Rating: 
Summary: Finally a movie that shows the way men really think!
Review: Why don't they make more movies like this? An intelligent thriller (you won't know what really happened till almost the very end) with a look at the complexities and complications men face in their everyday lives. On the surface the movie focuses on several men and the women in their lives - among them, a psychiatrist (played by Barbara Hershey) and her husband (Geoffrey Rush) whose marriage is floundering after the death of their daughter and a cop (Anthony Lapaglia) who has been unfaithful to his wife. There are several other couples in this film as well and, slowly, all of the couples' lives begin to affect one another in strange and oddly disquieting ways.
But the real center of the film is the way the men talk to one another about their lives and slowly reveal their thoughts and feelings. Don't get me wrong - this is NOT a touchy feely movie but it is one of the few films where the inner life of men is revealed in a realistic way. Watch it once to try and figure out whodunit and then watch it again to catch the subtle interactions between the various men and the women in their lives.
Rating: 
Summary: Not that great
Review: I'd been looking forward to seeing this movie after catching some previews & after a friend raved about it.
I liked Ray Lawrence's "Bliss", & it seemed to have all the ingredients but unfortunately, for me, it was a real let down. Anthony LaPaglia acts like he's doing rehearsals & delivers a flat performance. Geoffrey Rush is always very average in my opinion, & Barbara Hershey just plays Barbara Hershey. Vince Colosimo & Peter Phelps are the REAL stars here.
It's a poor man's Robert Altman-movie; where all these different characters/lives meet up somewhere along the line. "Magnolia" did that sort of thing,you know,& did it better.
The screenplay,here,is very disappointing and early on it all becomes pretty darn predictable. Some good Lawrence-esque scenes here & there but,generally,the film lacks real soul & drags out too much.
Rating:
Summary: Should have been nominated for an Oscar
Review: Ultimately, Lantana is a study of human relationships, ..., I cared about each of the characters. It is superbly acted (my favourite was Kerry Armstrong) and has a great atmosphere. I loved everything about it. Along with "Rabbit-Proof Fence", this is one of the best recent Australian movies I've seen.
Rating:
Summary: Most overlooked film of 2001/2002
Review: That Anthony LaPaglia is not nominated for this performance is a black eye on the Academy. His performance alone is worth going to see this film. And the supporting cast, from the always great Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey on down the line is pitch perfect. A moody thriller who draws it's greatest level of suspense not from bloody violence, but from occurances in everybody's daily life. A unique filmgoing experience that deserved a far bigger audience. Shame on Lion's Gate Films for not promoting this film better!
Rating:
Summary: Aussie Drama at its Best
Review: Lantana won several awards last year, although they weren't very high profile. It stars the wonderful but low-profile Anthony Lapagalia in the primary role of a cop with a family. However, his marraige isn't working out. This is just one of the several storylines that branch out and resolve themselves at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Can we care about thirteen characters?
Review: Yes! We can care about thirteen characters -- if they are compellingly and convincingly developed as they are in "Lantana"!
Only an extraordinarily brilliant and focused screenplay could accomplish such a tour de force. A baker's dozen of excellent actors also contributes to this immensely powerful production. Barbara Hershey and Geoffrey Rush are, as we have come to expect, quite wonderful in their portrayal of a professional couple who are seized by circumstances which allow them to demonstrate a rather wide range and depth of emotion. The other eleven are rather good too! I know of no film in this genre (drama) that is more grippingly satisfying or more worthy of accolade. This is truly a "must see" film -- and it surely deserves every award it ultimately receives (here's hoping it's lots!)
Rating:
Summary: Decent Melodrama, Not a Classic Mystery
Review: Lantana is a collage of a number of people's lives-- similar to movies such as "The Grand Canyon" and "Short Cuts"-- who come together when a woman disappears and murder may be involved. But the real "mystery" may be about something else.In general, the movie has good performances, and the observant movie viewer may recognize more than one level is going on and be struck by the emotions and psychology of characters (especially of distrust and deception especially in relationships). The problem is that there are better examples of this type of movie ("Grand Canyon," "Short Cuts," and "Happiness" immediately come to mind). This movie also works on particular coincidences between characters which are probably a bit more annoying than enriching. The other movies I mention do not have that problem. But the main problem of this movie is that it is told too linear and the result is more like an episodic melodrama, and this movie obviously was trying to be more. It should've been more bold and remembered to cross the genre of a "mystery" which it is supposed to be doing. It needed to start "in media res," in the middle of things, with the truly striking moment, which is right BEFORE the woman disappears. By telling it linearly, it's an episodic melodrama, and reminds me more of many bad 70's movies, though with better acting and definitely a movie with more substance. Sometimes linear storytelling is not the right "order" for the story and the way it builds up.
Rating:
Summary: Searing!
Review: This movie is searing in that it is brutally honest! The fear inherent in our world, causes suspicion and distrust which gets in the way of having healthy loving relationships. There is one scene at the end that touched me almost as much as the sister to the main character in Bread and Roses did. Anthony La Paglia's acting ability is enormous. He is not seen that often in American films but he is definately one of the best actors around! I just saw him in The Bank and his acting is just as good. The movie revolves around several different characters and how they connect together and either disconnect or become closer. It has an Altman edge to it but without all the busyness. The movie is clear cut but is heavy with deeper meanings thread into its fabric. Another really good actor is the wife of La Paglia. I have not seen her before or not that I can remember but she is definately endowed with great acting ability! The distrust each character feels shows an emptiness or hole in their personal lives which spreads into their jobs. It spreads just like the plant which is named for the movie. Lantana was brought to Australia and grows out of control. It shows the plant often in the movie. A must see for someone who enjoys movies that prompt growth and discussion. No comedy in this movie, a very serious drama, that really reflects much of society today! Lisa Nary
Rating:
Summary: Domestic Staleness a Bit Overdone
Review: Contrary to the sterling critical reviews I've read, I see this film as a mild disappointment. The story is clear but seems implausible because of the far-fetched coincidences. But worse, the characters, who are all edgy and on the brink of despair and loneliness, are drawn too akwardly and abruptly so that the result is that many scenes come across as maudlin. Also, the movie's pace, especially the first half, is slow and plodding. Having said that, there is much to admire in this film. The theme of domestic ennui, trust, forgiveness, and the conflict between passion and security. Secondly, the story line is compelling enough. And finally, the performances are fine, by actors who look like real people and not glitzy Hollywood models. I've heard Lantana is being called "The Australian Short Cuts," as it's compared to Robert Altman's masterpiece. I for one would not go this far.
Rating: 
Summary: Altmanian Australia
Review: The influence of Robert Altman is strongly felt in this powerful drama, in that the storyline technique he pioneered with Nashville of events that make disparate characters converge is here used to powerful effect. An unhappily married cop--Zat--played quite well by Anthony LaPaglia--is tense and uncertain enough about his life to engage in a brief affair with another woman and occasionally fly off the handle at his wife, his partner, and others in the immediate area. His wife suspects the affair and begins seeing a psychiatrist--Barbara Hershey in a great performance--who is also unhappily married, and who suspects her own husband of having an affair with another man. Zat's partner, a woman, is interested in a man she occasionally sees at a restaurant she frequents--the same man Zat bumps into while jogging. The psychiatrist's husband, played by Geoffrey Rush in an understated and effective performance, finds Zat obtrusive during his relentless questioning regarding his wife's disappearance--she's inexplicably missing one night. These are a few examples of the convergence of character-driven events that Ray Lawrence, the director, uses to drive the film onwards. This is not as much a movie about relationships as it is about uncertainty. What do I really know about this person I've been with all these years? How do I really feel about him/her? If I don't really know the answer to this question, what do I do about it? How do I do what I want without hurting somebody? If I do hurt somebody, then what do I do? The idea of using the Altman technique to explore uncertainty IN relationships, between people, is a great one, and it's used here extremely well. When we see these characters converge with potentially overly coincidental events, this works because the emotional tones (both under- and over-) in the film are strongly developed, so much so that the convergences seem exactly right. The one minor gripe I have is that LaPaglia, though born in Australia, veers back and forth between a halfway decent Australian accent and an obvious American one. Other than that, this is a very strong film and definitely worth seeing.
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