Wordiezett So much average

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Samiam3 Lemme ask you this, is there such thing as a good soap opera? or are they all corny? Some can be better than others. Empire Falls is a well acted television feature, that is sporadically effective. When it is good, it's good, but when it is weak, it's very weak.Empires Falls is a once famed textile mill town. The narrative is told from the point of view, of Miles Roby; a café owner, and a valued member of the community. Everyont in the film is somehow related to him. His daughter has managed to befriend the newest kid in town who is being bullied, his father is a quirky underachiever who keeps asking for money. His ex lover, is the daughter of the wealthiest woman in town, who doesn't like him much. There is also the memories of his mother and step father. At the moment Miles is trying to upgrade business, but is having a little trouble.Empire Falls beings and ends solidly, but the two hours in between drift in and out between likable sentimental, and sappy sentimental. Some of the dialogue is actually really badly scripted. Paul Newman, even though he doesn't get much screen time delivers the best performance in the film, followed of course by Ed Harris who hasn't done a bad movie yet.Empire Falls kept me going, despite some bits which are almost unwatchable. It's not a bad programme at all, but it's not as great as it probably should've been.

coolrobbie It took me weeks to read the book, which, for me, is unusual. It wasn't that I didn't like it; to the contrary, I couldn't believe how terrific it was. But I could not put my finger on why it was taking me so long to read, until I reached the final third of the book: I simply did not want it to end. I had come to know the characters so well, through the deftness of Richard Russo's prose, and had come to like (at least most of) them, that I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye.Such was my reaction to HBO's film version of this great American novel.Others here have praised the production, so I'll only add my brief thoughts: The cast, from the main players to the secondary characters, is uniformly excellent, with one or two exceptions. It was thrilling to see Joanne Woodward back on the screen, but she interprets the role with a softness that, in my opinion, was entirely absent from the actual character she was portraying. So, a point or two off there. Otherwise, the acting was brilliant.The screenplay adhered very closely to the novel, but some key dialog was disappointingly missing. I recognize that a 400+ page book, to be translated to film, requires editorial discretion. Still, a few things were lost that should have remained.While the first half takes its time to establish characters and relationships, the second half feels rushed, and the ending definitely so. I couldn't help but feel that something was left on the cutting room floor. But then again, I didn't want it to end in the first place.Because I am such a fan of the book, I was eager for my wife to see the movie (she hasn't read the book). So, I had a lot invested in the hope that they wouldn't screw it up. When the final credits rolled, I looked over at her, and her tears were flowing. "I didn't want it to end," she said quietly.And neither will you.

TxMike "Empire Falls" is a fictional town along the river in Maine. (Several different Maine locations were used for the filming.) This town was originally settled by Algonquin Indians, but the Whiting family over the generations owned everything worth owning.Ed Harris plays the central character Miles Roby, who runs the local café owned by Francine Whiting (Joanne Woodward). Ms Woodward's real-life husband and perhaps the best actor of modern times, Paul Newman, plays the grizzled old dad Max Roby. Rounding out their family are Miles' brother David (Aidan Quinn) and Miles' daughter "Tick" (Danielle Panabaker). The estranged mother Janine is played by Helen Hunt, who divorcing from Miles is planning on marrying Walt Comeau (Dennis Farina) who claims he is in good shape for 50, but really is over 60 she eventually finds out. In this small town everyone knows everything about everybody, and word spreads fast.So, what's the story about? Roughly, Miles' being stuck in a rut, being predictable, and not being able to step out and take a risk. All the other characters affect him in some way. Even as a boy, seeing his mother develop a relationship with another man, because Max just wasn't there for anyone.Philip Seymour Hoffman is good as Charlie Mayne , the man who befriends Grace, Miles' mother, played well by Robin Wright Penn. There are lots of side stories, and that is why it takes a 4-hour movie to tell all of them well. Some involving the school kids. Some involving Max's quest to get to Key West, even though he was always broke. But most important are the ones that involve Ms Whiting, who promised Miles the café when she dies, but Miles could be in his 70s when that happened.MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW. The man who claimed to be Charlie Mayne was in reality CB Whiting, husband of Francine. While Max was in jail for a stint, CN fathered Miles' younger brother David, and when he returned the last time to Francine, wicked and controlling, he went out to the gazebo by the river and shot himself through the head. Miles eventually got fed up with Francine, took things into his own hands, broke out of his predictability, abandoned the café, and began his new life.Superb acting all around.

Stephen Herman You have read so many positive reviews, and they are right on the mark. I also agree that you should read the book, and Russo's "Nobody's Fool," - a laugh-out-loud book. This film is a metaphor - but not just about New England. It is a metaphor for what is happening in our country today: greed, corruption, power and control.To lighten up here a bit, if you enjoy deeply drawn characters and are fascinated by psychodynamics, growth and development, jealousy and betrayal, the kindness and the cruelty of children, the power of love, the uncertainty of which direction to choose, the puzzles of our dreams and our nightmares, and what courage it takes to follow one's deepest desires and to be true to oneself, you will love this film.