Rating: Summary: Not a bad effort, but... Review: Vonnegut's novels are eccentric and abstract, and they generally don't translate well to film. This one is no exception. The performances are good, but without Vonnegut's riffs the story seems empty, little more than weirdness on top of weirdness. There are a few comical moments, but this film will leave most Vonnegut fans dissapointed and non-Vonnegut fans confused.
Rating: Summary: Breakfast of Champions? Not! Review: This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It is the epitome of inane garbage. It is really bad. I would rather endure the "Braveheart treatment" than ever watch this movie again. This movie makes any Pauly Shore movie look like an Oscar winner by comparison. I hate to imagine how much money was wasted on this movie. It's bad. Period.
Rating: Summary: This Breakfast is a bad way to start a day... Review: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. has written some of the most interesting, entertaining novels of the past 50 years. Amongst the brilliant work is BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS. And here, on DVD is a "movie-ization" of that novel. Unfortuantely, like most other Vonnegut-based movies, its a failure that falls for a simple reason. Vonnegut's stories are not good for what they say but, how he says it (and how the reader 'hears' it). To attempt to interpret that for a mass audience loses its greatest charm. So, as far as the 'elements' of the novel, they are all here on screen to please the indiscriminating Vonnegut fans but will only annoy and bore the unfamiliar. (If you've never heard of 'Kilgore Trout' then the 2 star review should be considered a 1 star review.) Bruce Willis, looking like a plastic mannequin, puts in an interesting performance as do a couple of other standouts, Albert Finney as Trout and Glenne Headley as Bruce's mistress. But Nick Nolte and Lukas Haas only make the viewer feel embarrased. Even when surrounded by the brilliant comedian Jake Johannsen in a small supporting role. Herein lies the problem... its the unfilmable storytelling (not the story) that is missing and sothe barren, poorly transferred DVD should be avoided. This type of film could turn people off of READING Vonnegut... Please be careful who watches with you.
Rating: Summary: Illiterates need not apply Review: I just finished watching this movie with someone who has never read the book which gives the movie its name. She thought the movie was complete nonsense, and had I not read the book I would probably have agreed with her. The movie follows the plot better than most films based on novels and it even includes a few lines from other books by Vonnegut (e.g. Timequake and Slapstick). Personally, I thought this was a good movie, the only thing that really bothered me about it was the author's lack of presence in it. If you are a Vonnegut fan, this movie will keep you laughing or at the very least somewhat interested. I would recommend Breakfast of Champions to anyone who has read the book, if for no other reason than to see Kilgore Trout as played by an actual human.
Rating: Summary: Excellent movie, even better book Review: I have heard others say that this movie is terrible. I have to disagree. I read the novel first, I loved it. I have read it several times even after seeing the movie and it gets better every time. I think the novel gave me a better understanding of what was going on. There are little inside jokes throughout the movie that one wouldn't get had he or she not read the book. The characters were excellently done. The cast was wonderful (I think casting Nick Nolte as Harry LaSabre should get someone a hell of a raise). Anyone who has ever read Vonnegut knows that this is the epitome of his work and the screen adaption was as good as it could get.
Rating: Summary: Worst Movie of all Time Review: I never bring movies back to the video store. Until this one. My friends and I rented this movie assuming that it would be funny - with a great cast like this, how could it not be? After watching half an hour of this completely unintelligible drivel, not once puncuated by a laugh, mostly spent staring at the screen and then each other hoping that perhaps someone saw the point, I called the video store back and they said we could return the movie. I wanted to like this movie. It was impossible. The funniest part about the movie was the opening credits, and since I have been informed that these are usually done by an entirely different company, the director can't even take credit for them. And even they were too long. The only thing I can think of that could have gotten this movie made with such big stars is blackmail or some other kind of extortion. After that, I would gladly watch Battlefield Earth. Wish I could have given this movie negative stars. Or stars that have just imploded into black holes. That is the only thing I can think of that would get the bad taste out of my mouth. I consider myself to be a rather intellectual person. I like artsy movies. This tried, but too hard, and it was painful. Agonizing. Avoid this movie. If someone pays you to watch it, it isn't worth it. Go rent (or buy) a real movie instead.
Rating: Summary: Great effort, bad movie Review: There was a lot of great talent on display in this movie - Bruce Willis did a great job with a nearly impossible character, and Omar Epps did well too. The technical aspects of the film were rather impressively done as well. Unfortunately, one has to wonder what the director's goal was. Movies are made to either entertain us or challenge us. This does neither. The only challenge was to keep watching it. I never read Kurt Vonnegut's book, and I shouldn't have to in order to like the film.... and well, I didn't. Maybe Vonnegut's story was good, but the story as presented in this movie is rambling and not worth the effort of trying to make sense of.
Rating: Summary: Excellent movie but hard to understand Review: This movie is one of my favorite movies.I have read the book and this movie is not a perfect adaption but it must have been hard to adapt to the big screen.
Rating: Summary: Worst film ever? Think before you buy it! Review: Appalling movie that should never have been made. Whether you you are expecting an intelligent movie like American Beauty, or you may be expecting a typical Willis actioner: you WILL be disappointed.One of the few movies I switched off before the end, and felt like asking my money back on.... I even registered an ID here specially so I could slag it off...
Rating: Summary: Undecipherable... Review: I haven't read any Vonnegut. I have my own favourite authors. And in my belief, I shouldn't have to read a book to understand a movie. In this respect, I would like to ask the producers and director of this movie, what purpose this film is serving. I didn't understand a thing. I almost fell asleep, but only my hope that it may turn out to be meaningful at the end kept me awake. This is the worst movie I have ever seen. Obviously, (from what I have read about the comments) anyone who hasn't read the book should refrain from buying or renting it. I would give it minus 5 stars if there was such a rating.
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