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Reviews3
mouseroni's rating
A highly underrated movie with a shining Johnny Depp. He is simply one of the best actors of our time. It's one of my all-time favorites.
This movie deals honestly and caringly with Benny (Aidan Quinn), his mentally ill sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), and Sam (Depp), who comes unexpectedly into their lives. It is at once laugh-out-loud funny, honest, and touching.
I've always appreciated that Joon's character is treated as (as Sam says) a person who is normal, "except for her mental illness." The situations are just a tad this side of wacky, but they feel very real.
Seriously, if you haven't seen this movie, watch it. The writing is spot-on, the stars shine, and even the bit players (from Dan Hedaya to CCH Pounder) make the movie all the more memorable.
This movie deals honestly and caringly with Benny (Aidan Quinn), his mentally ill sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), and Sam (Depp), who comes unexpectedly into their lives. It is at once laugh-out-loud funny, honest, and touching.
I've always appreciated that Joon's character is treated as (as Sam says) a person who is normal, "except for her mental illness." The situations are just a tad this side of wacky, but they feel very real.
Seriously, if you haven't seen this movie, watch it. The writing is spot-on, the stars shine, and even the bit players (from Dan Hedaya to CCH Pounder) make the movie all the more memorable.
I adored this book as a kid. I also grew up in the town Twin Mills is based on (Jerry Spinelli's hometown, Norristown, Pa.) and I can guarantee you that the people who made the movie have never been to Norristown. They probably didn't even read the book.
It was much, much too happy and shiny with no sense of its story or setting. Norristown is a bleak town divided by racial tensions; the story of Maniac is one boy making a difference. The movie is a trite little piece of shiny Nickelodeon crap.
All in all, I can't recommend avoiding this movie enough. Just read the book to your kids, and while you're at it, read Dump Days, an excellent companion.
It was much, much too happy and shiny with no sense of its story or setting. Norristown is a bleak town divided by racial tensions; the story of Maniac is one boy making a difference. The movie is a trite little piece of shiny Nickelodeon crap.
All in all, I can't recommend avoiding this movie enough. Just read the book to your kids, and while you're at it, read Dump Days, an excellent companion.
One of the early scenes in the movie sets it up quite nicely: two young black men walk out of an LA restaurant, discussing the bad service they have just been subject to and the stereotyping they face. They are intelligent and thoughtful. And then they carjack a white couple.
And so Crash goes: you think you know, a character says at one point, but you have no idea.
While that line is a complete cliché thanks to MTV, it rings true for this film. Every character has an unexpected turn, mixing the good and bad in all of us in nuanced ways.
The cast is stellar, and the characters' actions wholly believable. You will not leave this movie untouched.
And so Crash goes: you think you know, a character says at one point, but you have no idea.
While that line is a complete cliché thanks to MTV, it rings true for this film. Every character has an unexpected turn, mixing the good and bad in all of us in nuanced ways.
The cast is stellar, and the characters' actions wholly believable. You will not leave this movie untouched.