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Changing Lanes

Changing Lanes

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: BS
Review: The number one (I may be a bit mistaken) B...Sh.. movie of all time. Period.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This computer says I'm broke? NOW IT DOESN'T!!!!
Review: This was one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

Seriously. I saw this in the theatre a few years ago during its initial run. It's just ridiculous. It's not even a real movie -- it's douche, PRETENDING to be a movie. Masquereding, if you will.

Ben Affleck and Sam Jackson are fine enough actors. Why did they have to stoop so low as to partake in a movie filled with such crappity? People will say it's a "morality tale." Guess what? The moral is this: Don't make dumbass movies like this anymore. Shame, Paramount. Finger of shame to each and every one of you. SHAME.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A first rate flick
Review: Wow! What a movie. It is a tale of revenge and redemption. Great story, superb editing, and dynamite performances not only by Ben Affleck and Samuel Jackson, but the supporting cast as well. It is gratifying to find a movie made for adults who like to think. If you are looking for the latest action thriller, this is not your movie; but if you are looking for a movie that will grab you by your throat and pulls you into the lives of its characters leaving you breathless Changing Lanes is for you.

This is a story about redemption. It is interesting to note that it takes place on Good Friday, the day that Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus for the sins of the world. Both characters are lost. Doyle Gipson (Samuel Jackson) is the middle class insurance salesmen whose violent temper and alcoholism has caused him to lose his family. Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) is unlikable yuppie attorney who is being manipulated by his boss father-in-law. These two men are brought together in an auto accident and when Gavin leaves the scene of the accident stranding Doyle by the side of the road beginning an escalating cycle of revenge begins that leaves the viewer wondering where it will end.

The theme of redemption runs throughout the move. The church is the background of several scenes, one involving as he struggles with his conscience with the priest in the confessional. At the same time, Doyle is riding in the taxi looks at the cross dangling from the rearview mirror of the cab.

Although the race card is not played, race is an issue. Neither character uses it in their quest for revenge, but the scene of Doyle at the bar gives some insight into his rage. His fury at the white man is demonstrated as he beats up the two advertising men outside the bar. To his credit he shows a depth of character by not blaming racism for his failures in life. I will not give the end of the movie away for those of you who have not seen it yet, but you would be hard pressed to find a movie as good as this. It is a first rate flick.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A film that makes you think
Review: I had reservations about this movie when I read the less than flattering reviews about it, but decided nonetheless to see it for myself. I wasn't disappointed.

Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Affleck play their parts superbly: Affleck as the affluent Wall Street lawyer with a conscience, and Jackson as the blue-collar black man with marital difficulties. Their chance meeting happens when their two cars collide and Affleck unwittingly leaves some important documents with Jackson. The rest of the movie deals with how both men try to punish each other for what they perceive are injustices to themselves.

The film is pretty slow to start, but once you get over the half way mark and the stage is set, the story becomes more engaging. The movie explores what it means to have a conscience in today's dog-eat-dog, humanist society where morality seems to have become relative. Affleck has conflicts about the rightness of his actions when he is told by his bosses to forge the document that he has lost to Jackson. He struggles to find meaning in the world and isn't satisfied by his money hungry girlfriend or boss who both try to dismiss his inner conflict.

Both men's lives become connected by that one incident and it seems almost as if "God has put them in a brown paper bag...and let them have a go at each other" Jackson's hot temper and alcoholism has led to a loss of his wife and children and the accident earlier in the day with Affleck leads to him losing custody over his children.

I would recommend this film to anyone who loves a good 'thinking' movie. A movie that makes you question those rules upon which your life is governed.

As a postscript, if after the movie you are left asking 'what standard have I got to judge
by?' may I suggest Christ's standard.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: True and Useful
Review: This movie is best when the viewer is in a certain place of course - most movies that are very true are like that.

Within that place, this is an excellent movie. It tackles the question: What is good?

It is true and useful, in that it contains actual reality and gives the viewer the benefit of lessons learned without having to live the process (in this case, 2 horrible processes).

Other reviews talked about it's slow pace - fascinating. This is about 2 characters who simultaneously undergo life-changing processes, and it doesn't happen fast enough?!?? Wild.

Perfect acting, perfect cinematography, perfect.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: satisfying
Review: I thought this movie is satisfying and it ends that way. its like a cat and mouse movie with suspense and drama. Jackson and Affleck are superb and I think its one of Jacksons best performances ever, next to Pulp Fiction and Shaft, but I think he plays his character well and on a tv show he said he really really enjoyed this movie alot. movies with Sydney Pollack you know hes gonna have his outburst fights, like in Eyes Wide Shut he had his fight with Tom Cruise and in this one its with Ben Affleck and I think its one of the best movies of 2002

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A real downer!
Review: If you are already depressed, do not watch this movie. If you do not like long, drawn-out movies, do not watch this movie. If you are looking for a fast-moving, energetic movie, do not watch this movie.

The premise of Changing Lanes is intriguing -- two men with very different lives collide on the freeway in NY, and their lives become affected and intermingled in a most unusual way from that point forward. A single moment makes a significant difference in both men's lives. And the entire movie takes place in the course of a single day. As I mentioned, it is definitely not fast-moving.

A little more about the plot ... Jackson plays a down-on-his-luck guy who works as a customer service agent in an insurance call center. He is a father of two who, on this fateful morning, is stuck in traffic en route to a very important child custody hearing. He is also a recovering alcoholic. Affleck plays a wealthy law firm partner, who happens to be married to another partner's daughter. Scruples are few and far between in the law firm, and Affleck is quickly falling prey to believing wrong is actually right. You can tell early on that his heart is in the right place and he maintains a sense of decency despite his high-powered, cut-throat career. On this fateful morning, he is en route to a court room as well, where he must deliver a very important document that signs over millions of dollars of a deceased man's estate, against the wishes of his heir. In a moment, these men "change lanes" on the freeway and collide. Jackson winds up in the median with his car banged up enough to be undriveable. Affleck stops just long enough to make sure Jackson is okay and to give him his insurance info -- which he jots down on his very important file folder. At this point, the two strangers become intimately involved ... they just don't know it yet. The remainder of the movie pertains to the immense damage done to Jackson's life as the accident made him late for court, and he continues to struggle with his alcoholism. And it also pertains to Affleck's personal journey to the dark side of his own personality, and back again, while trying to retrieve his precious document. This movie gets very dark in exploring the worst possible scenario of this accident, and how a bad situation can tip off and escalate into a worse one. Fortunately, there is a positive turn and message in the end, but it's a long, drawn-out, dark road getting there. If you're like me, you figure out what's going on and what's going to happen very early on in the movie, so it seems that much slower. Also, as a big fan of comedies and romantic comedies, this movie was not at all my kind of flick -- I found it depressing. I bought this DVD for my husband, who also didn't care for it despite his penchant for dramas and action flicks, and it is headed for Ebay.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Suspense-thriller in slow motion
Review: The film has the same dark, almost dream-like quality that Eyes Wide Shut and Vanilla Sky do--and the same deliberate pacing. As such, it allows the viewer to think through what is happening, to ponder the ethical and very personal questions raised. On the other hand, faster pacing might have put an edge to the suspense.

The plot is real world and easy to relate to--two men are facing life-changing appointments and get into an car accident. Affleck plays a rising-star lawyer who is about to make/or lose millions. He has no time for working out the accident details, and leaves Jackson, who plays an insurance salesman who needs to get to his child custody hearing, stranded. What follows is a cycle of emotions, revenge, one-upsmanship, and ultimately, decisions by both characters about how to live life.

The redeeming features of this movie are the realism, relevance, and moral tension that we're invited to engage. The acting is subtle, yet charged. The ending will please most. My one recommendation would have been a faster pacing to bring additional tension to the action side of the plot.

Bottom-line: This is a strong movie, well worth viewing--excellent for discussion.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Really good, original movie
Review: This is a really good, original movie.

There is nothing predictable in the plot, and the movie progresses in an intense way.

Samuel L. Jackson is as usual, excellent.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Likeable
Review: This is a great edge-of-your-seat movie filled with darkness and drama. It has a creative storyline, though the level and frequency of events seem unrealistic. It still fits the production. It explores one day in the life of two revengeful men who meet in a freeway after their cars crash one another. Once Ben Affleck's character says "better luck next time", the thrills begin and don't end until the movie's end. Samuel L. Jackson wonderfully plays his nemesis. The other issues involved, including attempted adultry, alcoholism, child care, etc., are expressed wonderfully by every actor. "Changing Lanes" is a great movie for those who like unique and unpredictable plots.


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