Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Michael Neumann The depth and complexity of Barry Levinson's tribute to America's Golden Age can be summed up by granddad Armin Mueller-Stahl's words of wisdom to the younger generation: "if you stop remembering, you forget". The writer director himself seems to have forgotten how memory is always prone to sentimental distortion, and his long, loving portrait of a family in transition (ostensibly Levinson's own extended family) plays like a lazy daydream of paradise lost. It's a far richer film than the first two chapters of his Baltimore trilogy, with a screenplay spanning three generations and most of the 20th century, but the dramatic scope comes at the expense of detail, and Levinson's explanation for the post-war decline of the American family is thus never able to reach beyond the most obvious culprits: television and suburban malaise. With help from an excellent ensemble cast the film is finally able to achieve the bittersweet mood it strives for, but only after burying some genuine emotion underneath too many visual flourishes and a lot of distracting big budget gloss.

angelshalz Avalon is not really a movie that I would watch arbitrarily. Rather, it is a film I would like to see when I am in a patriotic or patient mood. It revolves around a traditional Irish family that tries to settle down in America and find promise in it's boundless opportunities. At times it was much too slow and sad, but the ending is extremely moving. The grandfather who may not be very influential on his son, becomes very close to his grandson. One of his favorite stories to tell this adventurous and open minded little boy is how he first came to America in 1914. This movie shows us how important family ties and traditions are, no matter what you do or where you go in life.

numberone_1 I have shown this movie in entry-level college geography classes, as it is first of all a fine film, but second because it so clearly illustrates concepts of acculturation, assimilation and the American "melting pot." The story certainly could be told, and re-told, from a number of other perspectives (i.e., another city, another ethnicity, even a different starting decade), but despite its length, Avalon captures so much of a way of life in our country that has eroded throughout time. College freshmen, on the whole, seem to really enjoy this film, and papers that I ask them to write on it have been thoughtful and provocative.The story is multi-generational, and centers on an immigrant arriving in Baltimore, MD in the early 1900s. It then traces his life forward through the generations, all the while noting how the impact of being in a new country changes him and his descendants. The cast does a fine job, Levinson's direction is superb, but pay attention to subtle nuances! This is one of those films that I can pick up something different every time I watch it.Highly recommended.

MissyBaby How can I explain how much I loved this movie? I can't. I just can't. I love it so so much, I can't explain it. I came across this movie by somewhat of an accident last year sometime. I did a Netflix search for "The Mists of Avalon." No "Mists of Avalon," but instead an Aiden Quinn movie called simply "Avalon." I pushed it aside and didn't give it a second thought. 5 months or so ago I was just browsing the same sight, once again, "Avalon" popped up. I watched the trailer, thought it looked good and put it on my queue list. It sat forever and ever, so I deleted it. Once again never giving it a second thought.Then 2 months ago I became very interested in the actor Tom Wood (Noah Newman from The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals and the adult Michael from this film.) I, of course, went to Netflix and did a search for him. "Avalon," however did not show up on the list. I returned my attention to a list I had written with all of the movies he's made listed. I typed "Avalon" in the search box and sure enough, it was the same "Avalon." I immediately put it in the queue and bumped it up to the top spot. A day or so later we received "Avalon" in the mail and I waisted no time in watching it. I was immediately in love with the characters and the way the family bonded together. My family is a lot like that, OK, we're not immigrants (oh somewhere down the line I'm sure we are, but that's not the point), we're not Jewish (we're in fact Missionary Baptists) and we don't live in a clump (ok, most of us do, but a few cousins and me and my parents live apart from the clump.). We have those conversations at the dinner table, we have those conversations at Thanksgiving, and Christmas and things like that.I was so touched by the simplicity but emotional impact of the simple line "I came to America in 1914....." I couldn't help but burst into tears.****SPOILERS**** My favorite scene had to be the scene where they had the family circle meeting at Gabriel's house and Eva kept saying it was "like a furnace in here!" And then without warning "An elephant just walked by the window." So funny the first time you see it.And of course I had to love the last scene when Michael and his son Sam went to see Grandpa Sam. I was especially touched by this scene because that is the same shape my grandfather got into shortly before he passed away last year. I did cry and remembered all the times my parents dragged me to the nursing homes and hospitals to see him, and I began to miss him again.So I guess the reason I loved this movie so much is because after seeing it the first time, Sam sort of brought my Grandpa back to me for a little while. The way he acted, the way he would take control of a situation, the way he told stories....Thank you Barry Levinson for that, even if no one else cares. You did a good thing for me. The final moments of the film made me think of what I'd tell my kids when I'm older....Michael and Little Sam walking out of the nursing home and Michael beginning Sam's story and passing it down...."He came to America in 1914......"Definitely watch this movie. Don't let it pass you by. It's amazing. Take my word for it.