Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

jkochoa4966 You can practically smell the bad breath from the characters in this one. From the beginning you'll be shocked, sickened, disturbed by the scenes in this movie. Originally I was under the impression this was a moving drama when Oprah Winfrey excitedly announced her movie. This is a TWISTED story (Spoiler) ghosts, nudity, graphic rapes, violence, demonic possession?, lynchings, ax/hatchet murders, baby head bashing... (filicide) not to mention sickening scenes that are just distasteful such as (spoiler) Oprah urinating, a dog's eye popping out of its socket after being attacked by a ghost, food being chewed with mouths open more than you want to see, vomiting, voo-doo. There is nothing endearing in this moving not even a final explanation of the movie being about a mother's love. I don't have anything against Oprah, her acting ability or even her taste in some of the movies and books she has promoted. However, this movie and the story behind it make me sick at my stomach literally.

paint9698 How can you do justice to a great book? The answer, judging from this film is you cannot. The film is polished and professional and lots of money has been pumped in-but it's all wrong. Jonathan Demme never ever achieves a sense of how emotional/spiritual and physical obliteration can be adequately portrayed (Why is the cinematography so pretty?).There is an adjunct between the material and it's treatment-it's shot in an epic form ("Gone With the Wind" from the other side)-when it should have been a pointed ghost story allegory about an horrendous past-more experimental, dreamlike and a lot angrier. The film is way too noble (and literal minded in a way the book is not) to be truly successful. Only Kimberly Elise manages to give some life to this ponderous, earnest(like "Schindler's List) narrative. Also why are African American men portrayed(as in "The Color Purple") as betrayers, liars? It is never made clear. Disappointing to say the least. 'Beloved" is proof positive that good intentions don't make good art.

BeansOnToast I have seen this film four times, and it gets better with age. Basically, it gives you an idea of what every black family went through after slavery in the U.S.: some of their relatives were dead, some were missing, and those who survived were tormented by memories of the past. The story is loosely based on the true story of a slave named Margaret Garner, and it covers several people whose lives had been intertwined on a plantation.When you see this film, be prepared to get an idea of what slavery was really like--no "Gone with the Wind" pap about loyal mammies and lovable southern belles here. It was brutal, and the film doesn't shy away from it. This is what makes this film so great: it shows how slavery dehumanized both the slaves and the slave owners, and wrecked families afterward.Most of the complaints I've heard or read about the film are (when you strip away the quibbling) because people freaked out when they saw how graphically slavery was portrayed. What did they expect?? Bottom line: The images of slavery ARE disturbing, and also completely realistic. Jonathan Demme was right not to downplay it.Danny Glover and Kimberly Elise are great, and Beah Richards (as Baby Suggs, the preacher) is incredible. I also like that they used some historic landmarks like the old Pennsylvania Turnpike (a dirt road from the 1800s, portions of which still exist) for the large road that appears in several scenes. They also used some structures from a historic nineteenth-century village, again to give it a feeling of authenticity.

Lee Eisenberg Clearly, the racism of this country led people to ignore "Beloved" (to add insult to injury, 1998 had a piece of Hollywood crap like "Armageddon" as one of the top grossing flicks). This one tells the story of Sethe (Oprah Winfrey), a former slave in 1877 Ohio who many years earlier killed her daughter (Thandie Newton) rather than let the girl get sold into slavery. The girl's aura has haunted Sethe's house ever since. But things might be different now that Sethe's former lover Paul (Danny Glover) has arrived.When the movie came out, a review said that the cinematography made the house look like it was moving. I would agree with that. I would also add that much of the movie might make you feel like your blood is freezing. But there is an element of hope: at the end, we hear some people talking about Jesus, but it could be any Jesus (maybe they're returning to their African roots). Although I compared "Beloved" to "Sophie's Choice", I would say that this one is better, in that she's stronger.Anyway, this is a movie that I recommend to everyone. We Americans have an obligation to deal with our racist history, and this movie shows it. Also starring Kimberly Elise, Beah Richards, Irma P. Hall (of "The Ladykillers"), Jason Robards, and even Wes Bentley in a small role.Oh, and by the way, I saw this the same day that I saw "Shadrach", which also deals with slavery. I think that "Beloved" director Jonathan Demme executive produced "Shadrach".