Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre Drama - could have been so much more...
Review: "Things You Can Tell..." is a series of short stories that tangentially relate to one another. All are about attractive, white, affluent women who are sad and lonely. That's one of the big problems with this movie is that there's no real diversity. You can tell that the "dramatic monologues" that are given throughout the movie were all written by the same person, even though they're spoken by different characters. All of the sad, lonely, white, well-educated, affluent women have the same basic personality, but with mild idiosyncracies (this one sleeps around a lot, this one is shy, this one is blind).In format, this film is similar to Robert Altman's "Short Cuts" or the more recent "Magnolia" but one reason that those movies succeed where this one fails is because in THOSE movies, the people and the stories are so incredibly diverse and yet they all feel authentic. This movie lacks both qualities. In place of depth and solid characterization, "Things You Can Tell..." relies upon cheap melodrama (lots and lots of crying, let me tell you...) and really contrived moments where one woman is giving her speech about being lonely and the music is playing and another woman is staring intently at her, eyes wide, as if this is the most precious moment ever lived. And the music... blah. Very distracting. Very intrusive. I admired what this movie was trying to do and there were some good performances, but the script lacked any real depth and the inclusion of a dwarf and two blind people did not compensate for the fact that almost every single female character in this movie was essentially the same and that all of them (with the one exception of the woman whose lover was dying) were looking for "true love" and that was the main focus of their stories. Overall, a very disappointing movie.
Rating: 
Summary: RESTORING THE FAITH
Review: 'Waiting to Exhale', 'If These Walls Could Talk' - we've seen all the all-female films and they all have one thing in common - they're all boring, so I wasn't looking forward to this film, which I was only seeing, because of my admiration for Calista Flockhart. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. My faith has been restored - not only is each performance absolutely maginificent, but the direction and script is superb. Calista Flockhart's performance is just incredible and Cameron Diaz proves that there's more to her than just her looks. There's not one weak performance and if you think 'Well, it didn't do well at the box office, so it can't be very good', just remember that nor did 'Being John Malkovich', but that was superb. This film is totally totally mesmerising. A must see for anyone, who just wants to bask in brilliance.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful, Introspective Drama
Review: A sensitive and incisive episodic drama that examines loneliness and need, emotional vulnerability and the true meaning of character, "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her," written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, presents a glimpse into the lives of seven women that is not only thoughtful, but filled with some real insights into human nature. Though the stories are independent and unrelated, the film demonstrates how the lives of people can and do overlap, and whether or not they affect one another in any way, there are things these individuals have in common that have to do with relationships or the lack thereof, and is seemingly steeped in pain, despair, indecisiveness and longing. It's a dialogue driven character study that may be the antithesis of a feel-good film, but it's riveting drama that is extremely well presented and acted, and most importantly it is very real and believable and will certainly contain elements to which just about anyone in the audience will be able to relate and identify, because they are so true-to-life. What you see in this film may not be entirely pleasant, but it provides some thought-provoking, reflective moments that are in some cases veritably transporting, and many that are bound to hit very close to home for many viewers. Garcia seems to have a firm grasp of the female perspective and sensibility, and presents the stories of these women in a way that allows you to empathize with all of them on a number of different levels. And he wisely offsets the drama by infusing a bit of tasteful humor at just the right moments, bittersweet though it may be; without it, the film would have been just too dark, and as it is, it hovers dangerously close to the cusp of the abyss, as he layers one disconcerting situation upon another with little respite. It may sound like strong stuff, and it is; but it does what a film like this is supposed to do: It makes you "feel" something, consider some things and enables you to possibly come to terms with some emotions that otherwise you may be wont to avoid altogether. In the end, then, it makes for a truly satisfying and fulfilling experience. Garcia put together a terrific ensemble cast to tell his story, which resulted in a number of exemplary performances, most notably by Cameron Diaz, who plays Carol, a blind woman who refuses to acquiesce to the constant compromises life offers her. She displays a fortitude that is inspiring and demonstrates that real vision, as well as true beauty, transcends the physical. In her darkness, she sees and understands the world more clearly than many who see perfectly but are blind in other ways, and though in the care of her sister, Kathy (Amy Brenneman), it is she who enables Kathy to finally get a grasp on her own life. It's a wonderful performance by Diaz, who continues to prove that she is so much more than just another pretty face up there on the screen. Another memorable performance is turned in by Kathy Baker, as Rose, the single mother of a fifteen-year-old son, Jay (Noah Fleiss), who is a woman of true inner beauty. Rose is a former teacher who now writes children's storybooks, whom Baker instills with qualities that make her endearing and very real, including the capacity to look beyond herself and reach out to others, which in turn makes that necessary connection with the audience and predisposes the emotional involvement that makes her story so poignant and honest. There's a gentleness that Baker brings to this role, and an openness, that makes it one of the best she's ever done. Notable performances are given, as well, by Glenn Close, as Dr. Elaine Keener, who has recently arrived at something of a crossroads in her life; Calista Flockhart, as Christine, a fortune teller whose own future with her girlfriend, Lilly (Valeria Golino) is clouded; and Holly Hunter, as Rebecca, a thirty-nine-year-old bank manager coping with the emptiness in her life brought about by, in retrospect, some questionable decisions she's made. It is rare, in fact, to find so many singularly exceptional performances in a motion picture. The supporting cast includes Matt Craven (Walter), Gregory Hines (Robert), Miguel Sandoval (Sam), Danny Woodburn (Albert) and Penelope Allen (Nancy). Engrossing drama, delivered with integrity and subtle nuance by Garcia and his impeccable cast, "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her" in an introspective treatise on life and the many aspects of it that are common, but rarely shared because of the fact that so many people live, as Carol says at one point, "Behind closed doors." It's a powerful film that makes a real impact without ever hitting you over the head with the weight of it's collective angst. And it's an important film in that it will make you think and consider-- things that are too often put off or ignored entirely, and often to the detriment of personal happiness; and when the medium of the filmmaker can maybe turn that around, it demonstrates what the magic of the movies is really all about.
Rating: 
Summary: Remarkable performances.
Review: A very touching, poignant, honest look at the lives of woman dealing with the truth, love, sex, prejudice, and relationships. The film is filled with wonderful performances most noteably by Calista Flockhart as a gay fortune teller dealing with her dying lover. Valeria Golina is equally effective as the lover. This is by the far the best vignette out of the 6. Cameron Diaz also gives a wonderful performance as a blind woman living with her lonely sister played with sincerity by Amy Brennaman. Each story is very intersting and also has terrific performances from Kathy Baker and Glenn Close. I only hoped that all of these remarkable actressed had some screen time together as a whole, but a minor issue in a very special and heartfelt film.
Rating:
Summary: great film making
Review: Caught this film by accident on cable and was totally mesmerised. The entire cast was magnificent, I can't even pinpoint one performance because they were all so great. I'm thankful for cable and videotapes that allow us to see films like this that we otherwise might not see in the theatres.
Rating:
Summary: good acting
Review: every actress in this movie is great! The story line is good and realistic. I loved this movie. It is not just an ordinary chick flick either. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Things you would hate just by watching this movie
Review: Great actors, that can't be denied. But a horrific movie. Boring, shallow, self-absorbed people making dull, obvious choices to leave empty lives. Get a group of people together and see if there is any plot "twist" you can't predict. Pretentious, obvious and insipid. But did I mention the actors are great?
Rating: 
Summary: Good cast, but lack on plot.
Review: Great Actresses are hard to come by.. And This movie have more then most.. I wouldn't say this is a great movie.. if you like the female casts.. But i wouldn't say that.. The plot lacked something.. i couldn't quite figure out what.. Maybe the female casts distracted me a bit..
Rating:
Summary: Give this as a gift to someone you hate
Review: I decided to get this movie because it was on sale at a local store and I saw that it had 4 stars here at [amazon.com] I thought it would be a good movie to watch with my girlfriend...whoops! The movie had no meaning for me. I thought maybe female viewers would relate to the movie better, but even my girlfriend wished she hadn't wasted her time watching this movie. We were really depressed after we finished it. The stories in the movie could've been interesting but were too slow. On the plus side, the cast was great. The video quality wasn't good for a DVD but the audio was decent. There were a couple of times I turned my head because I thought the sound was real. There are no extras on this DVD except for the theatrical trailer. Not a recommended purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Give this as a gift to someone you hate
Review: I decided to get this movie because it was on sale at a local store and I saw that it had 4 stars here at [amazon.com] I thought it would be a good movie to watch with my girlfriend...whoops! The movie had no meaning for me. I thought maybe female viewers would relate to the movie better, but even my girlfriend wished she hadn't wasted her time watching this movie. We were really depressed after we finished it. The stories in the movie could've been interesting but were too slow. On the plus side, the cast was great. The video quality wasn't good for a DVD but the audio was decent. There were a couple of times I turned my head because I thought the sound was real. There are no extras on this DVD except for the theatrical trailer. Not a recommended purchase.
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