GREAT EXPECTATIONS

by Todd

 

If you've seen commercials for the new "re-vamped" version of Great

Expectations you're under the impression that Gwyneth Paltrow is in the

movie. After seeing the movie you realize while she did have about ten

minutes of screen time and about 12 lines, it's a wonder how she got top

billing. Now I have nothing against the woman ( She was in the best

movie ever, 7 ) but the makers of this movie didn't give her much to do.

Not that that's incredibly bad. It's actually a good movie centering

around our main man Ethan Hawke's Finn (Apparently Pip wasn't cool

enough) life journey through love and surprising wealth and his dealings

with a strange old woman (Anne Bancroft). Finn goes through the movie

obsessed with Paltrow's Estella, but she is not in the movie nearly

enough to see why she is someone to obsess over. The movie wouldn't

have been as dissapointing to me if the hype and commercials wouldn't

have built up Hawke and Paltrow's relationship. And if you're looking

for similarities to the book they run few and far between, having the

prisoner character ( played by Robert DeNiro who seems to be playing two

diffwerent characters for the two scenes he's in) show up at odd places.

The final fourth of the book is never even put into play (remember, the

exciting part?) All in all, it wasn't that badf, it's probably just not

what you're expecting. (God bless bad puns)

 

 

 

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