Rating: 
Summary: Dark antidote to upbeat drug movies
Review: A dark, heavy look into '70s drug culture. Unlike other films I've seen set in the same era or otherwise dealing with drug use, this one leaves me with a clear sense of not only revulsion but also of pity. These people are pathetic, and their life is DEPRESSING. I thought that was the point. It reminded me of Aeschylus' Oresteia and Sophocles' Oedipus cycle, in that it -- like them -- seems a good example of Aristotle's observation that tragic drama functions by allowing the audience to experience pity and fear, providing them a form of catharsis while (perhaps this is partly my interpretation of Aristotle's intent) making them glad they're not in the characters' shoes. As heavy-duty drama goes, this film is excellent, and superbly acted all around. Elements such as violence and language make the film unsuitable for children and highly conservative adults, but realism/believability demands that burned-out junkie thieves not try cursing like Yosemite Sam.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Average Movie
Review: A disappointing follow-up to the impressive "Kids", "Another Day in Paradise" has some interesting elements (good acting, ok dialogue, a couple of twists), but ultimately it fails to engage and never rises above so-so, mildly watchable material. It`s not a bad choice to watch on a boring afternoon, still it isn`t more than a forgettable and cliched story about young and old criminals in the suburbs. Director Larry Clark has done better, and this blah effort stands as his weakest movie to date.Run-of-the-mill and uninspired.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Day In Paradise
Review: All a round, Another Day In Paradise is a really good film. The performances from all four of the main actors are most excellent. Much is made about James Woods in this film ( and rightfully so ) but Vincent Kartheiser ( from the Angel series ) is the one who I was most impressed with. He's a good actor I know, but he pulled off this role frightfully well. It's a Larry Clark film so you know you're going to see quite a bit ( literally ) of the two younger actors ( Kartheiser & Natasha Gregson Wagner ), but this doesn't take away anything from the film ( as in some of Clark's other works ). Overall, the film is very good and I Do recommend it :).
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Summary: "James Woods and Melanie Griffith are superb!"
Review: Amen, Jeff Shannon
Rating:
Summary: Melanie Griffith's best in a long time
Review: Another Day in Paradise is a great film! It is difficult to watch at times just because of the violence and drug use but the characters are so well written and so well acted that it's worth the watch. Melanie hasn't been this good since Something Wild!!! James Woods does a good job, as well. The cinematography and production design blend really well to create a bleak and desperate background for the bleak and desperate characters we are watching. This movie is definitely a plus for Melanie Griffith fans, she acts her ass off!!!
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Summary: Fady Ghaly's reviews
Review: Another Day in Paradise is a stylish mix of filth and flash, of violence and jazz. It's a colorful, clever and compelling picture that poses the intricate question of whether an outlaw life of crime is sumptuous or ruinous. Based upon Eddie Little's lustful, fresh and fierce novel, director Larry Clark, who has evidently anointed himself the American cinema's poet of decadence, finding special interest in the tension generated by kids in danger, gives us a raw, non-glamorized look at the bleaker regions of American squalor. He does so very well, and yet gives his film a name that subverts the true superficial irony that lies within, luckily to then, however, generate a greater impact viewers like myself weren't initially up for, and yet once experience, develop a whole new kind of perspective and a whole new kind of respect for. Aside from the seemingly innocuous-enough-of-a-name, "Kids", which gave a false impression to many parents, as such a wildly controversial film offered a non-blinking look at the dehumanizing rituals of growing up, his latest film, which is based upon a true story, is entitled "Bully", a rather frivolous name which, though may develop an assumption in one's mind-who doesn't follow Clark's work, mind you-that it'll merely be some other light-hearted family feature that would be of a primary choice for elementary teachers arranging a special period that would give students the privilege of watching a film than to work, it in fact regards a group of teens whom, after growing weary of being aggravated upon by the school bully, lure him to a swamp where they then beat him to death. That's not funny or suitable for a class by any means. That's appalling...that's life, portrayed upon kids in the grimmest and grittiest ways.
And here you have this one, which is entitled "Another Day in Paradise", but, as looks can very much so be deceiving, so can words. We know that the good times can't last, that it isn't going to be this glorious life for the foursome couple, who'll forever get the easy way out of each robbery, and then celebrate by going to fancy restaurants, getting drunk and shooting up once getting back to their apartment, for they ultimately endure the vast effects such a lifestyle has as they wind up on the verge of death's door, which sadly even opened for some of them. I mean, even in the beginning of the film you know that it isn't exactly going to be a pleasant one, as it opens with Bobby after having made love with the love of his life, Rosie, who, in order to support both her and himself, breaks into a junior college to burglarize a vending machine, merely to then find himself face-to-face with a security guard, who badly wounds him and yet, after a fierce fight, is defeated as Bobby stabs him to death with a crowbar. Soon he's being treated by Uncle Mel. "Are you a doctor?'' he asks. "Yeah, sure. I'm a doctor shooting you up with heroin," says Mel, satirically, and their chemistry progresses from there. (So does the story.)
The bond between Mel and Bobby was greatly alluring to me. In a sense, Mel was like a father to him, the loving father he never had-as dysfunctional as one can be-but a father nonetheless. As the film deepened and their friendship grew stronger, he had such empathy toward this poor little delinquent without many shoulders to lean onto, that it really fractures you to see what a pitiless and self-indulged man that allegedly loving father turns out to be in the end, when all hell broke loose and there was a real dark revolution with regards to this man's motives and abilities. As the conclusion to the synopsis on both the back of the VHS and DVD package say: But, he's a junkie on the make, and that doesn't mean that he can't use Bobby-and it sure doesn't mean he can't ditch him when he's done. What can I say? It's a tough world out there. If you're not tough enough, you aren't ever going to make it out alive. Switching from working on G and PG-rated family features such as Alaska and Masterminds, to grittier and much more arresting R-rated adult, Vincent Kartheiser proves that he's a true actor that will not be afraid, or rather be incapable of taking on new rolls that would entirely alter his self-image to others. But unfortunately, he remains to be quite underrated, despite the deliverance of such powerful, such breathtaking performance, because throughout the last half-hour of the film, that was something in which he had definitely not failed to do. Such distinguished critics as Roger Ebert say things like how the performances are really what make this film worthy of watching, as the story was something in which he can easily anticipate, and then got specific as to why he enjoyed all the heart and soul James Woods and Melanie Griffith put into this picture, but neglected to even bother referring to Kartheiser, who I think outstaged them all! This kid is like the next Leonardo DiCaprio. (Or rather, adult. I know that he no longer wants to be refereed to as being a kid, for he really no longer is, neither is his work meant for any.) Kartheiser has matured into a young, gifted man.
Rating:
Summary: Boo-yah!
Review: Another Day in Paradise is one of the better depictions of the lifestyle of minor criminals. It gets right to the point: an inept, druggy teen thief, looking for some quick money for him and his airhead girlfriend, is severely beaten while robbing some vending machines. His friend calls in "Uncle Mel" (James Woods), a career thief and junky, to patch (and shoot) him up. Mel thinks the kid has guts. He makes a deal to teach him the ropes, and soon the two teens are trailing Mel and his main squeeze Sid, a junky blonde (Melanie Griffith). This is a Larry Clark film, which might immediately put some people off. I like Clark's work, and his films are almost impossible to stop watching (the best example being the highly disturbing Bully). There is a lot of sex, a lot of nudity (most of it between the two young criminals) and some stark violence. But the story of this movie is James Woods. The guy is flying off the screen, chewing apart nearly every frame; he's out of control. Think of his masterful portrait of sleaze, Lester Diamond in Casino, and turn that up to 11. Whether he's jabbing his finger at someone's head to make a point, or grabbing them by the collar to stress 'It's about MONEY!', or quick-drawing a pistol, he's totally in command of his craft. We've seen him do stuff like this before, but this is special. The highlight is one, long, extended take of him throwing a conniption in the backseat of a car, spittle flying, fists whaling, total acting. The kids are young and naive and from broken homes. Since Mel and Sid are unable to have kids, they `adopt' the two youngsters and act as surrogate parents. Mel is one of the greatest depictions of a human cockroach I've ever seen. He's about survival, pure survival. The characters seem to wander in and out of blood-drenched situations with no cops in sight. They fire guns, deal drugs, shoot drugs, and kill people and don't seem to be in any hurry to leave the scene. It's a great portrait of a small time criminal life and its many pitfalls. Eventually, the life becomes too much for the youngster, but there's every indication Mel will stay in the game, no matter the cost. (...) The DVD is good, looks and sounds great, and includes a commentary by Clark himself. Unfortunately, parts of the commentary are cut out, I don't recall why, but you can tell while listening. There are long stretches of silence; I'm not sure if it was copyright issues or what, but it's not complete. Overall, though, this is a lower-priced DVD and worth it for Clark fans, and especially for James Woods fans. Recommended, at the very least, for the amazing performance of James Woods.
Rating:
Summary: Boo-yah!
Review: Another Day in Paradise is one of the better depictions of the lifestyle of minor criminals. It gets right to the point: an inept, druggy teen thief, looking for some quick money for him and his airhead girlfriend, is severely beaten while robbing some vending machines. His friend calls in "Uncle Mel" (James Woods), a career thief and junky, to patch (and shoot) him up. Mel thinks the kid has guts. He makes a deal to teach him the ropes, and soon the two teens are trailing Mel and his main squeeze Sid, a junky blonde (Melanie Griffith). This is a Larry Clark film, which might immediately put some people off. I like Clark's work, and his films are almost impossible to stop watching (the best example being the highly disturbing Bully). There is a lot of sex, a lot of nudity (most of it between the two young criminals) and some stark violence. But the story of this movie is James Woods. The guy is flying off the screen, chewing apart nearly every frame; he's out of control. Think of his masterful portrait of sleaze, Lester Diamond in Casino, and turn that up to 11. Whether he's jabbing his finger at someone's head to make a point, or grabbing them by the collar to stress 'It's about MONEY!', or quick-drawing a pistol, he's totally in command of his craft. We've seen him do stuff like this before, but this is special. The highlight is one, long, extended take of him throwing a conniption in the backseat of a car, spittle flying, fists whaling, total acting. The kids are young and naive and from broken homes. Since Mel and Sid are unable to have kids, they 'adopt' the two youngsters and act as surrogate parents. Mel is one of the greatest depictions of a human cockroach I've ever seen. He's about survival, pure survival. The characters seem to wander in and out of blood-drenched situations with no cops in sight. They fire guns, deal drugs, shoot drugs, and kill people and don't seem to be in any hurry to leave the scene. It's a great portrait of a small time criminal life and its many pitfalls. Eventually, the life becomes too much for the youngster, but there's every indication Mel will stay in the game, no matter the cost. (...) The DVD is good, looks and sounds great, and includes a commentary by Clark himself. Unfortunately, parts of the commentary are cut out, I don't recall why, but you can tell while listening. There are long stretches of silence; I'm not sure if it was copyright issues or what, but it's not complete. Overall, though, this is a lower-priced DVD and worth it for Clark fans, and especially for James Woods fans. Recommended, at the very least, for the amazing performance of James Woods.
Rating:
Summary: If I picked the Oscars....
Review: Another Day In Paradise wasn't a feel-good film or a romantic comedy, and it certainly didn't enjoy the sort of megamoney ad campaign enjoyed by many productions, so it wasn't as easy to sell to the Academy voters, perhaps, as other films. (It's box office certainly suffered because it didn't even get offered to most of the CineMall crowd.) Still, it was a very gritty, real, and believable movie, and it deserved a special award from someone for leaving the dirt under the fingernails of its subject, not scrubbing it up like Judd Frye in his hypothetical coffin -- that is, viewing it through rose-tint glasses because it's gone. While all the actors demonstrated skill and ability, I was personally stunned by James Woods. If I picked the Oscars, I'd have given him Best Actor for this one. His Melvin was so real, so genuine to the junkies/drunks I've seen while working in a walk-in medical clinic, and so incredibly *repellent* that it was some of the best acting I have seen in a long time. Yes, I'm a fan, but that's the point: he's one of the few stars whose charisma often gets to me even when he's playing the bad guy, like in The Getaway, but in Mel's overall vibe was horrifying, disgusting, sleazy, and drug-fried. It was professional pretending of the highest order and the film should not be missed if only for this accomplishment of theater arts!
Rating: 
Summary: MOM AND DAD
Review: Coproduced by James Woods and directed by Larry Clark, ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE relates the story of two couples of heroin addicted thieves. Nothing new under the sun even if Larry Clark's camera trembles a lot in order to make us feel the stress of the characters. Needles are clean, the drug easy to find and the money easy to win. So, what's the point ? I'm too tired to try to discover the hidden intentions of the director so I'm ready to concede that the relation between the middle-aged couple (Woods-Griffiths) and the younger one is highly symbolic. You see, Woods and Griffiths cannot have children so... ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE is the living proof that you can have great actors, great music and money to spend and nevertheless present an average movie. It's the big problem of the nineties. Great images but no ideas at all. A DVD which is already forgotten.
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