Rating: 
Summary: A five hanky tearjerker
Review: This film is a genuine five-hanky tearjerker that slathers on the schmaltz thick as marmalade. The story begins with a rivalry between a group of prep school boys and local townies that have a reckless car race that ends up burning down a local diner and gas station. The judge sentences the two drivers to a summer of community service rebuilding the diner. Kelley (Chris Klein) is a spoiled rich boy with attitude. Jasper (Josh Hartnett) is a local hick with a good heart and a bad temper. Needless to say, the two boys hate each other. To complicate matters, Jasper's girlfriend Samantha (Leelee Sobieski) is developing a serious case of the hots for Kelley. They begin an affair complete with dewy looks, running through fields, stolen glances and every other schmaltzy film technique ever invented.The prep/townie rivalry escalates into a love triangle with all the foreseeable showdowns and confrontations. Just when everyone is working themselves into a good lather it is discovered that Samantha is seriously ill. Pass the Kleenex. The film has some very sweet moments but the story is far too formulaic and predictable. It has the feel of a TV movie, which is not surprising since director Mark Piznarski has mostly TV projects on his resume. To his credit, the cinematography was beautiful and his choice of locations was superb. The overlook scenes were particularly lovely. Chris Klein gave an adequate performance, but was not very dynamic and a little stiff. I felt that he was much better in "American Pie" playing a more sincere character. He seems like too nice a guy to play this spoiled and arrogant rich kid. Leelee Sobieski was a good choice for Samantha. She comes across as very vulnerable and sweet. She was adept at capturing the delicate teenage balance between tentativeness and determination. I actually liked Josh Hartnett better than I did Klein. Perhaps he was better suited for his character, but he seemed a lot more believable as Jasper. This is a great chick flick. It is sentimental, romantic, endearing and sad. Guys are likely to spend most of the movie writhing in their seats. Unfortunately, it wasn't very original and suffered from too many clichés. I rated it a 6/10. Add one or two points if you like sentimental romances and another if you like a movie that makes you cry. A good film for girls' night out.
Rating: 
Summary: A Definate "Watch Again, & Again ,& Again" Movie!
Review: This movie keeps me engaged from beginning to end. If you love watching young people being surprisingly mature and wise beyond their years (LeeLee's character), yet recklessly in love at times (Hartnett & Klein's characters), you'll like this movie. It's the story of two teen boys putting back and making right what they have ruined, and a teen girl finding out that her longtime bestfriend/boyfriend (one of the boys} isn't necessarally her "true" love....Can you guess what role the other boy plays?... The Robert Frost poem used as the backdrop of the film lends a special meaning. Music tops it off perfectly. It is truely a "tear yerker" at the end. LOVED THIS MOVIE SO MUCH THAT I EVEN BOUGHT THE SOUNDTRACK...WHICH IS TERRIFIC AS WELL. It brings back all the great scenes of the movie!
Rating:
Summary: A Definate "Watch Again, & Again ,& Again" Movie!
Review: This movie keeps me engaged from beginning to end. If you love watching young people being surprisingly mature and wise beyond their years (LeeLee's character), yet recklessly in love at times (Hartnett & Klein's characters), you'll like this movie. It's the story of two teen boys putting back and making right what they have ruined, and a teen girl finding out that her longtime bestfriend/boyfriend (one of the boys} isn't necessarally her "true" love....Can you guess what role the other boy plays?... The Robert Frost poem used as the backdrop of the film lends a special meaning. Music tops it off perfectly. It is truely a "tear yerker" at the end. LOVED THIS MOVIE SO MUCH THAT I EVEN BOUGHT THE SOUNDTRACK...WHICH IS TERRIFIC AS WELL. It brings back all the great scenes of the movie!
Rating:
Summary: Here on Earth
Review: Yikes! This movie is a real stinker. The script is unbelievably bad - cliche-ridden and just generally awkward and uninspired and bland - no one talks in real life like these people do. The noteworthy thing about "Here On Earth" is the number of good actors trapped in it. Two of the leads, Leelee Sobieski and especially Josh Hartnett, do the best they can, but their characters are unsympathetic (yes, even Hartnett's character, who's sweet but basically not very bright); however as the third member of the love triangle, and ostensibly the "hero" of the story, Chris Klein does not remotely possess either the acting skills or the good looks required to pull off his role of a spoiled preppie. Just the first five minutes of the movie reveal what a bad actor he is here, and if you can make it past that, the scene of him watching his college graduation from afar, while reciting the boring valedictory speech (complete with a Robert Frost quote!) he was supposed to give, will have you laughing out loud at the utter lameness of it (of course this is when Leelee first starts to fall for him - yeah, right...). On the other hand, the scene of Leelee dancing around the kitchen while making breakfast for her "new true love" will have you running for your barf bag. On the up side, at least it's nice to see actors like Bruce Greenwood, Annette O'Toole and Michael Rooker, but they are completely wasted in this movie, although what little they have to do they do very well. The three main characters are written so simplistically, they just wind up seeming self-centered, stupid, and totally unworthy of the viewers' interest. The faux-"Footloose" score is also annoying. I would highly recommend NOT buying this movie - it's resemblance to real life is nonexistent, which is ironic given the title. If there was a "no stars" rating, that's what I would give it.
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