Rating: 
Summary: Want to take a walk in the "Park"...
Review: Robert Altman must have woke up one morning and turned the tv to public television. On the tv there may have been a little show known as "Mystery" or "Poirot". As he sat there staring into the tube, enjoying the show, he probably said something like this: "I wanna make one of those." And thus, "Gosford Park" was born.Of course there were other inspirations for Gosford Park, probably an entire list of them, but it felt like a late night episode of "Father Cadfiel". Not that that's bad, but if a decent murder mystery / cast rich film can recieve awards, shouldn't we consider the lesser? Gosford Park is a good movie, a really good one. But, If you don't have interest in period films, or have problem's with quick, overlapping and sometimes unintelligable dialogue (sub-t are helpful) then don't see it. The British accent's neither help nor hinder the problem. (If you have a surround sound set-up, listen out for the cigarette effect that takes place in left speaker, when the inspector first goes into the kitchen with the servants. It is a nice touch.) Maggie Smith is always good in whatever she does, and transend's what could have been a drab character creating some nifty moments. You can tell she had fun with the material. The most interesting character was the Inspector, who's detatched effort's made me sit up in my seat. His performance reminded me of something Orson Welles would do if he were living today in his prime. Ryan Phillippe seemed out of place, but its good to see that he's branching out of the "Teen flick" category, and took a great step by participating. Freddy Prinze should follow his example (unfortunately he has been tackled to continue in the next two Scooby-poo sequels). As a fan of period film's, I liked Gosford Park, but if I were just an everyday movie goer who had low tolerance for quick dialogue and spent my life avoiding shows like "Mystery", then you may want to miss it. ~s.a.o.s.~
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre regurgitation of CLUE.
Review: I am sick to my stomach of hearing how "this is Altman's finest work" and "it should have won Best Picture" and so on. Altman's finest work?? He hasn't HAD any fine work! He was a one-hit-wonder with "THE PLAYER" but all of his other films were terrible.
But I'm not prejudice to Robert Altman films. I gave this one a chance. It has no characters I care about, an ending that just seems like they ran out of money so they had to stop, and a plot shamelessly ripped off of the far superior "CLUE". The story involves a huge group of people going to a large country mansion for a shooting party. One of them is a producer for the 30's and 40's "Charlie Chan" mystery films, who's next film "CHARLIE CHAN IN LONDON" begins to mysteriously come to life as one of the guests is both poisioned and stabbed. So, whodunnit? Well, we don't exactly find out, so it doesn't particularly matter who did it. Another thing I don't like about this movie is all the meaningless scenes. The film could have been cut down to an hour and a half if they could have spared ten or twenty meaningless conversations like "This tea is cold, could I have another one...? No! Not in that glass! You're not even Scottish!"
Not to mention that in "CLUE", you couldn't tell if the killer was male or female, leaving us guessing. But in "GOSFORD PARK", we not only see that the killer is a man, but that he's also wearing pen-striped pants! A trait that only belongs to one person in the whole movie!!! In closing, if you're intrested in the way Europeans lived their lives during the 30's, or would like to see nice scenery (which this film does have quite a bit of), go out and see this film. However, if you want a good murder mystery flick, do yourself a favor and just watch "CLUE".
Rating: 
Summary: BORING
Review: One word to describe this movie...boring. And if I were like the movie I would repeat it over and over and over again for 2 hours. It has been a long time since I sat through such an overrated film. It must be the psuedo-intellegentsia that foudn this movie so fascinating. I agree with whomever said that it was a drama, with no drama, a comedy with no humor and a mystery with no mystery. Don't waste your time or money on this turkey.
Rating:
Summary: The true mystery here is why all the critical praise?
Review: What a waste of acting talent. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery will be sorely disappointed here. Easily figured out soon after the murder takes place, this script is an abomination. The speech was practically unidentifiable as the English lanaguage when spoken by the household staff. The banter of the guests was understandable but incredibly stultifying. The only positive was the early 1930's setting. The directing was simply annoying. Don't waste your time or money (as I did) on this easily forgotten, overhyped, completely non-entertaining waste of talent and film.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant - Simply Brilliant!
Review: Those who find this movie boring, just simply don't get the nuanced brilliance of the story and the sheer mastery in the acting and directing. Just keep watching the shallow hollywood flicks you've grown accustomed to... Gosford Park allows the viewer to be a fly on the wall during a hunting weekend which turns out to be rather tragic for all. The relationship between the rich well to do and the servants below stairs gives us a unique peek into how it really would have been in England at the early part of the last century. Altman transports the viewer with the lush sets and amazing costumes. Watch the interaction between characters and be in awe of the great talent assembled to act. You won't find a better cast in any movie made in the last 30 years.
Rating:
Summary: One of my Top Ten of 2001
Review: Robert Altman began his career over fifty years ago in television, directing episodes of early popular shows like "Route 66" and Maverick". Who'd have thought he would go on to direct some of the most interesting movies ever made, or that at the beginning of the 21st Century, he'd still be going strong? Like anyone whose career has spanned more than half a century, he has had his peaks and valleys. Movies like "M.A.S.H." and "Nashville" made him famous in the early 1970s. For the next two decades his work was so hit and miss that some thought he'd lost his touch, but he came roaring back in the 1990s with pictures like "The Player" and Short Cuts". Now comes "Gosford Park", one of his best works ever. The English countryside, 1932. Sir William McCordle [Michael Gambon] and his wife, Lady Sylvia [Kristin Scott Thomas] have invited a dozen guests for the weekend. They arrive with their servants, who disappear downstairs while their employers go up to the lavish suites and drawing rooms of Gosford Park House. While the grand ladies and gentlemen are doing their best to impress and entertain each other, the servants are busy seeing to it that everything runs smoothly. The intrigue and gossip downstairs is at least as complex and interesting as it is upstairs. Class and tradition may separate the two groups, but, as the story moves along, we see that they are actually connected in all sorts of ways. Everything runs smoothly until someone [or perhaps more than one] rudely kills the host.... Twice! After the murder, the plot gets a little murky, but most viewers will be having too much fun to care. Altman movies are rarely about story. They are about the characters. His genius lies in his ability to take a script with many speaking parts and make all of the characters distinct and memorable. Most directors can't handle more than six or seven characters. "Gosford Park" has over thirty. The legendary Maggie Smith is a real scene-stealer as the shrewd, witty and acerbic Constance, Sir William's not-so-devoted sister. Ms. Smith can make you laugh just by twitching her lip or raising an eyebrow. Helen Mirren plays Mrs. Wilson, head housekeeper of Gosford Park. She knows everyone's secrets. Stephen Fry is Inspector Thompson, who is more interested in the trappings of his job than he is in actually finding out who killed Sir William, while Alan Bates is Jennings, the head butler who knows he's at the top of his profession. The list of players goes on and on. Some roles are larger than others are, but none of the actors seems to mind. They say that working with Altman is a joy. "Gosford Park", by the way, is a comedy. It has a lot to say about class structure and the way people interact with one another. It shows how people often say one thing and mean another or use words as verbal swords. But Altman never preaches. He's one of life's keenest observers. It's a joy to share his observations.
Rating:
Summary: SHOULD HAVE WON BEST PICTURE
Review: I was unable to see "Gosford Park" in theatres. I was able to see "The Lord of the Rings", "A Beautiful Mind", and "Moulin Rouge". At first, I was very disappointed that the Best Picture Oscar didn't go to "TLOTR", but now I am even more disappointed that "Gosford Park" didn't win.
I had the luxury of reading the screenplay first; I couldn't wait until it came out on DVD. So, I already knew the characters and the story, which helps, especially since the film was a bit slow getting off, and the characters' names are not exactly set in stone win you see them for the first time. But I truly think that this is Robert Altman's finest achievement yet (even better than "MASH") and that Michael Gambon's, Kristen Scott Thomas's, Helen Mirren's, and most of all, Maggie Smith's performances are some of the best I've seen in some time.
No film is without its faults, but no film is without merit either. "Gosford Park" deserved every Oscar nom. (and its one win for Best Original Screenplay) and should have received Best Picture. It was much more entertaining and simply better than the long, drawn-out 'drama' of that annoying schizophrenic, which will be long-since forgotten by next year's Academy Awards.
Rating:
Summary: Think Agatha Christie meets Robert Altman
Review: What violence is to the action/adventure film(this film is NOT that at all), dialogue is to Robert Altman's latest work, "Gosford Park".
Like other films by Altman, this one has it's different stories giong on at once, and a huge cast, mostly made up of unknowns.
Maggie Smith, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Jeremy Northam(played Mr. Big on Sex and the City) are the well knowns who play among the aristocrats. Emily Watson, Helen Mirren, Alan Bates, and Ryan Phillippe are among the well knowns of the servants of the aristocrats. The strongest performances are by Smith and Mirren, who were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars. Maggie Smith was far more deservant of the Oscar than the winner, Jennifer Connolly. Smith was great as the sarcastic, tactless, snob who has nothing good to say about anyone at all.
The story: Lady Sylvia McCordle(Scott Thomas) and her husband, William are hosting a shooting party. The party consists of everyone sitting around talking and eating and drinking the night before the actual shooting of birds commences. They invite family and friends of society. Everyone brings their own servant. It reminded a little of "Murder by Death", but it was really that funny at all. It had it's little momments, but this is mostly a dramatic film with a plot twist of murder added to the Altman mix. It shows the different world and goings on of both the "aristrocrats" and their "servants".
The acting was very well done by the entire cast. I can see that Robert Altman is trying something new here to some extent, and he did a good job. This is a decent film, but It is not one of my faves of 2001. I thought it was far too slow, and it seemed to drag on forever. This is long!!! Be prepared for that. It's a fine choice if you like British whodunit type films.
Rating:
Summary: an instant classic and the best film of 2001
Review: Words like "masterpiece" and "classic" are thrown around so often these days that I hesitate, but this is one film that truly deserves all the accolades it has garnered. This hybrid cross of Upstairs/Downstairs, Agatha Christie, and The Rules of the Game provides a richly detailed portrait of a morally complex universe where nothing is as simple as it first appears. It's really more of a "whydunit?" than a "whodunit?" The ensemble cast is flawless--in fact, there are so many perfect perfomances that it would be unfair to single one out. Suffice it to say that Robert Altman is the greatest living "actor's director." And for a "cynical, old ironist," he also gives us one of the most deeply felt endings in recent cinema, one that brings the entire 2 hour and 18 min. film into poignantly sharp focus. Finally, Gosford Park's deliberate pacing, shifting mise en scene, and overlapping dialogue provide ample and rewarding opportunity for multiple viewings.
Rating: 
Summary: More a comedy of manners than a mystery
Review: And I think that is the source of the several negative reviews of this film. It is not primarily a mystery, and people who go to see a Poirot or Marple will naturally be disappointed. A huge ensemble of very talented stars were paid a pittance (by Hollywood standards) to work with Altman. The mystery is only a small part of the film; the characterizations and the evocation of the zeitgeist of the era are most of it. The word "ensemble" is important here: there is no preeminent star stealing the show: it a a bunch of good actors, working together in gorgeous settings, under good direction. Maggie Smith is brilliant (if a tiny bit reminiscent of Professor McGonagle). I have been surprised that the film has not caused a resurgence of interest in the music of Ivor Novello, played wonderfully by Jeremy Northam. This is one of those films that take good advantage of the DVD ability to easily access particular scenes. While you will undoubtedly watch the whole thing through again, you can also go to favorite parts where the actors are particularly good. I always come away thinking "Damn, that was good!"
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