Dirtylogy
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
Scotty Burke
It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review
Jenni Devyn
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Amy Adler
Julian Po (Christian Slater) is headed to the beach. A bookkeeper by profession, his life is not evolving the way he wanted it to, so he has quit his job in favor of this quest. However, before he reaches the beloved ocean of his dreams, his car breaks down and he walks to the nearest town. Talk about an unwelcoming committee! Although he is rented a room at a boarding house, Julian is immediately under intense scrutiny and avid speculation. All of the town folks, the mayor (Harve Presnell), his wife (Allison Janney), and the rest are convinced that Mr. Po is a killer-drifter, a con-artist, or, well, fill in the blank. Finally confronting him on his second day, at a diner, the residents are startled to hear that Julian's main plan is to commit suicide. All of a sudden, he is extended the hand of friendship for choosing their village as "the spot". The barber gives him a free haircut, stating that undertakers do lousy work, and Julian also gets a new suit, delicious muffins, and a marriage proposal from beautiful Sarah (Robin Tunney). It's heady stuff. Soon, kids are betting on what day the deed will be done and folks are coming to Julian for advice and fervent goodbyes. But, now Julian is not so sure what he wants, especially with the lovely Sarah in his life. Will Mr. Po follow through? This is a delightful movie, with an outstanding script of humor and insight. The credits state that it is based on a classic foreign novel, which is unfamiliar to most, but Alan Wade did a great adaptation of the work. Also fine are the cast members, including Slater, Tunney, Janney, Presnell, Cherry Jones, and all, all of the others. The small town setting is a beautiful, the costumes are well-chosen, and the cinematography and direction are most competent. The only caveat may be that the film's jacket doesn't do it justice, giving few clues to the strength of the story. Therefore, if you passed it by at the video store, thinking it appeared dull, ponder again. Po is not "po" but very rich.
bazdol
A truly tender tale and one that makes a person to reflect on life and its for a handicapped person The acting is superb showing that Christian Slater can really handle a demanding role with skill; I note that the commentator who hides behind the name of "anonymous" says that "it could have been been better but does not say how it could have been so.. My feeling is someone of that irk might say "Casablanca" or "Gone with the Wind" "could have been better." Ha!
dementia100
I think that the reason that Julian's past was not reflected was because they want people to relate. For example, If julian was going to kill himself because he...I don't know, let's say, killed his sister and was on the run, we wouldn't be able to relate to that because we've, hopefully, have never done such a thing.Instead, they chose to keep Julian's past unknown, so when he states that he is going to kill himself, we can all relate, because, and lets all admit, we have thought about it before. They want us to use our imaginations (and for some of you, this may be hard) as to what his past consisted of, because they want us to relate to this movie in one way or another and say "oh, I can understand what he feels, I've been there too."I also think that there was alot of symbolism. The townspeople saw the comming of Julian as somethink particular and strange when he first arrived, but when they found out that he was going to kill himself, they saw this as an opportunity to help a human being, hence the fact that they gave him several gifts and attention. But when he chose not to kill himself, the town felt taken for their good nature; they gave to him, trying to make his last days meaningful and with kind people, however expecting him to later take his own life. This, I think, is the meaning of the movie.
Jack-153
The beginning of this movie was good. It started to get really dumb after he told the people he wanted to kill himself. I think if I came from a little town like that I would be offended after seeing this movie. They made a lot of these people look dumb and crazy. How could these people have so little to do that they follow him around all day. A lot of times these people were telling him ways to kill himself like they were urging him to do it. How can so many people have little respect for other people? I also think they could have made a much better ending for this movie. There were some good parts to this movie also. Some people might like it, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
