Rating: 
Summary: One Hour Photo, Robin Williams showcases his best work
Review: ''One Hour Photo'' this a great movie Ive watched several times. Robin Williams who has made his career as a clown early on in ''Mork And Mindy'' to the slimy carsalesman in ''Cadillac Man'' to Leslie Zevo in Toys but underneath
all that comedic talent lies a talented dramatic actor. Remember ''Good Morning Vietnam'', ''Dead Poets Society'' , and ''Good Will Hunting''? These were all great movies showcasing the dramatic talent of Robin Williams.
Obviously dumb critics new and old who thought Williams just did comedy were wrong (including the same critics from other sites I pointed out). So here we are in 2002 and Williams delivers another great dramatic performances, possibly his darkest and best perforamence. Under great director Mark Romanek who never really did a good film for several years, Williams portrays an isolated but warm human being named Sy Parrish, a guy who was worked at the same photo mart for all his life. Everyone loves Sy well everyone except his abusive and obnoxious boss Bill Owens (Gary Cole) He is a typical example of the scum that runs a company for his own personal profit while portraying this fake nice guy image which of course Sy knows is a lie. Sy is an expert in photography however director Romanek takes things a step further portraying saying as an obsessive photo collector which people can take it
as good or bad. I took it as good, here is a guy who takes enough pride in his work to collect everything he has done. In fact it is this obsession which helps Sy uncovers the infedility of a selfish married man and the lies he has given to his family. In fact many critics failed to realize this labeling the Sy character as an obsessive voyeur/killer in the making. As said Sy works in the photo mart and comes to collect and process over a 10 yr period the magical kodak moments of the Yorkin family, Nina (Connie Nielsen)
, Will (Michael Vartan) and their son Jake (Dyland Smith). Sy has processed their prints for years and almost is a part of their family. Sy though of course obsessively collects his own personal prints to reflect back on what a great family they are and this is what gets Sy into trouble with Bill (Cole). Bill realizes that several prints of customers have been missing and he realizes it must be Sy. He fires Sy delivering some corporate crap which is meant to only save
his behind. However Sy though before he is fired uncovers the fact that Will Yorkin despite his Mr. Clean family man image has actually been sleeping around with another woman and lying to his family about it. I loved Robin Williams in this film he was exceptional. We see another great dramatic performance by Williams. He is fantastic even surpassing some supposed great overhyped dramatic actors like Anthony Hopkins. Williams through this character makes
us think as to the actual value of what goes into a photo. It's a image in time made of joy usually, however it shows that photos do not tell the whole story. Obviouslly Will Yorkin is a cheating husband, something that he hides very well till the end. ''One Hour Photo'' is a great movie possibly the best dramatic I've seen in a while.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice, but slow
Review: The photography is beautiful.
The acting is wonderful.
But I think it is a one-hour story told over two hours. The whole second act simply tested my patience.
And by the way, I don't think the RW character is creepy at all, I found him very likable. Apart of course from when his obsession takes over.
Rating:
Summary: See it, but don't expect a slasher flick
Review: Robin Williams as a bad guy? Must be a joke, right? No joke. Ever since I saw Robin play the angry dad, if only for a few seconds, at the end of Mrs. Doubtfire, I realized that he would make a really scary villain. And honestly, he's not even a villain in One Hour Photo (although the director really wants you to think just that). He's more of an anti-hero. Williams' strength is that he's playing against type. We know he's a nut -- in a good way -- and expect him to burst out into showtunes at any moment. This just makes the bubbling cauldron of his emotions that much more compelling. And oh yea, Williams supposedly playd Dungeons & Dragons once or twice. Which makes me like him even more. One Hour Photo's plot is simple: a photo clerk (Sy Parrish, played by Williams) at the local Wal-mart (er, Sav-Mart) sees things. Lots of things. Things he isn't always meant to see. He becomes obsessed with a family and has pictures of them all over his wall. It could happen to anyone -- it could be happening right now. Do you REALLY know what happens to your photos when you bring them in? Things take a turn for the worse when Sy discovers, through his job, that not all is at it seems in said happy family. When he discovers infidelity -- that the image he clung to is in fact horribly tainted and all too real, he snaps. And as he snaps, we descend from the heavenly glow of the Sav-Mart's white lights to a dizzying kaleidoscope of hell. The lensing is a primary character in this film: Greens, yellows, and reds (the color separation of photos, get it?) are all carefully lensed to give a surreal edge to Sye's rage, his madness, his sorrow. Colors are dissonant even though Sye himself is nearly invisible in his pastel clothes. His home is a stark, barren wasteland of color. The only thing that bothered me about the lensing is that the colors often seemed randomly placed -- something I have been trained by other directors to look for as a hint to further meaning in the movie (thanks to Spielberg and the red coat in Schindler's List and Shamalayan's red everything in Sixth Sense). But that's on purpose too, as there IS no meaning to Sye's world beyond the pictures he takes. One Hour Photo is as much about the ideal American family that you see in department store catalogs as it is about Eleanor Rigbys of the world. For every American ideal, there is a flawed interior. For every pleasant, affable man, there is a demon waiting to be unleashed. The ending is twisted and poignant, although some might feel it's a cop out. It explains Sye's history, why he so desperately needs a perfect family in his head, and why pictures hold so much affection for him. It also explains his subsequent violence and rage when said family cannot live up to his ideals. There's even a twist at the end -- something Maleficent picked up on but that I missed. This is one of those movies that I didn't like nearly as much until thinking about it afterwards. It's a classic depiction of suburban hell, an intellectual horror. It reminded me a lot of Session 9, only without the insane asylum. See it, but don't expect a slasher flick (despite the trailers).
Rating:
Summary: The Eye in the Sky
Review: As in Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia" Robin Williams demonstrates new aspects of his talent in this multilateral thriller, making it a disturbing character sketch rather than a vehicle for cheap thrills. He's the friendly photo-tech in the local mart, especially fond of a particular family, the Yorkins. When they hand over their rolls he prints an extra set for himself, literally covering his walls at home with their pictures, gradually feeling that he's one of them (uncle Sy). Apart from being an exciting character in his own right, the production design makes him blend in with his surroundings, being a part of them on an allegorical level. He's not just a Peeping Tom, but a guardian of morals, related to Orwell's surveillance. When the husband violates the moral principles of a wholesome nuclear family by having an affair, he acts as an angel of vengeance - not a biblical one, but rather an incarnation of the social Ordnung, the flame-sword replaced with a hunting knife and his cyclops eye, the camera.
The movie should also be praised for its restrained pace and closing, not relying on the usual hysterical tricks of this genre.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Character Study
Review: One Hour Photo does not qualify as a horror film, but it certainly is creepy and engrossing. Robin Williams gives an outstanding performance as Sy Parrish, one of those little people in life that everyone ignores. Parrish is photo developing technician for one of those value chain stores. His dress is impeccable, he lives in a drab and virtually empty apartment, and drives a sensible car. The guy really reeks of smallness and emptiness. Through the years he has insinuated himself into the Yorkin family from afar as he has developed their photos detailing virtually every aspect of their lives. His actions become a little more intrusive as he scouts their home and young son. Still, his actions seem harmless enough--until one sees the hundreds of family photos Sy has pasted on one of his apartment walls in some sort of giant collage. Only then do we suspect a sinister side of William's character. A combination of Sy being fired from his job (his boss, played by Gary Cole, finds out about hundreds of unauthorized prints being made) and his discovering, by chance, Will Yorkin's infidelity sends him over the edge. He 'innocently' tries (and succeeds) to make Yorkin's wife aware of her husband's elicit affair but it doesn't generate the result he desires. He then tries a more aggressive approach in the climactic scene of the movie. Apparently, Will Yorkin shattered Sy's vision of the perfect family. Sy is a tamer version of the Terry O'Quinn character in the first two Stepfather movies--but no less creepy. The movie is very compartmentalized, with most of its scenes either in the store where Sy works, his apartment, or the Yorkin home. It's the scenes in the apartment where we truly see the emptiness of the man's life. Again, Robin Williams's performance is startling. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: well paced thriller
Review: The plot is simple, but it works. Robin Williams as a photo developer who is obsessed with one of his customer's family photo's and the family itself. His obsession leads to strange turn of events. The film tackles one man's loneliness and how jealousy over what someone else appears to have can lead to problems. The film definitely showcases Robin Williams acting ability. It's the first thriller suspense film that I have seen in a long time which has been so absorbing. Creepy, clever and engaging. Worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: A Work of Art
Review: One Hour Photo' is both a disturbing and a profound movie. With it Mark Romanek has fully succeeded in putting across two fundamental truths. The first is that adultery and betrayal are, most of the times, trivial and hypocritical pursuits; the second is about the irremediable psychological damage of child abuse. The first truth is aptly conveyed through the focus on the lying and secrecy surrounding Will's (Michael Vartan) adultery; on the embarrassment and shame when he thinks his wrong-doing is going to be 'made public'; and on his own understanding of the banality and worthlessness of his secret love story when he is brought to admit it to Nina (Connie Nielsen), the person he loves and yet has betrayed. The second truth - the psychological damage of child abuse -is very skillfully conveyed by means of a great and unique character: Sy Parrish (Robin Williams) whose emotional and social life has been irremediably damaged by traumatic childhood experiences. These truths are mostly revealed - and I MEAN 'revealed' - to the audience only in the last few scenes in a compelling twist, which leaves us looking at the main character Sy and at the whole movie through a quite different light and depth. Far from an unhinged psychotic weirdo, Sy (Williams) becomes the only person that has really understood what Will is doing to himself and to his family; furthermore we come to appreciate that the reason why Sy understand so well the harm caused by betrayal is to be found in his honest remembering and courageous awareness of the psychological and emotional damage done to him by his own father. The link between the two instances of wrong-doing is the process of 'making public', the SHAMING - a link which is wonderfully conveyed by ... the taking pictures to 'the act of wrong doing' itself. A marvelous, touching and unforgettable work of art. And Robin Williams gives one of his finest performances ever.
Rating: 
Summary: Tell Me What You See
Review: Sometimes appears a thriller that relies more on character development and a good, gripping story than in continuous twists and trite action sequences. "One Hour Photo" is such a case, where Robin Williams creates a powerful character as Sy Barret, a lonely man who works at a photo department in a store. As time goes by, Sy starts to care more and more about a family he met through his job. Slowly, that care becomes an obsession, and we see there`s something terribly wrong.
Mark Romanek has directed a few videoclips and creates a stylish, absorbing mood for the movie, capturing the dysfunction and alienation of its main character. "One Hour Photo" is a slow, low key though interesting movie that has something to say about today`s society, and despite its somewhat anticlimatic ending still leaves the viewer think about the way he lives and acts with those who surround him. A worthwhile watch and a deep, strong character study.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT FROM STARTING POINT. FALLS APART AT THE END!
Review: This film has a suprisingly chilling atmosphere created by Robin Williams' amazing portrayal of an introvert linked to a family only in his dillusions. Without giving anything away, the progression of the storyline is immaculate. up until the climax i was on the edge of my seat. In my opinion the film looses it's appeal with the ending. The writer should have really reconsidered the climax/aftermath. If done correctly, it could have ranked among the best thrillers of all time. see for yourself. i'm sure you'll agree.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment runs thick
Review: I don't know what's going through Robin Williams' head. This is the second recent film he's starred in that should never have been made. The plot completely failed. It was an excellent idea. A man becomes obsessed over a family who's photos he's been developing for years. Wow! It sounded so great. I was much anticipating it's release. Low and behold I was in shock over how horrible it really was. I am glad I got the chance to see it before I rented it. I would have been utterly furious had I spent money on it. I expected maybe Williams' character would try to replace the father of the family. Maybe there would be some kind of murder or deeper conspiracy. Was there? No, there was nothing in this film could even be considered thrilling. There is not one thing that would make me spend money on this film. It's not even worth the 1 star I gave it. It drudged on and on with very little consistancy to the plot. Mind you, they had an great cast, but even the best names couldn't have helped this one. Had they have spent more time writing the script maybe, just maybe, this film would have been worth seeing.
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