Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Maleeha Vincent
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
TxMike
We found this one on Netflix streaming movies. Not very high-brow but my wife and I enjoyed it for light entertainment. Especially with cute Kate Hudson in it, putting on her very best Irish accent.Kate Hudson is Lucy Owens , Dublin area waitress who also sings at the restaurant. (Yes, she does her own singing.) According to comments her family members make, she seems to change boyfriends about every week.But one day cute Stuart Townsend as Adam comes in to the establishment, she falls quickly for him, even asking if she can see him again, and he gives her his phone number. At their first date he meets all of her family members, her mother, her brother, and her two older sisters. Frances O'Connor is Laura Owens, Charlotte Bradley is Alice Owens Rooney, and Alan Maher is David Owens. The story is told from several points of view, each with a different experience with Adam. In essence he ends up seducing each sister, and has the brother wondering if he is being turned homosexual, after finding himself in bed with Adam and with a stiffy.As it turns out Adam is a nice guy, and when he marries Lucy we think they will have a happy life together. Adam just doesn't like to disappoint anyone, even sisters or the brother of his bride!
Turfseer
'About Adam' is billed as a comedy but it's safer to classify it as a farce. It's set in Dublin and it focuses on a family of three sisters and one brother who all become besotted with Adam, a charming Lothario, who insinuates himself into their lives. Unlike most American films where men end up chasing a beautiful woman, 'About Adam' turns the tables and we're treated to the farcical machinations of women who can no longer control their passions when attracted to that one special 'mysterious' man.'About Adam' has a Rashomon-like plot where the story is told from the successive points of view of each sibling. We start off from Lucy's point of view (Kate Hudson) who meets Adam at her place of employment (where she works as a waitress/singer). Lucy is looking for a man who will sweep her off her feet. I'm not sure how Adam manages to press all the right buttons of these women, but they all become besotted with him. The initial seduction of Lucy goes on for way too long and after awhile her obsession with him becomes tiresome (the first 30 minutes is the weakest part of the film).After about half an hour into the film, conflict finally emerges. Soon after meeting Lucy, Adam decides to seduce Lucy's sister, Laura (Frances O'Connor). Laura is more intellectual than Lucy, studying for her PhD in poetry. And of course Adam is familiar with the very obscure poetry Lucy has been studying at school and recites it to her, pressing her buttons. Before you know it, Laura is stripping off HER clothes for him! Adam isn't finished. Brother David finds himself attracted to Adam and fantasizes having a bi-sexual affair with him. He doesn't actually act upon his fantasies but Adam somehow engenders a passionate spark in him and he ends up with a new invigorated love life with his girlfriend. Finally there's Alice, trapped in a loveless marriage who also has a child. Alice is aware that Adam has been playing around with BOTH of her sisters and when she finally gives in to Adam before his marriage to Lucy, it's on HER terms. She knows it's just a fling, but the brief affair with Adam awakens her long repressed sexual passions.For those who were 'offended' by this film, they completely miss the purpose of farce. In the words of the noted drama critic Eric Bentley, in farce, one is permitted the outrage without the consequences! Farce allows its audience to experience deep-seated desires vicariously! While the sisters feel there is some deeper meaning in Adam's name (noting that Adam is the name of the progenitor of all men), one should liken him more to the Greek God Pan, famous for his sexual powers and often depicted with an erect phallus.The world of 'About Adam' features no recriminations. While some feelings are ruffled, none of the characters suffer any permanent psychic damage. Even Laura, probably the most besotted and jealous of the sisters, accepts Adam's marriage to Lucy and we see her holding hands with her school supervisor at the end of the film, now ready for a mature romance in the real world. And although Adam is always lying to each of the women about his background, the lies are white lies--inconsequential; again resulting in no harm (Adam even suggests to Lucy who is having second thoughts about getting married just as they're about to tie the knot, that people don't always have to know each other's secrets; that way, petty jealousies are averted!).'About Adam' is like a gentle breeze. It's a light-hearted farce not to be taken too seriously (for all of you offended by its alleged 'immorality', I say get a life!). In addition, it's an original take on the desire for passion in our lives. On the other hand, by the end of the film, we realize that the film's tension has dissipated. All that fun 'passion' unleashed in each sibling by the charming rake Adam, has become a bit repetitious and overdone. In other words, we get the point! By the end there are no more surprises! Since 'About Adam' is a bit offbeat and good-natured, I give it a '6'. But honestly, while 'About Adam' is definitely worth watching, one viewing is enough.
freerider1
I saw this movie in German, so I don't have to elaborate on topics like correct accent or the location or class the story unfolds within. Instead I want to focus on the story that is being told. And I was very pleasantly surprised to see a "romantic story" told in the opposite way like Hollywood mainstream does in movies like "Sleepless in Seattle" or "While you slept" and countless others claiming to be "romantic" but not showing what romances a woman. This movie is different. It tells a long way of the story of how to romance a woman: By being a man who has style, knows how to present himself and has all attitudes many different kinds of woman find electrifying. A man who has the fast and sharp mind to perceive a woman's longings and desires in the first few seconds of seeing her. A man who completely understands how women think and feel and who has the skills to fulfill her longings and desires and is happily willing to give a woman pleasure. A man who reaps huge benefits from this without having to lie a single time. I cannot see where other viewers found Adam lying to anyone in the movie. Adam is not making any promises he could not fulfill, the opposite is true: When he realizes a woman may get too involved with him, he early makes it clear what his intentions are. Adam - "Nomen est Omen" - is the epitome of masculinity who knows what woman want and is happy to deliver to them, also by always being honest about his intentions. A last note about complaining Adam's character is too little developed: Being mysterious and showing various traits is a major quality of a man. Men: Learn from Adam!
Lauren-39
Give me a break! In what world does this director/writer live in? If anyone, after seeing this dribble, thinks it's a charming romantic comedy, then try a little role reversal and see if you still think it is. A woman, no matter how lovely her eyes may be, who sleeps with her fiancé's two brothers (one just half an hour before her wedding) would be deemed a whore and a slut. Not to mention that he's a pathological liar, to boot! How did this film get made? Maybe the backers thought an Irish film that wasn't about the Catholic Church or about the Catholic Protestant "troubles", would be refreshing, but please, this movie was hogwash from beginning to end.Kate Hudson, Stuart Townsend, Frances O'Connor and Charlotte Bradley made a valiant effort to make this screenplay work, but it was DOA..Do yourself a favor, steer clear of this one. It' not worth anyone's time. I just hope the actors got paid well.
