Film Forum

Episode Recap

Episode 6

2/17/04

Films Reviewed: Against the Ropes and 21 Grams

Commentary: John Grisham 

Featurette: Behind the scenes of Welcome to Mooseport

Regarding Against the Ropes:

Matt: Movies about boxers are more interesting than movies about boxing managers.  The film has character, but needed the Meg Ryan role to be more interesting.  Two stars.

Aron: I felt Meg Ryan did a fantastic job as Jackie Kallen.  It really showed what she can do when she needs to.  And her co-stars were good, too.  Three stars.

Average Rating: **1/2 (out of ****)

Regarding 21 Grams:

Aron: After films like Memento, non-linear storytelling has been the rage.  This film follows its own set of rules and assumes the audience is intelligent enough to follow.  I liked that.  Three stars.

Matt: The film might have benefited from not jumping around all over the place, but the performances were all excellent.  Naomi Watts deserved her Oscar nod for this one.  Three stars.

Average Rating: *** (out of ****)

Commentary: John Grisham.  His Runaway Jury was released on DVD, so we talked about the other films made from his books.  

Featurette: Behind the scenes of Welcome to Mooseport, starring Ray Romano and Gene Hackman