Executscan Expected more

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

ultimt3 I rarely comment on movies on IMDb but there are a few that I remember for all the wrong reasons. When I see they have a really high star rating I feel compelled to weigh in. I usually agree with IMDb's assessment (with the exception of "bad" horror films which I enjoy). The movie starts out with an interesting premise but it is a bit gratuitous and I would say a bit exploitative of the 13 year old character in this movie. It almost struck me as a film that was written by a pedophile. This movie was depressing and depicted a heck of a lot of depravity and even pedophilia. I love film noir, love gritty grindhouse films and stuff like that. This is VERY different from that. I got itchy watching it and as a parent, I was revolted with the sexual depiction of the young girl in this. I understand reality in films but this was just going too far to be enjoyable in my opinion. I was not entertained.

random_avenger Aviva is a young girl whose long-time dream is to have a baby and she soon gets pregnant to a family friend Judah (Robert Agri). Her parents (Ellen Barkin and Richard Masur) love her but don't approve of her becoming a mother at such young age and pressure her to have an abortion. Afterwards she runs away from home and goes through various experiences, including meeting a pedophilic trucker (Stephen Adly Guirgis) and an overwhelmingly Christian family for disabled children led by Mama Sunshine (Debra Monk) whose husband has his own darker agenda. Throughout the story Aviva's dream of having a baby is what keeps her going, but can it really happen or is her journey just empty wading in seas of filth?The special thing about Palindromes is that the actress of Aviva keeps changing throughout the film: there are ten very different actors portraying her in different phases of the story. The unconventional approach to her character may be explained by a speech delivered by an accused child molester (Matthew Faber) near the end of the film: we will always stay the same no matter how our appearance changes during our life. Of the many actresses portraying Aviva the most memorable is surely Sharon Wilkins, an obese black woman who may initially strike the audience as a grotesque caricature of what Aviva has become, but soon wins the affections to her side with her fearful and insecure but low-key performance. Debra Monk and Matthew Faber also deserve praise for capturing the essence of their respective characters.As expected from a Solondz project, the film deals with heavy and depressing themes like murder, pedophilia and hypocrisy. Even so, I think Palindromes is less forlorn than, say, Storytelling (Solondz's previous movie from 2001). Although we know more than Aviva from early on, at least we don't have to witness her having her dreams thoroughly crushed, which softens the effect a bit. Palindromes may not be as wholesome an experience as Happiness (1998), but for those who enjoy Solondz's bleak, even disgusting style, it will deliver an enjoyable if pessimistic look into people's desire to have someone to love unconditionally.

tedg I admit, I liked the idea of this. The story is completely a waste for me, even though we all like to poke cheap fun at sanctimonious fundamentalists as the ironic representative of a flawed designer.What's at the core here is the device of portraying our 13 year old girl by a variety of beings. I liked it when I saw it elsewhere, especially the implicit merger of being in the work of Garcia. Is it worth it for this actorly circumlocution alone? Probably yes, because of the way it is handled. The character, like all real ones, is a blur, a manifold being. We never see people anyway, only our models of them. So to break the wall and see many models is a sort of intimacy. Its not a gimmick, but a device that works.And that's why we come. For something that goes deeper.I wish, though, that Solandz was a bit deeper as a person. Medem goes deeper on this ambiguous identity thing. Several Tilda Swinton projects like "Conceiving Ada" or "Female Perversions" go deeper into the knots of birth urge. Like so many other theatrical experiments, one wishes the technician would meet and marry the emotional explorer. Not work with, not have a relationship with, but marry and coabsorb. Embodiment of futures.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

genki831 I am beginning to wonder at this point if Todd Solondz is himself a pedophile. But don't get me wrong; if he is then he at least understands whats wrong with it and at the same time he understands people, both victims and perpetrators. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he is in fact not a pedophile and this is somewhat supported by the Mark Weiner character who for all intents and purposes may as well be Todd Solondz himself. Mark Weiner in a moment of what I believe to be total honesty declares to the Aviva character that he is in fact not a pedophile. It would have been safe enough for him to admit to her that he is a pedophile if he is. You'll have to watch the film to understand why. I was totally blown away by the film and actually watched it twice in a row because I needed to understand it more thoroughly. I highly recommend it for anyone who is a Todd Solondz fan and also for David Lynch fans as well. I'm not sure what to make of his portrayal of the Christian family, the Sunshines. I think it shows both the good and bad of the Christian right in America. I actually did spend sometime being good friends with a very similar family and eventually had to cut my ties with them after their illusion of Christian family bliss was shattered by the wife/mother's sexual advances toward me. An additional group of people I would recommend this film to is current or former right-wing Christians who are questioning their faith. This is where I come from and the movie definitely resonated with me because of that. I also appreciate Solondz' brave study of abortion. One could almost see it as a pro-life movie if it weren't for the fact that most pro-lifers would probably be horrified by it. I'm of the rare-breed that is a pro-lifer but not over-sensitive to controversial media. Still I would not say that this film proves Solondz' to be pro-life, rather it probably shows that to him the subject can never be completely black or white, which of course is a very wise and healthy viewpoint to have. Great job Todd Solondz!