13 Conversations About One Thing

Rating:
Summary: Thirteen conversations about MANY things
Review: I like that the viewer is never told precisely what the ONE thing is that this movie is about. (Nor do the writers, Karen and Jill Sprecher, give us any clues in the commentary they--and film editor Stephen Mirionne--provide for the DVD.) A number of themes, however, seem to nominate themselves for this position: Happiness, luck, the power of human will, guilt, acceptance of failure, cause and effect, human interconnectedness, and the value of small gestures, to name a few.

The stories that make up this film are presented as a prologue followed by twelve distinct scenes (intertitled with names like, "Ignorance is bliss," "I once knew a happy man. His happiness was his curse," "Fortune smiles at some and laughs at others," and "18 inches of personal space." The filmmakers reveal a number of their sources in their commentary (John Stuart Mill and Soren Kierkegaard, for example), but I can't help thinking that their dominant influence were characters from the Bible and the history of the church. All of the Sprechers' characters fall somewhere on the continuum of faith and it is to their credit that they can take profound religious insights and graft them onto everyday human experiences without slipping into the easy sentimentality of religious-themed shows like "Touched by an Angel." Alan Arkin's insurance company manager seems to suffer Job-like as a divorced man with a heroin-addicted son who resists his father's help, while also taking on Satan/God-like qualities when he chooses to fire an employee simply because that employee is happy. ("I'm going to take away everything," he says. "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.") Clea Duvall, a young woman who works as a maid, has the quiet but certain faith of a modest saint. She has survived a couple of close calls with death (she even states at one point, "I was saved for a reason"), only to go into a deep depression and crisis of faith when she realizes that one of her clients, a young architect she had a crush on, believs she had stolen an expesive watch when cleaning his apartment. Matthew McConaughey is a cocky district attorney who takes pride in his ability to dispense justice, only to become aware of his own cowardice and guilt. His response is to fall into a swoon of self-mortification worthy of any of a number of medieval martyr saints. John Tuturro is a recently mugged, highly routinized college physics professor who has an adulterous affair with another professor. Athough he claims his mid-week dalliance is evidence that his life is not predictable, he tells his mistress to meet him again the following week at the same place and time. The richness of the performances given by these actors, as well as by the rest of the cast, go a long way to making the story unfold long after you finish watching the movie. This is a thoughtful story, well told.

Rating:
Summary: Edgy intelligent film about happiness and random events
Review: The "one thing" this provocative 2001 independent film is about is happiness. What does it mean to be happy? And how easily, by just a chance happening, can it be taken away? There's a huge cast here and at least four intersecting stories set in urban New York on streets I recognize. It was written and directed by the sister team of Jill and Karen Sprecher and there's an edgy intelligence to the whole thing that stimulated my thinking about my own life.

The cast is huge and includes Matthew McConaughy, John Turtoro, Amy Irving, Clea DuVall and Alan Arkin. They all give outstanding performance and get deeply into their characterizations. There's a successful attorney who hurts someone in a hit and run accident and tortures himself with regrets. There's a college professor who hates the routine of his life and thinks that an affair will change things. There's a manager at an insurance company with personal problems who fires an employee just because of the employee's positive outlook on life. There's the victim of an accident who's a happy person until she's randomly struck down. There's the wife who has it all but whose marriage has failed.

The film is more than a sum total of the stories though. It's a mood that's set that lingers long after I turned off the DVD. It's a rather uncomfortable film to watch because it forces us to realize how our moments of happiness depend on random events beyond our control. I recommend it for the introspective only as it certainly doesn't leave the viewer smiling at the end. Personally, though, I loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Cool, clever, provocative and endearing.
Review: Don't you hate it when you come across a film with a really cool title to it only to discover 2 hours later that the movie itself is crap (e.g. - "Things to do in Denver When You're Dead," "Igby Goes Down," etc.)? In this case, I'm pleased to say, '13 Conversation," joins the pantheon of pretentiously titled films that actually lives up to, and surpasses, its frou-frou monikers (ala - "32 Short Films About Glen Gould").

"13 Conversations" is one of those films featuring an extremely disjointed timeline that probably could've been told in typical linear fashion, but instead was thrown into a narrative blender of sorts and mixed around a bit throwing out conventional notions of Act I, II, and III into the post-modern waste basket (Pulp Fiction anyone?). Even with this scattershot approach I was hooked 2 minutes into this film on the basis of the strong performances and wonderfully written characters and was completely enamored with how the tale would ultimately play out till the very end. Definitely a great selection for one of those 'Blockbuster nights.'

And, oh yeah, video transfer is pretty slick on DVD. Thumbs up on that front. Dolby 5.1 (no DTS) is so-so.

Rating:
Summary: A movie that tries to answer questions about happiness
Review: What is happiness? How do we achieve happiness? Do we know what happiness is? Is it by fate, Dame Fortune, or is it something we have to discover for ourselves? That's the thing in 13 Conversations About One Thing. There are various phrases that separate each segment of the movie, such as "fortune smiles on some, fortune laughs on others," which help underline the theme of this movie, as experienced by many characters.

There's an actuary, Gene English (Alan Arkin), whose company is going through hard times, and in order to cut back, lets go of Wade, an employee who's always happy and has a smile on his face. His motive that Wade will find some sort of silver lining. And Wade is at first shocked, as he has a family to support. Through this act, we learn more about Gene. He does have problems of his own, as he has a drug-addicted son, and is no longer married. I kind detected a kind of spite in Gene when he fired Wade, the typical case of an unhappy person who can't stand someone being happy. But given the outcomes of both people, it makes one wonder if karma has a role to play in this.

The physics professor Walker (John Turturro) is a creature of routine, making his entire life a schedule, whether it be his lover or his office hours, as he makes clear to one student who isn't making an effort in his class and whom he has a certain dislike. He's even left his wife to have an affair in the hopes that some kind of novel stimulation will break him away from the cozy rut of his old life. To him, that's happiness. Yet old habits die hard. He also finds solace in certainty, as his teaching physics irreversible. But in one instant, the effects that we have in what we say to one person is demonstrated later on. Or do, in the case of the actuary.

A hotshot prosecutor (Matthew McConaughey) is celebrating a victory in a case, but on his way back, he accidentally hits a young girl and leaves her there, not wanting to undergo legal entanglements--he oughta know, he's a lawyer. Slowly, the guilt he feels affects his life. The girl herself, Beatrice, (Clea DuVall), a housecleaner, initially has a positive outlook on life, yet following her accident, she becomes disillusioned.

There are some techniques used a la He Loves Me He Loves Me Not or Happenstance, where things that are seen in later segments fill in gaps or connect previously seen segments. And the performances are great throughout, even one can't sympathize with some of the characters, i.e. the lawyer. Me, I'll take as Wade as my nominee.

The viewer is indeed limited in the characters' lives via the film, but it does make one wonder, what happened afterward to them? Do or will they ever find that pot at the end of the rainbow? While there are no easy answers in the question of happiness, which seems to elude most like Tantalus and his fruit, I'll leave with song quotes I found apropos to this movie: "when you expect whistles, it's flutes/when you expect flutes, it's whistles." The name of the song: "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book."

Rating:
Summary: A breath of fresh air for those tired of cookie cutter films
Review: Put it this way:this film was so good that i'm taking time out of my day to do my part in letting others know that it is a film worth watching (and reflecting upon). The film takes place in New York City and seemlessly weeves itself through the lives of various people who are loosley connected in as it's put in the film this "small world". There are many aspects which make this film great. The casting, acting, screenplay, direction but most of all what sets this film apart is that it speaks to both the optimist and the pesimist in all of us. What ever your take on life may be your sure to find both enemies and allies in this film, as well as a greater understanding of your assesments on life in general. I,m a true film buff and I,m only writing this article because I've just seen a great film which unfortunately has no recognition. I've done my part, hope you enjoy the film.

Rating:
Summary: Edgy intelligent film about happiness and random events
Review: The "one thing" this provocative 2001 independent film is about is happiness. What does it mean to be happy? And how easily, by just a chance happening, can it be taken away? There's a huge cast here and at least four intersecting stories set in urban New York on streets I recognize. It was written and directed by the sister team of Jill and Karen Sprecher and there's an edgy intelligence to the whole thing that stimulated my thinking about my own life.

The cast is huge and includes Matthew McConaughy, John Turtoro, Amy Irving, Clea DuVall and Alan Arkin. They all give outstanding performance and get deeply into their characterizations. There's a successful attorney who hurts someone in a hit and run accident and tortures himself with regrets. There's a college professor who hates the routine of his life and thinks that an affair will change things. There's a manager at an insurance company with personal problems who fires an employee just because of the employee's positive outlook on life. There's the victim of an accident who's a happy person until she's randomly struck down. There's the wife who has it all but whose marriage has failed.

The film is more than a sum total of the stories though. It's a mood that's set that lingers long after I turned off the DVD. It's a rather uncomfortable film to watch because it forces us to realize how our moments of happiness depend on random events beyond our control. I recommend it for the introspective only as it certainly doesn't leave the viewer smiling at the end. Personally, though, I loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Cool, clever, provocative and endearing.
Review: Don't you hate it when you come across a film with a really cool title to it only to discover 2 hours later that the movie itself is crap (e.g. - "Things to do in Denver When You're Dead," "Igby Goes Down," etc.)? In this case, I'm pleased to say, '13 Conversation," joins the pantheon of pretentiously titled films that actually lives up to, and surpasses, its frou-frou monikers (ala - "32 Short Films About Glen Gould").

"13 Conversations" is one of those films featuring an extremely disjointed timeline that probably could've been told in typical linear fashion, but instead was thrown into a narrative blender of sorts and mixed around a bit throwing out conventional notions of Act I, II, and III into the post-modern waste basket (Pulp Fiction anyone?). Even with this scattershot approach I was hooked 2 minutes into this film on the basis of the strong performances and wonderfully written characters and was completely enamored with how the tale would ultimately play out till the very end. Definitely a great selection for one of those 'Blockbuster nights.'

And, oh yeah, video transfer is pretty slick on DVD. Thumbs up on that front. Dolby 5.1 (no DTS) is so-so.

Rating:
Summary: zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Review: Ok, i was excited to see this movie, and it was highly recommended by a trustworthy source. Maybe I missed something, but this movie was BORING. It's one of those twisted plots where all the characters are strangers but are brought together by strange twists of fate. Sounds like a decent premise, but it didn't work. I literally fell asleep (and I wasn't tired folks), and had to watch it again just to try to figure out what i had to be missing. Well I wasn't missing anything. The movie is so slow its hard to miss anything (good luck staying awake!) sheer poop

Rating:
Summary: An irreversible change
Review: In spite of its seemingly depressing nature I tremendously enjoyed this movie. I believe it is the issues discussed that were able to touch deep and the quiet, restrained way in which they were portrayed. Another reason would be the beautiful ending that does not say much but leaves you with some hope for human kind...
"Thirteen conversations about one thing" lead to very coherent statements about the human condition. Each viewer, so I believe, will interpret what he saw in a slightly different manner. For me however the message was: reach out for other human beings - they are as lonely as you are; kindness, optimism and "looking at the bright side of things" have a power in spite of all and a kind word or gesture have an affect on other people - cynical as they may be; and most important: happiness is sometimes a vague term and is always better perceived at a later stage....
The movie starts with a scene whose significance will be understood at a much later stage. John Turturro, playing a physics college professor is having dinner with his wife (Amy Irving) and discusses an act of violence that he suffered, trying to analyze the horror of it all and find significance and meaning in what occured. The act itself and its impact on the professor are not clear to the viewers at this stage but will become clear later on. This is the first hint to what will be one of the movie's major themes - one event is able to shake a person down and cause a change. An irreversible change.
The movie brings us five human episodes that are entangled to one strong story. Matthew McConaughey is a young, confident attorney whose life changes on account of a car accident he causes; Clea Duval an optimistic kind young woman working as a cleaning lady who looses her faith in human kind on account of same accident. John Turturro is a college professor in search of happiness - in search of the "something" more that life has to offer. In pursuit of such happiness he leaves his wife, who is left to deal with same questions and issues, especially with the loneliness of one person in the big city. However, the most impressive acting belongs to Alan Arkin who portrays a lonely, cynical manager who has a very optimistic, good-natured employee. The employee's ability to see good in every thing hits an exposed nerve which the manager can no longer tolerate. Alan Arkin manages to deliver a round figured person including his many sides and faces, thoughts and regrets, thus forming a very realistic humane figure. Arkin is a bitter father, a manager, an ex-husband and above all a person who down beneath is kind and good, after all the masks are stripped down. Clea Duval is another great asset to this movie, able to touch us with her tender quiet portrayal of a girl who undergoes an inner turmoil.
The film is rich with metaphors and symbols that are not always evident on first viewing. One example would be the professor, Turturro writing the word "Irreversible" on the class blackboard while discussing the notion of anthrophy and giving us a hint to life realities as will become evident to him later on. Once you made your choice, consequences are irreversible, as Turturro will soon understand. Another example would be Clea Duval' s doll who always had one closed eye and suddenly appears with her two eyes open after her owner's inner change, as if to symbolize the new look on life she has. These are just two examples of what makes this movie rich and holding several layers of understanding.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: This movie is great...it makes you think. Get it now b/c it's not in many stores.