Lightdeossk
Captivating movie !
ShangLuda
Admirable film.
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.
Scarlet
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
JohnLeeT
In a performance so stunning it will leave you breathless, Ms. Emily Watson puts her heart and soul, the essence of her being, into another character that equals or surpasses her artistry in Breaking the Waves and the recent Appropriate Adult. This is an actor of such power that it overwhelms one to watch her bring life to a character with such subtle beauty and heart. In any future retrospective of this incredibly talented and lovely actor's body of work, there is no doubt whatsoever this film will be among her most superb work. Ms. Emily Watson simply captures the screen with her presence and elevates the work of Bale and fellow cast members with the excellence of her own triumphant skill. That she was not nominated for an Oscar or a Bafta once again proves how meaningless these hollow awards are. She was honored for Appropriate Adult with a Bafta but both the Emmys and even the Golden Globes reflected their ignorance and lack of appreciation for true artistry and genius. By this point in her career, Ms. Watson should have enumerable nominations and several Academy Awards to her credit. However, that is not what really matters. The true significance of her brilliance as an actor is that she touches the souls of everyone graced by performance after performance. Ms. Emily Watson may well be one of the greatest female actors to ever appear on stage, in film, or television. No one should allow themselves to miss this film for they will be much the lesser for it. In itself, Metroland is not a great cinematic experience. Emily Watson, however, is.
macpet49-1
The acting was OK. It's refreshing to see the protagonist with his 'boy body' before he found steroids in 'American Psycho'! Now he just looks like everybody else.This story is not original. The theme has been explored a thousand times in a thousand films that were better. I hate movies portraying other times. It's always impossible to 'recreate an era'! When will Hollywood learn that? The mood, the people, the mores are gone forever. Everyone wants innocence back but you cannot erase the smugness and skepticism of now. It just creeps through everything we do. This is at best someone's dream of what some 1960s young people thought and discovered. I notice that nobody ever tells stories about working class people anymore. The working class never had the luxury of these choices. There was no question about life--it was just survival. One went to school if one got loans or scholarships or worked his way through. One went to war if one was drafted. One went to factory if one was below average. One got married or lived with parents. The act of getting a license to drive or see a movie was special. You took nothing for granted. Your parents didn't adore you; they put up with you. You were most likely an accident. You rarely questioned anything because what you had was such a struggle to obtain and the daily chore of trying to keep it was huge. Just once, I'd like to see this investigated in film. It's a reminder that the film industry is owned/run by wealthy people of the Mideast faith and they delight in reflections of themselves only.
curtiswayne
I like this movie a lot.I watched it with my wife, and I get the impression that it is more of a "guy's movie" than a woman's. Sort of a "male chick flick." The key questions it addresses are: what are the important things in life, and when and how do we let go of childhood dreams? This seems to me to be one of those differences in wiring between men and women. Men are driven to be alpha males, with all that brings. Women (I think) have a hard time understanding why we would want more than a good wife, kids, a nice home, stable job, etc. This is an issue the movie explores nicely.The pacing was a bit slow. It was 1:46, but I felt like it could have easily been 1:20 or 1:30. Cinematography, set and costume design, and direction was very good, and I thought Bale was very good (I'm not his biggest fan). Watson and Zylberstein were excellent, however.Metroland is well worth seeing, and is good fodder for conversation. At almost two hours long, thought, I'd recommend an early showing.
minkmocha
I agree with all the posts about what this movie was about -- a man evaluating his present life. But what made this film so good to me was the fantastic acting by Christian Bale and Emily Watson who portrayed their characters so authentically. As a 30 yo single woman myself, the relationships portrayed in this movie came off in a genuine way. What it's like to be married for nearly 10 years and how to preserve the love in the relationship and yet deal w/ the tensions and problems from it. All of this was portrayed subtly, sensitively, and with humour at many times throughout this movie in a natural and unforced way. I credit this to Christian Bale and Emily Watson's acting abilities and the Director's talent. To me, underlying the mid-life crisis of one man in this movie is the theme of "relationship" and how he gets his life from them. Whether it's with his wife, girlfriend or best friend from childhood. I really thought everything about this moview was excellent: script, acting, directing, scenes. More than that, it captured the subtle nuances and emotions shared between people which wasn't stated in words but one "felt" as a viewer that one knew what that look meant or the silent treatment was for. It's now my favorite top 10 movies in my book.
