Protraph Lack of good storyline.

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

icreeem ...but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. The performances of each actor were exemplary...and surprising, considering James Woods' ability to play such a sleazy worm so convincingly (as in "The Onion Field" or "Against All Odds") and Glenn Close's horrifying character in "Fatal Attraction"...these are two outstanding actors, whose roles of a warm and long-married-yet-unfulfilled couple really put extra credibility in each of their bag of tricks. Masterson and Dillon are equally excellent as the working-class, clueless kids who are suddenly thrust into parenthood, seeing adoption as their only sensible option out of the situation. What I found most compelling is Michael and Linda (Woods and Close) are a couple who have it all; long-term experience in a loving marriage, excellent careers (he's a veterinarian, she's a real estate broker), a nice house near the bay, nice cars, etc...but are lacking what they really want; a child of their own. Their obvious envy of their friends' relationships with their children is played beautifully, where you can really feel the deep hurt of the "empty womb" through their expressions (the best of which is Michael's observing a young father and his son at a football game) and their discomfort of being among all the happy parents and their children (the birthday party). I found the anticipation of the arrival of Lucy (Masterson) and the ultimate arrival of the baby were very contagious, again, through the excellence of the cast. The glimpses of the younger couple's lives back in Ohio were very revealing as to their characters...again, superbly done! I also loved the understated mischief of the family dog, which, hilariously, closes the film. A warm movie, extremely enjoyable.

TxMike Mary Stuart Masterson, two years before her role in Fried Green Tomatoes, plays Lucy, a simple teenager who has a child with her young musician boyfriend. While pregnant she makes arrangements for the baby to be adopted by a family that can give it a good home. That family is Linda and Michael Spector, played by Glenn Close and James Woods, living on the west coast.As Lucy carries the child she becomes friends with the Spectors, and even visits their home before the baby is born, to the point of admiring the room they have decorated for the newborn. However, after the delivery she has second thoughts, the normal bond between a mother and her child, and simply leaves the hospital, with baby boy, and travels to Ohio and her dad's home. Later when it become clear to her that she and the young father cannot give their son a proper upbringing, she goes back to the Spectors and gives him to them. She leaves a letter to William (the boy) and in a voice-over as the movie is ending, we hear her tell him why she gave him up. The Spectors stay in touch and we see a photo she has of the boy about two years old, with a big shaggy dog.

trpdean I happened upon this on television. I remember when it was released in the theaters, but as a single man, it hadn't exactly been my cup of tea.Well, it's wonderful. The portrayal of the two couples is so very well written, so believable, so realistic, so interesting. The acting is simply superb - these actors make these people so sympathetic, so real.How wonderfully written this is. There's nothing formulaic about the way these people speak, the way they smile at each other, the small jokes they make, how they move and interact, the awkwardnesses that arise or dissipate, the unspoken sense of threat. Each character seems quite individual. I can't single out any one actor - they were all just wonderful. I'm nowhere close to this situation - yet I was very moved. One thing I loved was simply showing how these two couples related to each other - and the different ways they express warmth toward one another.The only things I disliked were the excessive use of music - (the fact that I'm not a fan of Van Morrison hurt) it felt like padding. I also thought the ending was somewhat pat. All in all, this is really top notch - it shows what talent can do - even where you've no intrinsic interest in the subject.

jjispi This movie was an excellent follow up for actress Glenn Close, after Fatal Attraction. It is a completely different direction, and showed her range as an actress. Lucy and Michael Spector, a upper middle class Seattle couple, have been married for ten years, and long to start a family. After several failed attempts, they opt for an open adoption. Mary Stuart Masterson plays the expecting teenage mother who contacts them through the ad they placed in a out of state newspaper. What follows is an acurate and touching portrayal of four people, (including the baby's father,) who's rollercoaster emotions manage to be both funny and heartbreaking at times. I thought this movie was fantastic, engrosing from start to finish, and a must see for any fan of the actors in it! Eight stars!