Rating: 
Summary: not horrible, but not great
Review: (The rating should actually be 2.5 stars.) After reading some of the glowing customer reviews of this movie, I wonder if I don't remember it as clearly as I thought. I watched this with my mom, and both of us thought the script and direction weren't up to par. Both seemed forced--the dialogue didn't flow very well, and didn't sound easy and natural. The music also really bothered me--a lot of the time it was overly emotional and melodramatic, and reminded me of soap opera music. However, there are redeeming aspects--the three leads. Jeanne Moreau, Claire Danes, and Jude Law are all very talented, and all manage to do respectable jobs. Danes has good chemistry with both Moreau and Law, and that shines through the often bumbling lines. So I didn't hate it, and it wasn't unbearable--obviously some people loved it. If you really like any of the main actors, and the story sounds interesting, go ahead and give it a whirl. Just don't expect too much.
Rating: 
Summary: To grandmother's we will go!
Review: Although this movie does deal with Anti-Semitism, it apparently is not dark enough for some of its viewers. Perhaps they were looking for another "Schindler's List." This movie focuses on a teenage girl and the impact her grandmother's Holocaust stories have on her. Although the grandmother's flashbacks of Nazi Germany are tragic, no violent imagery is shown. This is a very admirable trait in a movie--the ability to illustrate a horrible event without graphic violence! There are many lovely aspects of this film. Daisy (Claire Danes) is an only child. Her parents are so in love with each other that they often unintentionally ignore their daughter. Fortunately, Daisy finds all the love she needs in the arms of her eccentric grandmother, played by Jeanne Moreau. Daisy's grandmother lives in a beautiful countryside. North Rhine Westphalia (Germany) provides the wonderful scenery for most of this picture, even though the story is supposedly set in New York. Daisy and her grandmother share wonderful weekends of card playing, reading classics, picking flowers, eating pancakes, and other cozy passtimes! From a carousel tucked away in a big city to an old bookstore in the middle of the forest, many scenes in this film have a fairytale-like quality. This movie is very charming but at the same time successfully deals with issues of love and prejudice. I would recommend this to anyone who likes "girlie" movies. Unfortuntely, this movie didn't sit too well with my boyfriend. Perhaps I shouldn't have gawked at Jude Law (the hunk from "The Talented Mr. Ripley"), who by the way is in this movie too! As usual, Claire Danes gives a stunning performance. This movie has five-star quality! Buy it today!
Rating:
Summary: To grandmother's we will go!
Review: Although this movie does deal with Anti-Semitism, it apparently is not dark enough for some of its viewers. Perhaps they were looking for another "Schindler's List." This movie focuses on a teenage girl and the impact her grandmother's Holocaust stories have on her. Although the grandmother's flashbacks of Nazi Germany are tragic, no violent imagery is shown. This is a very admirable trait in a movie--the ability to illustrate a horrible event without graphic violence! There are many lovely aspects of this film. Daisy (Claire Danes) is an only child. Her parents are so in love with each other that they often unintentionally ignore their daughter. Fortunately, Daisy finds all the love she needs in the arms of her eccentric grandmother, played by Jeanne Moreau. Daisy's grandmother lives in a beautiful countryside. North Rhine Westphalia (Germany) provides the wonderful scenery for most of this picture, even though the story is supposedly set in New York. Daisy and her grandmother share wonderful weekends of card playing, reading classics, picking flowers, eating pancakes, and other cozy passtimes! From a carousel tucked away in a big city to an old bookstore in the middle of the forest, many scenes in this film have a fairytale-like quality. This movie is very charming but at the same time successfully deals with issues of love and prejudice. I would recommend this to anyone who likes "girlie" movies. Unfortuntely, this movie didn't sit too well with my boyfriend. Perhaps I shouldn't have gawked at Jude Law (the hunk from "The Talented Mr. Ripley"), who by the way is in this movie too! As usual, Claire Danes gives a stunning performance. This movie has five-star quality! Buy it today!
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected................
Review: Claire Danes played a good role in this movie but the dreams about her crush object (Jude Law) were rather confusing. The movie goes back and forth to the past to the present and it's hard to keep up with. The story was rather choppy as a result and I didn't feel as though the movie ended as it should have. End note......Don't get your hopes up.
Rating: 
Summary: A Pleasant Film
Review: Claire Danes, Jeanne Moreau, and Jude Law are great in this film. I love the scenes between Danes and Law--they really do have great chemistry. I also love the scenes of Danes' character, Daisy, and the "secret tree". The scenes are so cute. In fact, it kind of reminds me of something that I used to do... The story deals with several issues, such as relationships, heartaches, and love. The film concentrates on Daisy, as well as her family history, beliefs, and attitudes. We see how she deals with the hardships of adolescence and how she struggles to find her own identity. With the love and support of her grandmother (Moreau), Daisy tries to tackle her daily insecurities and the problems she faces at school and with Law. The movie is good. Watch it.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful film of inner-struggles
Review: Definitely a well-written, wonderful adaptation of Wendy Kesselman's drama. It's a really beautiful and heart-wrenching movie, with some wonderful acting on the parts of nearly every member of the cast. A favorite of mine.
Rating: 
Summary: What?!
Review: How can you compare life in Auschwitz concentration camps to life in high school? What ever gave the writer and the director the idea that this is conceivable? Worst of all, for a movie that tries to compare the two experiences, it sure doesn't take the first one very seriously. The characters don't even say the word "Holocaust". Now if the movie took place during the Second World War or just a little while afterwards, then maybe the prejudice and the absence of the word "Holocaust" would seem conceivable. But no, it takes place in the nineties with eighties-ish music and rather eighties-ish themes in terms of the high school parallel. Pretty inconceivable considering these PC-times. Claire Dane's character, an even more delicate incarnation of Angela in My-So- Called Life, is at first sympathetic, but then she starts to gnaw at you with her wholesomeness and pariah-like presence until you want to hit her upside the head with one of her books. Jeanne Moreau's character seems to be more from the 60's than the Holocaust; she's one of those free-spirited grannies who likes romp in her garden in white nighties. But least convincng of all is Jude Law, who, compared to his performance in Gattaca, languishes; if he had traded his part with James Van Der Boek's tormentor-character part , then it wouldn't have felt like a miscast. Van Der Boek has the boyishness Law lacks to be a WASP-ish popular, cuddly guy; Law has the darkness that Van Der Boek lacks to be the tormentor and all-around ignorant twit. All in all, a fine mess that could have been better if: a) the writer and director took the Holocaust more seriously b)the writer and director just took out the Holocaust parallel altogether and wrote a teenage romance. END
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad.....
Review: I admit....the only reason I rented this movie at first was to see Jude Law. I must say it was a movie worth watching if you are interested in romance or drama movies or if you are interested in one of the leading cast members (i.e. Jude Law, James Van Der Beek, or Clare Danes). I must admit this movie's plot was a weak one. The Holocaust was really out of place in this plot. I found that it would have been better as a "coming of age" story for the main character Daisy. I can relate to her struggles and her triumphs (I've been through and still going through the whole nine yards....except I never dated the man of my dreams). I think this movie could have been better written, but nevertheless it is a decent movie.
Rating:
Summary: Julia Stiles was great. A stunning performance.
Review: I could watch this movie over and over again. julia Stiles brought tears to my eyes with her emotional performance.
Rating:
Summary: An extremely slow-paced, self-conscious drama
Review: I felt like I was watching a pretentious and painfully self-conscious version of My So-called Life with the added Holocaust twist. This movie stunk big time. Claire's performance was wonderful but by now, I have tired of watching her play innocent, brooding, angelic, wholesome characters. It's time to move on Claire, but The Mob Squad certainly isn't the answer. I must confess that I fast-forwarded a good part of this film simply because its dramatic pretense turned me off big time and I found the narrative extremely unconvincing and uncompelling. The direction was painfully uninnovative and bland at times. The only thing that semi-saved the film from getting an absolute turkey were the performances. Jude Law, although miscast and somewhat awkward in the role of Ethan, still manages to make Ethan likable. What a waste of talents.
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