ChanFamous
I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Helllins
It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.
Frances Chung
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
jadonachar
This movie started off really good with the little kid having the red violin and being really talented but after his death the movie just became really boring didn't like any of the other characters besides the teacher and the kid which we saw for like 10 minutes. Overall bad movie. Not worth your time.
Sofia Duarte
I understand this movie is about a violin, but what are objects if there is no human hands to make them "alive"? My point is: I love the fact that the violin is somehow cursed because of the cause that made it red, but it doesn't stand for itself, without a musician's hands to bring it to life. So, why wasn't i able to feel any connection with any of the characters? The movie tries to say too much as it explores too many stories, only to tell us the violin is cursed, but it failed to deliver, because for the viewer to feel that, there would have to be a connection between us and the characters. On the contrary, i couldn't care less about any of them, except maybe the orphan virtuoso.I also felt that the "passion" that I (as a viewer) was supposed to feel for the violin, just wasn't there. There should be more emotional items to connect the viewer to it, like for instance, better music. What happened to sweet and dramatic and revealing melodies? They aren't there at all, and it's such a shame. I remember when i saw "Copying Beethoven" i cried all the way through his concerto, because i felt attached to him, Diane Kruger's character, and all the music, all the instruments, it was all wonderful in that scene. This movie doesn't have high moments like that.I rate it with 5 out of ten, because, although i was expecting more of this movie, i was entertained, and i also loved the motif that made the violin red. I liked the fact that we followed the violin in different moments of History, i liked that it wasn't centered only in one place and one story, i just think that it should be more centered in the characters and on how the violin grew on them.Overall it's an "ok" movie.
happycatpaws
I didn't have a clue what to expect from this movie. I was afraid it would be slow, tedious and somewhat boring, but it was engaging from the beginning and kept your interest as you followed along the saga of the red violin, which was the main "character" of the story. From it's creation, passing through a variety of hands of ownership, the red violin has a rich history and significant stories. It has multi-layers of interests: historical, artistic, relational, political. It includes beautiful music and an intriguing twist to the story and the significance to the instrument. Watching the movie is like the feeling many of us have had going into an antique shop, purchasing an item and wondering the life it had before it reached our hands. This story answers that mystery for the red violin and weaves the tales of it's existence into this interesting piece of film. It is a quality and memorable movie, well worth your viewing time.
GeneSiskel
Director Girard likes classical music and campy cinematic set-pieces. If you like either -- particularly the set-pieces: hoary, over-the-top grifts and costume dramas -- you'll probably enjoy this film. The sound won an Oscar, presumably for Joshua Bell's lovely, beautifully recorded playing of John Corigliano's derivative violin music; the compositions themselves aren't very interesting. The stories feature a 17th century tarot card reading, an orphanage run by monks high in the Austrian alps, an opium-stocked Edwardian lord whose fiddling makes Greta Schacchi swoon and her prose definitely purple, and one of those high-end auctions where folks call in on the phone and the auctioneer keeps saying "Fair warning" in a plummy English accent. It's a showy film, not arty or especially clever, but it's interesting enough for an evening at home.
