Rating: 
Summary: A drag.
Review: If every second review you read, praises 'Gosford Park' to high heavens, and you have a liking for mystery movies, then it would be a herculian task to resist watching the movie. I, for one, could not resist, and so, sat down, with very high expectations, and pressed 'Play'.
Oh yes, the movie starts with a good atmosphere. Rainy England, large mansion, Rolls Royce, Maggie Smith...all very impressive. But alas, there were other scenes in the movie as well!
A seemingly good start is hardly enough to make you sit through this long torcher.
Why a torcher you ask? Well, there are several reasons.
Too many characters- which of the 643 did it?!?!?!? The film is too long and very, very slow. Nothing really happens. Some may protest saying, 'the plot develops- the relationships are revealed', well, then, the whole thing is done in an extremely uninteresting way. If it weren't for the marvellous thing called 'will power', one would easily have used 'Gosford Park' as a good ecuse for a short sleep.
The characters, so many of them, are not introduced well. One can hardly familiarise with the names and the corresponding faces. This, too, stems from having too many characters.
All this apart, the film did have one good aspect- that of Maggie Smith. Constance (her character) will make you laugh. Her proud humour and wit are entertaining.
Altogether, 'Gosford Park', for me, was not worth watching.
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment
Review: I was so looking forward to seeing this movie, with all the wonderful reviews I'd read. The movie was boring, difficult to understand, and vulgar. I watched the whole thing, thinking it was going to get better any minute, but it never did. By the end of the movie, I wished the entire cast had been murdered...
Rating: 
Summary: Quick...and yet slow
Review: The overall story is very slow--in the 2 hr, 17 minute movie, the actual murder takes place after the first hour. But, strangely enough, the story around you goes so fast you become desperate to find out who is who. It is extremely difficult to memorize all the characters-- I watched the movie twice and I'm not sure if I have half the characters names right. But despite the confounding dizziness of it all-- I was in love with the movie. As Director Altman states, it is not a "whodunit" sort of movie-- no no no. The point of the story was to create a murder mystery, in which everything is seen by the servants' POV. This is a wonderful technique, and it is executed fabulously. The servants' are not drab, and similar. Like real people, they all have different personalities. And as expected, everyone is not who they seem. And watch it a second time--it's better that way.
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Movie, An Outstanding DVD
Review: "Gosford Park" is perfect for the dvd medium.
A murder mystery set in the early 1930's in a mansion in England, more than a dozen main characters (and a number of other supporting ones) flit by you in the first few minutes. Even for the most die-hard movie viewer, there is a lot to keep track of throughout the movie.
First and foremost, the plot: a group of well-born (and some not so well-born) Englishmen and women gather with their servants for a weekend house party. Of course, the inevitable murder takes place and the inevitable investigation ensues. However, the murder is in many ways the least interesting thing about this movie. The movie really focuses on the English class structure and the clean break between those "upstairs" and those "downstairs." Emily Watson and Helen Mirren will break your heart as two of the more poignant members of the downstairs. As for the upstairs-ah, well, that's really where the murder is taking place-not of an individual, but slowly of an entire class.
When you see the movie several times, you can enjoy different aspects of it. The dialogue is quick and clever. The performances are for the most part, outstanding.(When you have an ensemble of this size, you're bound to have an off performance or two).
The DVD is outstanding. It features two different voice over ttracks of the film-one from director Altman and one from the writer.
I would recommend this movie to lovers of Bob Altman, of English murder mysteries, of serious films with higher purposes.
Rating: 
Summary: Pip...Pip...Cherrio!
Review: Clive Owens playes "Robert Parks". Clive Owens might get his chance to be selected to be the next James Bond 007 after Pierce Brosnan passes it on. We might have to wait until the year 2008. Maggie Smith plays "Constance Trentham". Maggie Smith is an actress I adore. I loved her in CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978). Bob Balaban plays "Morris Weissman". I haven't seen him act since CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977). Ryan Phillippe plays "Henry Denton"... Helen Mirren, Emily Watson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Alan Bates are also in the cast. This film is alot of English...pip,pip,cherrio stuff until someone is murdered. You might want to turn on the English subtitles (for the hearing-impaired) so you can catch a lot of dialouge when the scenes are too noisy or too thick of accent. In the Special Features, 19 deleted scenes with the option of Dircetor's Commentary, Cast and Filmmaker Filmographies, a nearly 20-minute featurette of "The Making Of Gosford Park", Theatrical Trailer, an 8-minute featurette on "The Authenticity of Gosford Park" and Cast and Filmmakers Question & Answer session. You may choose Director's Commentary with Robert Altman or the Screenwriter's Commentary. Spanish subtitles available too.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: The first half of this movie is magnificent. Altman effortlessly handles the complexity of both the "masters" and the servants, as they settle in for the weekend. The performances are spot on (even Ryan Phillipe is actually more than adequate given that his inadequacies are properly used), and the script and direction are perfect. I don't think that I've ever seen a movie that explored these dynamics so successfully. (Aside: anybody who sees this and wishes that they were a member of the English aristocracy has problems best dealt with outside of such a hierarchical situation.)
So, what's wrong with it? Previous reviewers were right in saying that it isn't really a good whodunnit. That's fine. Uniquely, though, it becomes almost tedious once something starts happening. This isn't a fault, really, especially as the the end result adds poignancy to the whole. It's just that the third act is a little boring, even with the wonderful build up and thought-provoking denouement.
I recommend this movie without reservation, except to say that I wish that Altman et al. had carried through a little better. Still, an almost perfect movie about a happily lost time of manners uber alles.
PS: How many people when seeing such films always see themselves as part of the aristocracy? The odds are against you, you know. Sorry, couldn't resist.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible class(y) movie!
Review: This is not a movie to watch just once. This is a movie you have to watch over and over and over -- and you find something new each time. Wonderful plot, wonderful actors, wonderful story. Only a minor problem - but, that is fixed by watching the deleted scenes in the special features section. That answered a question I had -- they should have used all the scenes, they were too good to leave out!
Rating:
Summary: Bland at first glance, GOSFORD is actually splendid
Review: When I first watched GOSFORD PARK I didn't realize the hype. But when I put a little thought into it, and learned to appreciate the wonderful ensemble cast, the film was pretty magnificent. With actors chosen for merit and talent instead of name and face, PARK truly produces a wonderful storyline set in a unique and visually beautiful period. The overtones of ... mystery are abound, but the real film lies within the eyes of the actors. Everywhere in the movie you can carefully study the eyes and facial reactions along with the imagination of what each actor is thinking and truly bring a powerful motion picture to heart.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I did not find this movie to be the least bit amusing.
Rating:
Summary: If you like Materpiece Theater, you'll like this.
Review: Altman's trademark is the interweaving of plot and dialogue, laying the various levels over one another. It works well where the dialogue can be understood, but in this Upstairs/Downstairs film the strong English accents, especially downstairs, make it difficult to understand much of what is being said. That, of course, is the way it is in real life ("What did she say?"), but it's an irritant in a film. As other reviewers have pointed out, very little actually happens in this film; those expecting action should look elsewhere. It is a period piece along the lines of Masterpiece Theater, but with far better photography and more intelligent conversation. As is often the case with Altman, some elements seem contrived (the presence of the Hollywood director), which detracts from the otherwise fine performance of the actors involved.
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