Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Murphy Howard 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.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Terrell Howell (KnightsofNi11) After getting about 30 minutes into Ulee's Gold I said to myself, "Great. Another dysfunctional family movie." There are elements of this film that lead you to believe it will be something much bigger and much more original than the average dysfunctional family film. For instance, the dynamics of this family are set up in an interesting way. Ulee (Peter Fonda) is the grandfather of the two children he cares for. The parents of these children are criminals. Their father is in jail and their mother ran off and lives with two sleazy men she and her husband used to work with. Ulee realizes he has to bring this family back together so the plot of the film is him bringing his daughter in law home, and then facing the repercussions of this act. The story has the foundation for something incredibly enthralling, but I was personally underwhelmed as I felt that nothing much was achieved through this film and it wasn't really engaging in the slightest.This film lacks any kind of pizazz or real gripping elements. I'm OK with this when the film makes up for it by being either incredibly well made or proves to be a much more clever and complex story. Ulee's Gold is neither of these things. It just kind of leaves you with a sense of lackluster, half entertained dullness. There isn't much to this film, as far as I could tell, and it didn't really grab me emotionally like I felt it tried to do. While it could have really moved me or really intellectually engaged me, it fell short and I see it now as another film that ends up just being there. It's just another film with nothing very special about it to get my attention.But perhaps I'm being too harsh on the films story just for not living up to my expectations. It is an interesting story and it has its moments that can draw you in, but overall I was underwhelmed. Where this film's major issues stem from is just its overall tone. One of my least favorite things is when a film wants to be dramatic and it just tries too hard to be sincere and depressing. In Ulee's Gold I feel as if every character has just woken up at every moment of the film. They are all so bland and so dull that I just want to yell at them, "Have some enthusiasm! Wake up! Speak up!" The entire film just gives off this unbelievable sense of melodrama with all of the characters acting way too bleak. I understand that they are all in bad situations, and no doubt have a reason to be depressed, but if this monotone attitude could just break for one second I could buy into the drama of this film a little more. But instead the whole film is loaded with unrealistic dialouge that just furthers a one dimensional tone that gets old quickly. There's that split between realistic drama and melodrama. I wouldn't say Ulee's Gold dives head first into the melodrama side, but it certainly leans way too far in that direction for me to consider this emotionally engaging drama.I really wanted to enjoy Ulee's Gold. It had so much going for it and is one of those films that could have been so much better. But try as I might I could only find this film slow, dull, and monotonous. People have revered Peter Fonda's role as Ulee, but I honestly saw nothing in his performance. It fit with the rest of the dreary acting, complete with blank stare and all. I felt nothing while watching this movie, and that includes entertainment. I figure I will forget this movie within a week. Unfortunate, but true.

Michael Reed The title of the film "Ulee's Gold" does not inspire most movie-goers to run to their local theaters. As a skeptic, I gave the film a chance on a rainy Thursday evening & what a pleasant surprise. Those of us who enjoy superb acting, a good storyline & script, and a capable leading man are in for a treat. Standoffish, reclusive, & heartbroken beekeeper Ulee Jackson lives a simple life caring for his grandchildren in Florida. But the simple life is not without challenges. Ulee is forced to face his jailed son's crime & cohorts, a daughter-in-law on drugs, raising girls coming of age, & a new neighbor with a big heart. Through it all, Ulee keeps a stiff upper lip & a strong familial presence in order to right the wrongs & keep his simple life whole. Peter Fonda outdoes himself in the title role & gives you reason to believe in Ulee's fortitude. Jessica Biel & Patricia Richardson are more than capable in their respective supporting roles. If you get a chance, give "Ulee's Gold" a gander. You won't be disappointed. Platinum,....simply platinum.

ttbird2000 "Peter Fonda was never an action star"... So said Roger Ebert. That captures the essence of Fonda's performance, which is also the essence of "Ulee's Gold". There are those actors of past and present who visibly try to get you to notice them - Alec Baldwin, Robin WIlliams, and Marlon Brando are examples. There are those who do not try, and yet they still attract your attention - Gary Cooper, Steve McQueen, Randolph Scott - because of their charisma in what they say and do, regardless of how seldom they say and do it. Then there is the rarest of all actors - those who seem to be trying to get you to NOT notice them. Then, when their time to shine (their "close up", if you will) come along, you not only notice them, but you remember them. The only two actors I have known to do this are Spencer Tracy and Henry Fonda. In "Ulee's Gold" Peter Fonda shows he too has this ability, even if he seldom gets a chance to use it. In viewing this film, I saw much of Henry in Peter's performance. If you were to view "My Darling CLementine" you would also see the parallels in Henry's performance - how he calmly subdues a drunkard who is shooting up a saloon, and the easily Peter calmly walks into a nest of agitated bees. And the way both men act when harm threatens their family - they are calm and patient on the outside, but only until it is time to act. Then, they perform acts of cunning and bravery. Most of the time, they don't seem to be doing much at all. But you must still watch them because when they do something, you don't want to miss it. Henry made a number of exceptional films over a 45 year career - many good, but none wildly phenomenal. Peter mad the most influential film of his generation ("Easy Rider") while still in his 20s and has not come close to that level since. With "Easy Rider", we knew Peter was an icon. With "Ulee's Gold", we discover that he is Henry's son.

cmvoger Among other attractions, this film gives Peter Fonda the best role he's had in years. I would wish him a few more opportunities like that one, in short order. The best of luck to him. The workday that Ulee spends with his younger granddaughter, his explanations to her about beekeeping, help the audience understand what's going on. And the granddaughter's lectures to the doped-out mother draw a parallel between the integrity of the hive and the mother's re-entry into the family. Also, this movie has a lot of common sense about action sequences. When Ulee was attacked by the two vicious punks, things would have gone horribly wrong if he had turned into Steven Segal and started kicking people through the walls, turning it into an action epic. It would have ripped the fabric of a very realistic story. He outsmarts them instead. He traps the more vicious of the men behind a door and holds his weight against it, while he talks the less stupid one into calming down. Believable. And the same for the resolution at the end. Not a Hollywood feel-good, "everything's OK now" fadeout. But the psychos are incarcerated, Ulee's son has reason to feel optimistic about parole, and the family members are talking to each other. The daughter-in-law may even stay dried out.A very good film, deserving of the widest possible distributioncm