better films about similar subject matters like Blow-Up (1966) and La Dolce Vita (1960). Those moments however are interspersed with conversations about which picture is better, whether Uncle Tom's Cabin was art or a product and these are not my boobs.

As one gets older, the libido takes a back seat to the heart so I can sympathize with Stephen Rea's character a little. He craves seeing a young artist blossom and loves seeing Harper slowly come out of her shell and eventually become a photographer. That being said he is also craven for a woman's touch and gets it with a clockwork obsession. He doesn't necessarily cheat on Harper, though it is implied. Instead he reinforces his own ideals of love while never really loving Harper to begin with. He loves her potential not who she is.

Jean Smart, who plays Harper's bourgeois mother, does a spot-on analysis of Connie and his warped relationship with Harper. Upon discovery she comes to their apartment and points out that only a young naïve girl would look at a bohemian photographer like him with a modicum of admiration. "No woman of experience would ever stand in front of you with awe in her eyes." She being a woman with experience may have a seemingly unpleasant marriage but at least her children are talented and they live in a home filled with expensive stuff so of course she knows what she's talking about.

Now one can get a sense of legacy from a movie of this kind. Jean Smart's character might see her legacy through her accomplishments in her career and economic success, while Connie might see his accomplishments highlighted in the pursuance of beauty. It's a fair question, whether you yourself would prefer to be remembered for being monetarily successful or being artistically talented. If only such heavy themes were put into a better movie where the whole story wasn't treated so glibly; then we'd have something to talk about.

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I couldn't believe how awful this movie was. It was virtually free of redeeming features. Poor Sarah Polley desperately tries to save the thing singlehandedly but with lines like that nobody can.

These were some of the things that really grated: Complete absence of likeable characters (he a sad lech, she a dimwitted girlie, her family standard-issue clichZd stiffs, and a pathetic rent-a-bohemian crowd whose role in the movie was decorative (as in house plants) rather than integral).

A plot anyone could have filled in after the first five minutes Dialogue that would have been embarrassing in a 70s movie (the old art vs commerce debate - please!; quaint words like 'capitalism' and 'bourgeoisie'; "I am studying your form" - aaaaargh) Generic feel-good scenes straight out of Newton cigarette ads Cheesy, unironic music Complete ignorance of the principles of photography (photographers do not work like that). Perhaps excusable if it had been made by an older guy - but a woman? Girls, we can do better

All of the characters were honestly portrayed and I think that Ms. Wells has put together a very moving and appropriate piece. The dialog is witty and very natural. Plot and dialog aside, this film is worth watching for the performances alone! Stephen Rea and Jean Smart are both amazing and anyone who had doubts that Polley is bound for greatness should see this film!

"Guinevere" tells of a young woman (Polley) who leaves her stuffy family to move in with a middle aged photo-artist (Rea) living a bohemian lifestyle and ends up sadder but wiser. A technically and artistically good film, "Guinevere" is a coming-of-age flick tinged with more pathos that giddiness which plumbs the depths of a relationship in which the woman becomes self actualized while the male is exposed as an unsuccessful, eccentric, and neurotic womanizer. Recommended for anyone, especially females, into films about unorthodox relationships.

Astonishingly horrid, hackneyed drivel. I couldn't believe that the actors and filmmakers--who are ostensibly a part of an artistic community of sorts--would portray "bohemians" in such a cheesy way.

And what the hell was with the cutesy dance scenes with car-commercial music in the background? Did someone tell the director this would look cool? I puked. Every "romantic" scene was equally unbearable (except for the sex scenes which were tasteless and disturbing).

We all know people who think they are sophisticated, intelligent, and avant garde, but are actually vomitous, narcissistic poseurs. They will love this "art film." You should avoid it like the plague.

The young Canadian actress Sarah Polley can sizzle in character parts--she burns a hole in the screen in her tiny bit in Cronenberg's EXISTENZ, and she was luminous as the princess in the wheelchair in THE SWEET HEREAFTER. But in leading roles, she seems both brittle and amoeboid. As Harper, the insecure and overlooked daughter of a family of cutthroat lawyers, she has one amazing scene--being seduced, her reactions fry out her speakers, sending from giggly hysteria to overdrive lust. Harper is seduced by an aging bohemian wedding photographer (Stephen Rea)--a lush who talks a big game, pontificates in bars with his low-rent cronies, and makes a sport and a pastime of mentoring (and groping) avid young women. But we don't see any hunger, any passion or obsession in Harper. When the photographer, Connie, tells her she has talent it's an obvious pick-up line--not because she hasn't done any work, but because she shows no interest in anything but being noticed.

The writer-director, Audrey Wells, doesn't show much interest in anything else, either. The author of the scripts for GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE and INSPECTOR GADGET, her first indie feature has more than a whiff of the dilettante. Like AMERICAN BEAUTY, GUINEVERE likes to flirt with the idea of having an "edge," then shies away from it. Both of these movies are just too damned clear. The pleasure of that seduction scene is that Harper responds in ways that are messy, funny, unprogrammed; every other scene in the picture makes its point in letters so bold the thickest member of the audience couldn't miss it.

You can take the girl out of the studio, but ain't no way you're taking the studio out of the girl. The lechy photographer's big sin--the thing that makes him evanesce in Harper's eyes--is that, at fifty, he's still stumping and hustling for cash. Can Audrey Wells really intend that it's okay for Connie to be a serial phony, an ego-inflating come-on artist, but his real Achilles' heel is that he never made real money? (Wells' point seems to be: Connie gets Harper's tender young flesh--he could at least pay the bills.) Every scene is so blandly overdetermined it reeks of falsity--especially the much-applauded one where Harper's bitchy mom (Jean Smart) comes into Connie's loft and undoes their relationship with a single cutting observation. (Would these lovers react with such shock to such an obvious accusation?)

For someone making a movie about the romance of the artist's life, Wells seems to have no clue how artists talk to each other, or even behave--she seems to think that's egghead stuff the audience won't care about. But it's that, not sex, that's supposed to be the fundament of Connie and Harper's relationship. Despite Rea's and Polley's efforts, the movie drowns in big-movie timidity. And the ending--a Felliniesque princess fantasy where all of Connie's sweet young things gather for an All That Jazz adieu--maybe intended to be tender. It comes across as a final, passive-aggressive flipping of the bird to a half-forgotten, dirty-minded teacher.

This sensitive drama of a young woman's affair with a much older photographer effectively explores the problematic nature for a woman of finding her identity and maturity through a relationship which inherently seems weighted towards the egotistical gratification of the male. Polley and Rea make intriguing partners in what develops into a subtle power game, even if the conception of Rea tends a bit too much toward conventional self-possessed charismatic distance. The film's side-excursions into satire (mainly through pot-shots at Polley's constipated family of lawyers) are quite successful; in the end, the film allows Rea a measure of indulgence in his grandiose fantasy, but makes that enjoyment explicitly a gift that lies under Polley's control - one might have a satisfying sexual-politics-oriented debate about whether this is a satisfying arrival point.

I got roped into watching this drivel by my girlfriend. It was On Demand and I had had a couple of beers so I said 'why not'. Well, if you're interested, here's why not: This galling display of perversion is so caustic to the sensibilities of any thinking person that I cannot believe anyone was truly happy with the film when it was completed. The characters are beyond unsympathetic and venture into the realm of embarrassing. Harper is a pathetic and hopeless individual if she made it as far in life as her storyline says she did without the skills she seems to lack. Worse, the life lessons she is supposedly learning clearly aren't sinking in if,after realizing her love interest is nothing but a lecherous, perverted, no talent, broke, lying loser who preys on naive, helpless girls when he exposes his intentions in LA at his former 'collector' friends' house, she happily goes along for the ride with only a little tantrum. Absurd. The collection of similarly abused women at the finale is just gross ("Class of '85!" Good gawwwwwwwd). This film is such a poorly executed self indulgence that it doesn't even live up to irony. Just plain awful. I can't even say that its worth watching for a laugh, because there's nothing funny about. Characters don't develop in any substantiated way. One second people are one thing, the next moment another, for no reason. We are led to believe that harper becomes successful. How? We never see one piece of work. She never gets any connections to dealers or marketers. Suddenly she just appears, wearing a mournful-yet-put-together looking black dress instead of her usual MC hammer style washed out jeans (in the late 90's? San Fran? really?) and tee shirt. Jesus. Where'd that come from? A hopeless attempt at a heartfelt art movie that subverts its own intentions with its meaningless artifice and sloppy, contrived, indulgent imagery. I never post anything on the internet, but this was so bad I couldn't help it. STAY AWAY!!!!

My next bunch of reviews will focus on Canadian actor/director Sarah Polley, who has starred in several independent films such as "Guinevere", "Go", and "My Life Without Me", along with directing the critically acclaimed films "Away from Her" and "Take This Waltz". Born in January of '79 in Toronto, Sarah found success in the TV show "Road to Avonlea" and several other Canadian productions. She may be short in stature (5'2") but is quite the heavy hitter in the indie film scene.

The 1999 film "Guinevere" was written and directed by Audrey Wells and co-stars veteran Irish actor Stephen Rea as Connie Fitzpatrick a Bohemian San Francisco photographer. Polley play Harper Slone the youngest daughter in a wealthy, stuck up family of lawyers. Harper is often ignored and played off as the black sheep, when she is really the most normal and grounded of the bunch. While bored to death at her sisters wedding, she runs off with a bottle of champagne and manages to bump into the wedding photographer, Connie. Connie is not one to win over the young ladies with his looks, but is a very mysterious and intriguing character. The appealing lure of the life of an artist does it every time. He quickly strikes up a sort of friendship with Harper when he agrees not photograph her as part of the wedding party. Unknown to Harper he does take a picture of her and she falls in love with it. On the back it says "To Guinevere" Connie is the stereotypical self destructive, alcoholic, has been artist that have been portrayed since Shakespearian times. He has this thing were he mentors and helps troubled young female artists find their way. I won't lie it is kind of creepy and looks likes the oldest trick in the book for an older man to get with young girls. Although there must be something to him because Harper ditches Harvard law school to live with Connie rent free with the condition that she must work on being some sort of artist. She chooses photography as her medium. All of the girls past and present are referred to as his Guinevere's and serve as his muse's for his own photography projects. It not long before the ole Connie charm kicks in and Harper is sleeping with him. Harper is introduced to his close circle of friends and even meets a former Guinevere, played by Gina Gershon. For the first time in her life Harper feels accepted for who she is and not the constant disappointment her family sees. Connie gives her all of the attention she could ever want and Harper soaks it up like a sponge.

Early on when Harper finds out their have been other Guinevere's, she has a major freak out. Thinking she is being taken advantage of she moves out only to be back with him shortly after. When Harper's mother finds out what she's been up to she confronts Connie. She is one frosty bitch (played by Jean Smart), which a big side a jealousy. "Guinevere" is not a great movie by any stretch, but it is watchable for Polley and Rea, because with out them this movie would need to left in the darkroom. It is currently showing on Netflix Instant Streaming.

Stephen Rea as the on-screen Weinstein surrogate?

Sarah Polley, the Gwennie stand-in?

Jean Smart swaggers into the Bohemian photographer's loft as Eileen Heckart might have done some twenty-seven years ago.

What's wrong with honest work?

Audrey Wells reminds us here in her directorial debut.

Crappy film posing as art. Older man, younger woman. Why does she want him? B/c he manipulates her constantly by promising to teach her the art of photography that throughout most of the movie she has no interest in learning. He calls her Guinevere, as he calls all his "pupils". She continues to let him call her that even when learning of all his other "pupils". Realistic in the way that the only way an older man could get a young girl to satisfy him and support his unemployment is through intense, cruel manipulation of a hopeless wanderer with the self-esteem of a gnat. The end was not realistic in the slightest. Loved Sarah Polley in "My Life without Me" but she did her career injustice by doing this film. And her grill looks so messed up.

who ever is interested. i stumbled on this movie completely by accident, and once i began i couldn't stop.you know why? it was true. i just got it. i got it because i was just leaving a relationship like that, that i think- marked me for life. this movie shows something so true, true in a sense that their is no right or wrong, and in some way it really makes me think. it makes me see things in perspective, relationships, and how we fail to observe them while engaged in them. once i saw this movie- i felt i was looking at myself, and also not hating my ex-partner (a very much disturbed older paragrapher. off course- it made me view it in a very romantic way, that i enjoyed. it was painterly to see in harper how innocent i am.or was. for sure- i am no longer at that stage in life. thanks to him.he wasn't a bad guy- and i was too blinded to see how mixed up he was.

Actors with more chemistry might have pulled it off better, but the biggest setbacks were the lack of cleverness in the script and absence of a magic the tale seemed to have been meant to convey. The manipulations were trite and unoriginal, and the idea of the older man being a mentor to a young girl in spite of age and personal problems was fairly unbelievable in this instance. Not enough growth and realization, not enough of a connection was achieved before their time expired. Stephen Rea was almost too cool to be believable as such a screwed up and insecure man. And Sarah Polley never quite seemed to possess the awe and innate beauty her lover was so affected by. However, Jean Smart was perfect as the mother.

Though I believe it could have been magical, and it did begin well, to my disappointment, the journey and end were ultimately rather ridiculous and pretentious.