Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie
Review: What a wonderful piece of cinema. It is so smart. I wish more movies would made liek this one. The talent on this film film exudes from the screen. I laughed and cried. The extras are pretty good on this DVD. I especially enjoyed the commentary from Altman
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of time. The most boring film of alltime
Review: Typically I like these kinds of movies. With so many oscar nominations and wins, I really looked forward to this movie. However I was greeted by an utterly boring movie. The plot was slow, the movie just sludged along at an overly-leisurly pace. And plot? What plot? You wait for the entire movie for something to happen and when it does, the movie ends a few minutes later. I think that the oscar judges fell asleep when watching this movie; when they woke up and the movie was over, they couldn't remember whether they liked it and so decided to be on the safe side, save some shame, and award this movie.Never again will those precious minutes of my life come back.
Rating: 
Summary: Excessively Dark and Far Too Predictable
Review: I fully agree with the critics who called this movie Robert Altman's ill-disguised plea for a lifetime achievement award. Far too often it screams out "Remember M*A*S*H!" But what worked in the dark comedy genre falls flat in a drama. In Gosford Park, the large cast and disjointed dialogue fuse confusion and boredom in the viewer's mind. Yet, despite the vast array of vague and under-developed subplots, the movie can hardly be called a whodunit, as the murderer becomes easy to identify very early on. Meanwhile, the viewer is subjected to almost ceaseless tales of woe and despair from a generally weak cast. Stephen Fry manages to steal the show, completely upstaging his co-stars as a bumbling detective. Yet, his lighthearted, almost farsically inept character is completely misplaced in Gosford Park's world of angst. The historical accuracy is questionable; perhaps a few British historians should have been consulted. I've heard that the visual effects were impressive on the large screen, but that is lost on DVD (unless perhaps you have a projection tv).
Rating:
Summary: An Altman Triumph!
Review: Reading the customer reviews, it's obvious people either love or hate this movie...and sometimes for personal reasons. One commented on the phoney British accents - odd, considering many of the actors hail from England. Another found the characters evil - I found them refreshing honest in their dishonesty.
I loved this movie which surprised me 'cause I am not a great fan of director Altman's MASH or Nashille.
You have to really pay attention to what's on the screen because each scene is like a painting...there's almost always more than one thing to focus on; often more than one character talking at the same time. I loved that. I could't believe the bitchiness, the selfishness -- and not like Hollywood's usual over-the-top portrayals. These are people you meet at large dinner parties (minus the accents).
Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren were nominated for best-supporting Oscars and I had thought, as much as I love these performers, I wonder if they're just nominations for their body of work. Wrong...they simply are amazing.
I won't promise you will enjoy this movie as much as I, but I highly recommend you give it a try.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: The incoherence of this ensemble period piece is frustrating at times, but it is still a visual treat, and it is interesting to see so many high-profile British actors interweaving. There is a lot of guru nonsense that's been generated over Altman. He has a characteristic style, but to hear him interviewed is to understand how casual and uninformed his approach is. It must be a nightmarish editing process. What bothered me the most were the self-referential asides about actors, producers, and California living. Please. Try to imagine something bloated like 'Hurly Burly,' reset on a lush country estate in 1930's Britain, and you begin to understand the Gosford Park experience. Sure, the actors look exceedingly fine, and the upstairs/downstairs butlers and chambermaids phenomenon is still fascinating. There's plenty of intrigue brewing beneath the surface, but it never really blossoms into anything worth caring about. Some of Altman's best work was derived from the short stories of Raymond Carver in 'Short Cuts.' Here they had some vague ideas about Agatha Christie, then polluted her classy settings with 21st century narcissism. Still, Hollywood falls over itself pumping sunshine up Altman's behind. There are some touching, jarring moments in this movie, but then again, you have British actors--perhaps the finest in the world--improvising before the camera. Your mother could've done it on Altman's budget.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, jolly good indeed!
Review: Agatha Christie type story told thru the upstairs and downstairs of a 1930s English Country Manor Home. Beautiful music throughout. A treasure, sure to be a classic, a must own.
Rating: 
Summary: Class Dramatics
Review: For those who relish the upstairs/downstairs cultural clash of the passe English social system, this movie is a magnificent wallow! Touted as a murder mystery, the film is driven largely by an implicit, though heavy-handed condemnation of the inequities between aristocrats and servants. By showcasing nearly every conceivable abuse and slight that could confront those in service, the movie almost becomes a tiresome screed against the wellborn of Britain. Intriguing characterizations and wonderful performances, however, save the day--and prove once again why films involving UK actors and plots can be so mesmerizing.
Rating:
Summary: A wasted opportunity
Review: As a British subject living in the U.S. I do love to watch films about home and country. But what a pity about this film -- Gosford Park. It's a pity that many Americans (and Brits too, I suppose) will watch this film and imagine that they now understand life in the English country house -- that this is the way it was and that they've had a bit of a "history lesson" along with the fictional story. What sad nonsense. I am weary of the tedious and uninformed concept -- upper class persons are feckless, mean spirited, and stupid while working class individuals are inherently witty, wise and noble --
which infects so much of what passes for historically accurate period pieces like "Gosford Park" today. I expected such cliches in a cynically scripted mess like "Titanic" which desperately needed to court the prole vote to succeed but I was surprised and saddened to find it served up by Altman. Calling all period social anthros and decorative arts mavens! I challenge you to find all -- and they are ridiculously plentiful-- of the social and visual errors in the design of this film.
Rating: 
Summary: Potential Unfulfilled
Review: I was wild to see this film after seeing the trailer for it. The cast, the British murder mystery, rainy country weekend, bumbling inspector, etc. Just my cup of tea. Yet, while this is very moody and atmospheric, with top-drawer casting, as a mystery it doesn't make it. The pace is very slow, almost excruciatingly so. The murder, which is led up to cleverly, takes far too long to happen. There are many suspects with overlapping plotlines, but when you unravel them all, they lead nowhere. The ending was a complete bust. It's your typical abovestairs/belowstairs British class system drama. It's more about that than the murder; a dismal let-down when one was expecting a more updated Agatha Christie-type mystery, which is just what the trailer portrayed. There were too many unresolved storylines, some of which were interesting, but destined to remain unexplored. My overall impression is that this is just a slice of a better, more rounded film. Others have complained that Altman focuses more on style than substance, and I would have to agree in the case of Gosford Park.
Rating:
Summary: An Altman Experiment That Works!
Review: Robert Altman's experimental style of throwing a giant ensemble cast into a situation and seeing what they make of it pays off in great measure with this delightful comedy about a giant British manor that is host to many zany guests of different temperaments and personalities. Kristin Scott Thomas and Michael Gambon are the lord and lady of the manor who are entertaining their various relatives and friends for a week-long shooting party, while the servants below stairs clamor to keep up with all the required serving and dressing duties under the direction of the head housekeeper (Helen Mirren). Altman's free-flowing camera follows both the above and under-stairs action until it all comes to a head when a prominent member of the party is murdered by an unknown assailant. Here is where the film takes its most delicious turn: instead of focusing on the mechanics of the murder or concentrating on divulging clues to the audience, the story instead focuses on the reactions by all the other cast members, most hilariously the fact that only one member of the cast, that is the sexy maid played by Emily Watson, actually mourns the deceased. Those looking for a good Mouse Trap-style comedy better rent Clue instead, because this one dispenses of its gumshoe duties early in the investigation process, kicks up its heels and has a great time laughing at its participants. If you're in the mood, or if you're a big fan of the wonderful actors involved, you will too. Kelly Macdonald is perfectly delightful as a visiting servant who lovingly observes the goings-on of the house and brings the plot to its head, and Maggie Smith is a standout as the disgustingly snobbish aunt to Scott Thomas, but probably the most effective performance in the film comes from Mirren-this woman amazes you with the very way she poises herself, ready for duty. The film comfortably resides somewhere just below Nashville or Short Cuts and well above Dr. T and the Women, and unlike Dr. T, the more openly-filmed, improvised scenes blend in seamlessly with the carefully scripted ones, and one can only admire Altman for this immense amount of control that he's shown in his direction with this film.
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