Rating: 
Summary: the myth of fingerprints
Review: The pacing is often so slow it resembles portraiture. Nonetheless, first-time director/writer Bart Freundlich has made an interesting film about the dynamics of an American family gathered in their New England home for a holiday. Two of the four children find the prospect of a Thanksgiving with family merely dreadful. Daughter Leigh finds it amusing, and Warren finds it terrifying. However, the kids are doing their best to take things in stride. Fiery-haired Mia indulges in a little uninspired coupling with her humorless boyfriend Elliot, unwilling to relinquish the moment's pleasure as the train draws up to the station where little sister Leigh waits to meet them. Another of the returning siblings, Jake, thumps his way along the highway while he's driving to the homestead with his girlfriend. Warren arrives alone. That's because he's still in love with Daphne, the hometown girl who dumped him, and left him wandering the world a wounded man. The reticent Warren is the character most pulverized in the crucible of this dysfunctional family. While Jake and Mia and Leigh are content to ignore their abrasive and uncommunicative father, Warren feels crushed in his brooding presence. With the arrival on the scene of Daphne, Warren's ex-girlfriend, Warren has renewed doubts about his place in the family universe and looks to Daphne for the answers. Warren has rightly suspected that the reason Daphne dumped him had something to do with Hal, his father. Self-absorbed and unable to express affection, Hal is played by the versatile Roy Scheider. He's about as convivial as the cloudy, early-winter landscape, filmed adroitly and in picture-perfect fashion by cameraman Stephen Kasmierski. The other characters, too, are caught up in the simmering pot of family pathology. In an early scene, daughter Mia's temper reaches flash point when she excoriates her fresh-faced and seemingly non-plussed younger sister Leigh. Apparently, she doesn't like being the subject of conversation, especially when it concerns her mating habits. Mia is no more temperate with her significant other, Elliot. An essentially clueless therapist, Elliot doesn't understand Mia and more than he understands that little sister Leigh is pitching him. Would you invite this man to your dinner party? Blythe Danner , as Lena, plays the mother of this emotionally bankrupt brood. Lena's maternal instincts are never enough to dispel the chronic insecurity that inhabit these personalities. Is she anything more than the classic enabler of her husband's boorish behavior? . She tells her daughter Leigh she loves Hal for a " whole lot of reasons" but these are never sufficiently explained. Maybe it's just for his looks, which are frequently pained. That would appear to be a weakness of plot rather than any fault of Scheider's, the two-time academy award winning actor. In fact, we're not ever clear about just what Hal's problem actually might be, except that he insists on acting like a jerk. Without more flesh on the story skeleton, we might just as well think he's bothered by a painful gallstone. The Myth of Fingerprints doesn't go rushing down the rails like a runaway train. It's more like a sailboat, pitching around in choppy waters, sometimes catching wind, other times becalmed. It touches the heartstrings on occasion, but seems to prefer cerebral issues, and even nonsensical ones as when two stoned-out neighborhood boys lead a dinner conversation about the mystical qualities of mustard. It's about the stamp of family identity, implied in the film's title to be a myth and, for Hals' children, something to escape. One could empathize a little more with these characters if they were a bit more emotional than they are. Instead, they are quietly disturbed, exhibiting their discomfiture in fleeting glances and raised eyebrows. A 'happy ending' is a manner of speaking for these folks.
Rating: 
Summary: Are we having fun yet, daddy?
Review: The pacing is often so slow it resembles portraiture. Nonetheless, first-time director/writer Bart Freundlich has made an interesting film about the dynamics of an American family gathered in their New England home for a holiday. Two of the four children find the prospect of a Thanksgiving with family merely dreadful. Daughter Leigh finds it amusing, and Warren finds it terrifying. However, the kids are doing their best to take things in stride. Fiery-haired Mia indulges in a little uninspired coupling with her humorless boyfriend Elliot, unwilling to relinquish the moment's pleasure as the train draws up to the station where little sister Leigh waits to meet them. Another of the returning siblings, Jake, thumps his way along the highway while he's driving to the homestead with his girlfriend. Warren arrives alone. That's because he's still in love with Daphne, the hometown girl who dumped him, and left him wandering the world a wounded man. The reticent Warren is the character most pulverized in the crucible of this dysfunctional family. While Jake and Mia and Leigh are content to ignore their abrasive and uncommunicative father, Warren feels crushed in his brooding presence. With the arrival on the scene of Daphne, Warren's ex-girlfriend, Warren has renewed doubts about his place in the family universe and looks to Daphne for the answers. Warren has rightly suspected that the reason Daphne dumped him had something to do with Hal, his father. Self-absorbed and unable to express affection, Hal is played by the versatile Roy Scheider. He's about as convivial as the cloudy, early-winter landscape, filmed adroitly and in picture-perfect fashion by cameraman Stephen Kasmierski. The other characters, too, are caught up in the simmering pot of family pathology. In an early scene, daughter Mia's temper reaches flash point when she excoriates her fresh-faced and seemingly non-plussed younger sister Leigh. Apparently, she doesn't like being the subject of conversation, especially when it concerns her mating habits. Mia is no more temperate with her significant other, Elliot. An essentially clueless therapist, Elliot doesn't understand Mia and more than he understands that little sister Leigh is pitching him. Would you invite this man to your dinner party? Blythe Danner , as Lena, plays the mother of this emotionally bankrupt brood. Lena's maternal instincts are never enough to dispel the chronic insecurity that inhabit these personalities. Is she anything more than the classic enabler of her husband's boorish behavior? . She tells her daughter Leigh she loves Hal for a " whole lot of reasons" but these are never sufficiently explained. Maybe it's just for his looks, which are frequently pained. That would appear to be a weakness of plot rather than any fault of Scheider's, the two-time academy award winning actor. In fact, we're not ever clear about just what Hal's problem actually might be, except that he insists on acting like a jerk. Without more flesh on the story skeleton, we might just as well think he's bothered by a painful gallstone. The Myth of Fingerprints doesn't go rushing down the rails like a runaway train. It's more like a sailboat, pitching around in choppy waters, sometimes catching wind, other times becalmed. It touches the heartstrings on occasion, but seems to prefer cerebral issues, and even nonsensical ones as when two stoned-out neighborhood boys lead a dinner conversation about the mystical qualities of mustard. It's about the stamp of family identity, implied in the film's title to be a myth and, for Hals' children, something to escape. One could empathize a little more with these characters if they were a bit more emotional than they are. Instead, they are quietly disturbed, exhibiting their discomfiture in fleeting glances and raised eyebrows. A 'happy ending' is a manner of speaking for these folks.
Rating: 
Summary: Family Gathering
Review: This Indie film hits home to all of us. Not one family is perfect (I don't care what anyone says) - so anyone can relate to this movie. Noah Wyle and Julianne Moore, two of my all time favorite actors, do an excellent job at portraying their characters. There are some hilarious parts and just some obscure parts - but who likes boring! The bottom line in this movie is the message it puts out about ourselves as individuals and dealing with our inner struggles. An excellent movie, one of my favorites, and I promise you will not be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: An absolute delight to watch!
Review: This is by far one of, if not, the best film I have seen in quite some time. Noah Wyle is astounding, and I can't stress Arija Bareikis' acting as solid and beautiful. She is a pleasure to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This movie blew me away. As someone who loves viewing relationships between family members, this movie was perfect for me. I loved seeing how each member of the family interacted with one another, how each were so different, how each were involved with some inner torment. Brilliant performances by Noah Wyle, Michael Vartan and Julianne Moore.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow Exploration of Family of Weak Men, Obnoxious Women
Review: This movie is very difficult to like. In the vein of far too many other such movies (Ordinary People, Ice Storm, American Beauty, Happiness) and about 8,000 plays, it is about the Thanksgiving reunion of two parents, their four children, a boyfriend and a girlfriend of the children. Only Blythe Danner as the mother is likeable. The others are: a) three terribly weak, quiveringly sensitive, paralyzingly passive men (the two sons and the boyfriend), b) the stonily obnoxious, growing insane father, c) the moronically grinning village idiot who remembers adults from kindergarten and plots from books in excruciating detail, d) two hideously outspoken obnoxious women (the elder sister and a girlfriend who is insistent that she and the son fornicate in one room over the Thanksgiving weekend despite Blythe Danner's discomfort, continues to announce herself as his "lover" and is provocative with the father), e) a bizarrely naive younger daughter who likes to give "massages" to her sister's boyfriend and like an 8 year old to jump out and surprise people The movie is slow and jam-packed with agonized weak men's reactions to things. It's very tough to watch, and at the end when there are abruptly "happy" endings for all three of the weaklings, you do wonder why this was made.
Rating:
Summary: Michael Vartan is the best reason to see this movie...
Review: Too many characters dilute what could have been a moving exploration of the family dynamic. Julianne Moore spent the entire movie lashing out and being hostile to any family member, neighbor or community member who acknowledged her presence and the film never explained why. Also, I found the relationship between the youngest sister and Moore's husband creepy and bordering on pedophilia. Noah Wyle, Blythe Danner, and Roy Scheider turned in excellent performances, but I was most drawn to the fresh faced and intriguing Michael Vartan.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyment interruptus
Review: What an unsatisfying movie! It tried to encompass too much, left a myriad of threads dangling, and finished with an abrupt, ta-da! The End. I can't stand stories like this. The central issue is Warren't estrangement. Warren and his dad have a serious issue to discuss, although it is too painful to do so. OK, so like in real life some situations will never see a resolution. But what about the rest of the family? Why is Mia losing her memory? Is she sick? What about Jake's insecurities towards Margaret? Does the mother understand why her oldest son and husband don't get along? What about Leigh? Why does the father sleep-sing in the middle of the night? What's with the stoners? And Cezanne, where does he come from? Why even show a glimpse of these storylines if there is not going to be any attempt to follow up on ANY of them? Julianne Moore does the best acting job in the film. In my opinion, Noah Wyle has a range of maybe five different facial expressions, worn out to death on ER, and he didn't expand on his repertoire for this movie. Move on to something more substantial.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyment interruptus
Review: What an unsatisfying movie! It tried to encompass too much, left a myriad of threads dangling, and finished with an abrupt, ta-da! The End. I can't stand stories like this. The central issue is Warren't estrangement. Warren and his dad have a serious issue to discuss, although it is too painful to do so. OK, so like in real life some situations will never see a resolution. But what about the rest of the family? Why is Mia losing her memory? Is she sick? What about Jake's insecurities towards Margaret? Does the mother understand why her oldest son and husband don't get along? What about Leigh? Why does the father sleep-sing in the middle of the night? What's with the stoners? And Cezanne, where does he come from? Why even show a glimpse of these storylines if there is not going to be any attempt to follow up on ANY of them? Julianne Moore does the best acting job in the film. In my opinion, Noah Wyle has a range of maybe five different facial expressions, worn out to death on ER, and he didn't expand on his repertoire for this movie. Move on to something more substantial.
Rating:
Summary: IT'S BAD! IT'S REAL! IT'S REAL BAD!
Review: With two notable exceptions: a few contemporary contributers, and a fine bit of archival warbling from the Bing, this recording is hollow and lifeless. I don't know what the others are talking about. There is almost nothing emotive here, and the submissions (probably washed a thousand times already), have a tinniness that recalls radio (circa 1930). Get a Phantom Menace action figure instead.
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