Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

didiermustntdie a great film, one of the funniest films ever. the only thing that disturbed me is the music sounds like flashdance...what a feeling.. also it would be more believable if the character Daniel Auteuil plays were a loser businessman,that would be less effective but more believable. but anything else is valid, credible and even realist.. the scene with Georges's sister is touching , the scene with the maid is moving and bitter,the shoe shop scene ,the opening sequence and some others are hilarious. but the car shop one is gone too far..oh well, another issue on the subplot,he is neither unfaithful nor abusive. I don't know what's the problem between harry and his wife. I think I would stand by harry's side like I did in "war of roses".it's my first film about Down syndrome people, those forgotten souls(people now only care about and spend too much time and energy on blacks who are actually the real oppressors today)...

Harry T. Yung spoilersRecommended to me passionately by one IMDb correspondent and lent to me generously by another, The 8th Day finally found its place in my best films list. Heartfelt thanks to both.One phenomenon I've been experiencing recently is that when I watch a movie, my thought would be often linked to some others I have watched, recently and even not so recently. For The 8th Day, this thought association process is truly internationally: Italian 'La Finestra di fronte' (taking a mentally disturbed stranger into one's household), 'Russian' Vozvrashcheniye (driving away leaving a helpless person standing in torrential rain), Brazilian 'Central Station' (taking a total stranger on the road to look for his kin) and Japanese 'Hana-bi' (the fireworks on the beach). Come to think of it, such links can be extended to Hollywood's 'Love Actually' (a possible scenario if the characters played by Laura Linney and Rodrigo Santoro really got married, i.e. she with a mentally troubled brother). But I digress.Crudely generalized, The 8th Day could be seen as another odd-couple type of story, a unlikely relationship between George, born a mongol, and Harry, a hardened sales executive. The physical convergence happens a little bit into the story, when dejected Harry driving in rain at night hits George's dog. The spiritual convergence actually comes earlier in a parallel situation: George longing for his deceased mother and Harry's daughters under the custody of his estranged wife longing for their unreachable father. Through laughs and tears, we follow the friendship developed between Harry and George, ending in the heart-wrenching irony of George becoming Harry's savior while he himself is lost in that corner of his own world that cannot be touched by anyone but he beloved, late mother. 'On the eighth day, God created George', a gift, but also a misfit, maybe too good for this world.There are some special motif in this film that are worth mentioning. At the beginning is the use of arrows, perhaps to graphically drive home the message that we, the human species, are lost. Then, both at the beginning and at the end, there is an abundance of beautiful close-up shots of insects, which some would consider as the most humble of all living species.

jmvcrit56 Though the plot elements to "The Eighth Day" seem like they have been done plenty of times, the film still has much of the spark, mystery, and symbolism that Jaco Van Dormal's first film had. Though not as good as "Toto the Hero", which will always remain on my favorites list, the movie still leaves us with lots of emotions. Daniel Auteil, from 2001's flavorless "The Closet" downplays his part, afraid to overact (rightfully so, the role could have easily been ruined if the actor was overly dramatic). However, I felt the part needed a bit more realism to it, focusing more on the character itself instead of simply the character's growth.Don't walk into this movie expecting the dark humor and unexpected twists that you got from "Toto the Hero" because you will be disappointed. However, the film still serves as a decent, if not flawed, movie

new_techer The eighth day, what was it like? Simple, sweet and slightly moralistic, as it turns out. That was when God made George, and endowed him with an extra chromosome, be it by chance or divine experiment. But when God looked at George, he saw it was for the good. And so will you.The plot is simple. Harry (Daniel Auteuil), a stressed-out salesman instructor, is losing grip on the disintegrating fabric of his personal and professional life, when he accidentally meets George (Pascal Duquenne), a stray escapee from a mental institution. George suffers from the Down syndrome, but is adorably adept at enjoying the simple things in life. The only thing he misses is his family. And on the day George eventually goes out to try to find it, he is almost run over by the recklessly driving Harry. Against the odds, the two become friends and set out on a journey to find the missing links of their lives.Not very original, you might say. True enough, comparisons to `Rainman' and `Falling Down' keep coming to mind throughout the movie, with Daniel Auteuil sometimes looking so much like Michael Douglas. But despite these `borrowings' and pervasive overtones of political correctness, the authors of the movie manage to deliver many moments of genuine humor and sweetness in the film. The acting is commendable too, honored by two acting awards of the Cannes Festival in 1996.Eventually, the film prevails over its imperfections, much like George is left unhindered by his own handicap. After all, don't we all sometimes just yield to the magic of the simple things in life? Even if it is only in defiance of life's other, tragic circumstances.