Rating: Summary: A total Bore! Review: Wow, I am really surprised to see that many people rate this movie as good. Both my husband and I were totally bored with this movie and thought it was dry and not very interesting. A waste of a rental...
Rating: Summary: not as good as expected Review: I wanted to see "one hour photo" in the movie theater but i never got the chance. thankfully, i didn`t go. I heard so many great reviews about this movie so I had very high hopes for this movie. Needless to say, I was disappointed. This movie is about Sy, a photo developer who has been developing photos for the Yorkin family for many years. Over these years Sy has started to believe that he is part of the happy family. He soon becomes unhinged and tries to kill Will Yorkin when Sy finds out that he has been unfaithful. I thought the plot wasn`t as well developed as it could of been. The characters didn`t have a lot of emotion and feeling. I also thought that Sy could of been a little more physcotic. If you want to see this movie, you should rent it to see if it is for you.
Rating: Summary: Strange but still good Review: I read one review that said they were not sure wither or not they should see the movie because it looked real violent. I thought the same exact thing. It wasn't violent but very creepy and strange. Throughout the whole movie, you could tell Sy was not all there, but I could sympathize with someone who didn't have anyone in their life but themselves and the workplace. He does fall head over heels for this one family and basically bends over backwards for them by giving the boy a free camera, making them pay only part of the amount they owed for the pictures, and even takes a picture of himself to go along with the pictures. Here's the real bizzare thing is that he has all the pictures of the family in his household and even goes the extra mile to show the wife and son some pictures of the husband cheating with another woman (who is also another one of his customers) and breaks in their hotel room and make them take pictures of them having sex. He is so attached to the family, it's just ridicuols how he goes about trying to protect them. Don't get me wrong, Sy does have a soft side to him but it can be overlooked by his bizzare behavior. However, there is no murdering or any real violent scenes even thought the movie kinda leads you to believe that there will be, there not that much swearing in it either. I wouldn't call this movie a must have, but I think it is worthy of a look.
Rating: Summary: One Hour Photo - - - Two Hours Stupid Review: Robin Williams may be able to pull off "creepy" in other recent film roles, but in respect to this film, he was a dud within a dud. The movie had extremely weak dialogue between characters with vacant personalities. Williams' frequent voice-over monologues about the deep meaning of film processing were not intended to be humorous, but were, indeed, laughable. I could drum up no empathy for a single character in the movie. We observe Williams in the latter-end of his obsession for this family, and although Williams is convincing in his role as a pathetic, friendless outsider, I've no idea why he wanted to subject himself to such a part. The only bright spot in the film was Gary Cole as the Sav-Mart manager who fires Williams' character from the store in the last half of the movie. Mr. Cole plays a great corporate toady and was well cast in this film. As for the rest of the cast, they all seemed to be wandering around the screen, spouting out awful dialogue. The climax of the movie is very disappointing and it ends up with this bizarre confession from Williams' character that is "supposed" to explain things more clearly but seems more like an obvious cop-out on the part of the writer. Final word: If you're looking for an engaging character study with great depth, keep looking... but if you're looking for a movie to make fun of for 2 hours, look no further, "One Hour Photo" is just what you want.
Rating: Summary: Who's developing YOUR photos??? Review: Robin Williams delivers an eye-poppingly eerie performance in "One Hour Photo", a 96-minute journey into the mind of one of those normal, everyday people we encounter day to day without a second thought. However, Sy (Williams) is actually NOT one of those normal people.Sy the Photo Guy is a man who takes exceptional pride in his work as the film developer par excellence at the neighborhood Savmart. From the grain detail to the tint of the prints, Sy consumes himself with making the recorded picture memories of people as memorable and as true to life as possible. With one customer, though, he takes this dedication too far. The Yorkins are a "picture-perfect" family comprised of the attractive mother Nina (Connie Nielsen), the handsome father Will ("Never Been Kissed"'s Michael Vartan), and an adorable young son Jake. Their frequent trips to the Savmart have allowed Sy to get close to them through the sunshine images of their family photos. We soon realize that Sy has an unhealthy obssession with their happiness, and he finds himself fantasizing about being a part of the utopic lives of the Yorkin family. He even goes so far as to reprint all of their photos to frame in his own home, and he begins to stakeout the family's home and spy on their son. The rub comes along when Sy discovers that Will Yorkin has been having an affair with one of his coworkers. With good intentions, Sy tries to tell Nina about her husband's wrongdoings, but when he sees that Nina won't confront Will about it, Sy takes on a more proactive role in their lives. This is where the movie begins to take an even more bizarre turn... Which I won't share. :p This film is a great psychological maze, with Robin Williams, comedic genius, playing this most unlikely role. It is a story of how loneliness can transform people and how suppressed emotions and motivations can escalate into bizarre circumstances. Very thought-provoking and inescapably chilling, "One Hour Photo" is a film worth watching.
Rating: Summary: One of the best films of 2002! Review: If one needs proof of Robin Williams' dramatic acting skills, then he/she needs to look no further than last year's highly effective "One Hour Photo". Here, Williams' cinematic performance is worth many a rave review, and clearly puts him in the spotlight, up close and personal as Sy "the one hour photo guy". We look in on our study in action, working as a lab photo technician at a Wal-Mart-type knockoff. While developing many a photograph, one particular family catches Sy's eye, as well as his personal camera lens, as Sy's job becomes his personal obsession, an obsession that could wind up going too far if Sy isn't careful. In fact, this job means everything to our photography expert, as this storyline is conveyed clearly to the viewer. As the film progresses, the story itself becomes more intense, with the action becoming even more developmental with each passing scene. But, Robin Williams, whose performance here is nothing short of breathtakingly spectacular, isn't the only star whose performance shouldn't go unnoticed. Kudos should also go to Gary Cole, whose performance as a superstore manager and Sy's boss, although somewhat brief, is also worthy of high marks, especially in the intensity dept.. Cole's character is the absolutely perfect opposite foil of Williams' character, where the latter exhibits a Type B personality as opposed to Cole's Type A demeanor. With so many hooks to keep the frequent moviegoer (and regular video purchaser) entertained, and with its star and supporting cast's performances to boot (including Eriq La Salle's [of "ER" and "Coming To America" fame] credible role as a police detective), "One Hour Photo" just might earn Robin Williams the Best Actor Oscar of 2002. This "One Hour Photo" is always in service at your local video retailer today. With all the recent upgrades in video technology, the DVD of this title is your sure ticket to intense chills, thrills and spills, so don't miss out!
Rating: Summary: Uber creepy...he's not a housecleaning drag queen in this!! Review: Wow....for anyone who's grown up watching Robin Williams in adorable roles such as Peter Pan, Mrs. Doubtfire or Mork, this is a FAR-CRY from his usually comedic performances. In One Hour Photo, Williams plays the kind of guy you just instantly refuse to let your kids be around without even really knowing why. It's a bizarre tale with a blase ending, but the clincher is Williams just acting so weird. He radiates his odd behavior through the screen. The other characters are not the best supporters, and I feel that Williams carries this movie alone. I like the suspenseful moments when you feel as though something is going to happen but then the movie takes a whole different direction. As far as freaky movies goes, this really isn't THAT scary. However, as I stated in my title, it's creepy. You know one of those kinds of movies where your eyes pop out because you can't believe what a character is doing (i.e. when he plops himself on the forbidden toilet wearing a huge, wacky smile) or when you feel the tiny hairs on the back of your neck stick up because what's happening is just so weird? Well, this movie is sorta like that. Grab some popcorn. Not necessary to have someone sitting close enough to grab during "jump out at ya" scenes, but nice to have someone normal sitting with you so you can say "ewwwwww" together. I'd buy this one just because it's so unlike Williams' typical movies. It's like Steve Martin appearing in a Friday the 13th remake as Jason! Have fun.....
Rating: Summary: Creepy, well-acted fun. Review: This is a low-budget movie that very effectively uses that low budget to create an atmosphere of sterility and coldness. Robin Williams plays a man who has worked at a one-hour photo lab in a sterile, Walgreen's like department store that seems to have very few customers. He's obviously good at his job, but his skills have fallen on hard times as his obsession with one particular family (and their photos) begins to consume him. He keeps their pictures on his wall at home, and we truly sees himself as a beloved member of their family. When his illusions about the family are shattered, he snaps in a dangerous way. Williams is well-suited to the role. He underplays the role, and this reigning-in of his natural "over-the-top" nature gives his character a subtext of roiling emotions just waiting to bubble over. When he does finally snap, even his "revenge" is stunted and ineffective. This man is professional loser. The movie is well-written enough so that we feel a mixture of sympathy and disgust for this character. If we hated him completely, then there would be no reason to see the movie. If we totally sympathized with him, his collapse would be far to difficult to take. Gary Cole plays Williams' boss in a spin on the character he played to comic effect in OFFICE SPACE. Here he emerges as the true villain, and Cole is excellent. He's a very underrated performer. Connie Nielsen (GLADIATOR, THE HUNTED) is convincing as the mother in Williams' adoptive family. She is a mature actress who deserves more high-profile roles. The movie has lots of humor as well, and in many ways is a satire of the cold, sterile retail-centric world we live in, and how easy it is for a shy person to get swallowed up in the impersonal-ness of it all. Yet on another level, it's a "psycho" movie that sometimes feels a bit familiar and obvious...we've seen so many psychos by now!! But the performances make it well above average. I recommend the film, although not for kids. The final few scenes contain some fairly graphic frontal nudity.
Rating: Summary: Creepy and Disturbing Review: Robin Williams plays Sy the photo guy, the type of regular Joe we encounter daily- the "small" people who form a part of our existance without us acknowledging or even realizing their presence. Happy, smiling, devoted to his work, passionate about quality: he seems to be the ideal "support" cast for society. But beneath the veneer of the smiling photoshop guy lies a sad, isolated man who wants to belong and to love. He is so engrossed in lovingly capturing on film the most beautiful moments of a person's life that the line between reality and the posed world of the picture gets blurred. When he finds that the beautiful world of the pictures hides sinister secrets, his make believe world of perfection breaks down and he embarks on a mission to restore the moments crystallized in those snaps. With tragic consequences. A moving picture of isolation and the dehumanization of society where a person ceases to be a person but simply a cog in the wheel. Robin Williams is marvellous in a career defining role where he brings creepiness and pathos in equal measure to create Sy Parrish. The screenplay is taut and the direction is smart...the bluish hues of the photo development center and the sparseness of the rooms conveying the sense of isolation and loneliness much better than words would have ever done. The best movie of 2002.
Rating: Summary: "Snapshot Was Originally A Hunting Term...." Review: Watching this movie has got to awaken some thoughts and fears of our own. How many of us, and how many times, have we wondered about the people working in the photo labs that develop our pictures?. We know they see them. What happens behind those doors where they are developing them?. Or better yet, what are they thinking when they see them?. For all we know they could be showing them to their friends. But for one family in this movie, it gets a lot worse than that. Robin Williams, in a chilling performance, plays Sy Parrish, a lonely guy who works at the photo lab in a store called SavMart. Sy is a lonely man who lives in a plain, bland, sterile world and works in it too. The only light this guy has, the only happiness, and the only key to a somewhat normal life, is thru the Yorkin family. Dad Will(Michael Vartan), Mom Nina(Connie Nielsen), and their young son. He has been taking their pictures for years. He also makes extra copies of all the pictures they bring in so he can have a copy of his very own. He lives thru them. Imagining he is a part of their life, and they of his. He has a whole wall in his apartment plastered with pictures of them he has taken over the years. He has delusions of entering their house and picturing himself in their photos. He has even started to show up at the boy's soccer matches and refering to himself as 'Uncle Sy'. After getting fired from his job, Sy heads into a horrible downward spiral. To top it off, he finds out some unsettling information about Mr. Yorkin and tries to rectify the situation. By this time, Sy has snapped. Is Sy really a bad guy?. Is he nuts?. By the time the film ends, Sy lets us in on the pain that has brought him to this point in his life. It's nothing new and most people will probably see it coming, but at least it's real and can happen and explains certain things. The ironic thing here is that the 'perfect family' he longed after, weren't really all that happy. It's hard to see or think of Sy as a bad guy. Does he need serious help?. Yes. Is he evil?. I wouldn't say so. The movie showcases that what is on the exterior, isn't always in the interior. Williams is brilliant. He makes Sy a real person. He doesn't make it a caricature or bring us to think that it's just Robin Williams being crazy. He is Sy Parrish, and he is amazing. This also breaks the saying that Williams always seems to have a beard whenever he is doing his most serious, dramatic work. Vartan and Neilsen are too plain and directionless. They seem to just be there to go thru the motions while Robin does his thing. Neither one of them really gives out anything great that would make someone like Sy want to be them or be with them. I guess it's just the thought of being in a family. The great Gary Cole also appears as Sy's boss, and former "ER" star Eriq LaSalle plays a detective on the trail of Sy. Did LaSalle leave "ER" for small, useless roles like this?. The movie is creepy and it has the right, perfect score for it as well. What's really the scariest thing about this is that this is not some monster created by Hollywood. This is real life. This could happen and it could happen to anybody. Nothing is scarier than reality. Some people might be turned off by how Sy turns towards the last part, but it was going to come sooner or later. In his mind, he was doing nothing wrong. Just taking pictures.
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