Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
Supelice
Dreadfully Boring
Cleveronix
A different way of telling a story
Matthew Vecera
Although Denis Leary, the male lead, and Jim Gaffigan, who plays a prominent supporting role, are best known as professional comedians, make no mistake. This is a fine, science fiction drama.The movie is driven by the dialog and the slowly unfolding plot of a great screenplay. There are essentially no special effects other than the flashbacks, and they are really more a product of good editing. The story is compelling and captivating, pulling you along as the larger plot points are revealed.I'm sure this movie made no real box office, but it is absolutely worth the rental. Leary is shockingly good in this movie and proves that he has the acting chops of an Oscar winner. Davis' performance is solid, but very demure. One could argue that she had a supporting role instead of the female lead. Although Gaffigan has a lot of screen-time, he does not have much dialog. Regardless, Gaffigan delivers a stalwart and believable performance.
bhaktigirl
I saw this movie twice, in a theater. I saw it the first time due to my fondness for both stars, and ended up loving it so much I went back 3 days later. There's not much sign of Leary's usual persona- he's excellent as a dazed & confused but maybe not all that delusional patient. I liked Hope Davis in it, too, but Leary was really the center, and the film keeps you guessing as to how accurate his memories are, and his paranoia. The end is so simple and yet one of the most emotionally powerful & devastating I've ever seen. It's a pity more people haven't seen this. It shows what you can do with a bare minimum of scenery/sets but also a great script with actors up to the task....
Pidgey1
For the most part, I have always loved Denis Leary. He is a funny and obviously talented performer. But now I know what I've been missing. His ability to act to be a character so out of character for him, is substantially shocking. Final is an amazing movie and of course so much of that has to do with Campbell Scott, the quietest most subtle actor/director around. The real problem is that I had not even heard of this movie. How can such a wonderful and complex contribution not have been afforded any or little comment. It is indeed a sparse movie, but only in the sense of the setting. Otherwise, the screen is packed and each scene full of acting and real world questions about reality and our sense of selves. Hope Davis is always phenomenal as well, but look what can be done with a small room and two right on actors. See this movie and appreciate what can be done with a stick and a piece of string.
Alan J. Jacobs
I felt as though I should watch it again to figure out plot elements that I really didn't get, hints of things that may or may not have happened. But I didn't, because I just wasn't that interested.I guess that mental hospitals are popular as sites for movies because there must be lots of vacant sanitoria lying around the country that you can rent for cheap. And this movie seemed quite cheap. What is it about Denis Leary? He so unsympathetic, such an overactor, such an emoter. He has the right to exist, but I've never seen him in anything where I enjoyed watching the guy act. And when he speaks as himself, as a guest on a talk show, he's even less sympathetic. Hope Davis was her usual bland self.But there are a few elements of the plot that I didn't get, and I didn't go back to figure out: (SPOILER)1. Is there a prior relation between Bill and Ann? Specifically, is Bill the father of Ann?2. Is Ann an unfrozen person, who once had some relation to Bill?3. What's with Ann's sister? Was she frozen, but now having troubles? Is she really Ann's sister, or her mother, via Bill?As you can see, I missed something. I'm not good at sci-fi mysteries. So blame it on me.Jim McGaffin as the orderly was perfect.
