Rating: 
Summary: Creepiness is in the Eye of the Beholder
Review: I enjoyed this movie thoroughly. Even so,I subtracted a star from the otherwise perfect rating simply because something about the movie didn't work. Not that the plot, style, characterizations and overall visual presentation of the film was not well constructed and in-sync. It wasn't that... it was the audience. We are just too well-primed to accept the strange as, well, almost acceptable.
In portraying Sy Parrish,Robin Williams takes his deranged writer role in 'Insomnia' up a notch. At first, Sy seems the typically harmless guy with the best of intentions and one or two loose screws. He's lonely: no friends, no family. His job seems to be all important to him,and he performs well but, in actuality the job is just a means to an end. By perfectly processing the film rolls handed over to him at the local discount department store, Sy becomes a voyeur without ever leaving the confines of the world of his apartment and the store. In particular, he has zeroed in on the Yorkin family: Nina, Will and their young son. To him,they have a model existence,one where Sy envisions himself as an involved "uncle", albeit to the extreme especially when he discovers that Will is having an affair with another photo client. Sy's loose screws drop out of his head as his picture of perfection is trampled and he devises a method of 'helping' the situation in a way that leaves the moviegoer's imagination stinging with bizarre possibilities that I will not disclose.
All this makes for an enthralling panorama of suburbian life that mesmerizes but nevertheless misses a beat somewhere in the process. I think as 21st century film critics we have become just a little too anesthesized to strangeness as portrayed on the silver screen. We have seen it all, haven't we? Hannibal Lecter scared the daylights out of us with his slithering tongue and psychological slashing of Jodi Foster in 'The Silence of the Lambs', yet in 'Hannibal', a more gruesome act of eating Ray Liotta's still thinking brain had somewhat of a lesser impact. We have been 'privledged' to see multiple-personalities, child molestors, sexual deviants, serial killers and the all purpose cannibal---hey, we all love the Sopranos---so as creepy as Robin William's portrayal of Sy Parrish should be to our moral and ethical sensibilities, it is somehow diminished by our own sophistication as curried from the virtual world of films. Sy just doesn't provide the 'punch' needed to overthrow Hannibal from the current 'King Weirdo' throne. Visually, the director provides only a hint of what Sy's punishment for Will actually is---and this is the one moment of the film that lifts the hair off the back of the neck---ironically what WE DON"T SEE is more bizarre than what is shown in full technicolor.
Nonetheless,'One Hour Photo' is still a good film in spite of our jaded viewpoints. Connie Nielson ('Gladiator') is chic yet vulnerable as the suburban wife and mother and Michael Vartan ('Mists of Avalon')is sufficently sexy and thoroughly ashamed as the straying husband and father. While the sterile whiteness of the ubiquitously offensive suburban superstore and that of William's apartment in the film suggests Sy's toxic need for order in an otherwise unordered situation contrasts well with the picture perfect environs of the Yorkin family's phony Utopian dream. Check it out--you'll only add to your library of the Bizarre.
Rating:
Summary: Robin Williams's creppiest hour.
Review: One critic wrote that "One Hour Photo" will "Do for photo developing what 'Psycho' did for showers". It is a creppy and somewhat demented film, with an amazing performance by Robin Williams, but is flawed by a script that falters towards the end of the movie. Williams plays Sy Parrish, a photo developer at a Savmart (a department store similar to ...) who takes special pride in the prints he produces. To him, developing is an underappreciated art form. His life revolves around his job, and for good reason, he has no real life to speak of outside of his work. He was never married, has no real friends or relations, and we learn very little about his past. What we know of his present situation is bleak and depressing. But Sy has taken a special liking to a suburban family, with a successful husband, a pretty wife, and a beautiful son. Domestic bliss personified. He, in his lonely state, becomes obsessed with the family, and longs for something he can never have. This pushes him to the brink of near insanity. I will not give away any more than I already have, but I will say that the ending lets down the whole movie. The movie begins as a fascinating character study, and ends as a hollywood cliche (a diet version, if you will). While the creppiness and the quality of the acting keeps "One Hour Photo" entertaining, you feel unsatasfied in the end. Similar to movies like "Silence of the Lambs" and "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", the characters are more interesting before the go over the edge. The movie is the perfect starring vehicle for Williams, who is proving that his move from comedy to drama in his later years is indeed a good idea. The script, while meandering at times, is smartly written and doesn't turn the movie into a Hannibal-type affair. Williams is a lonely man who seeks love and attention, and only finds it out of his reality and in the photos he develops. He nailed the character perfectly. While it's not Oscar material, it is definitely worth checking out. Most people will love Robin Williams's darker side, while others will like the unique story.
Rating:
Summary: A Different Kind of Stalker Movie....
Review: I had expected One Hour Photo to be yet another variation on the overused Hand That Rocks the Cradle/Fatal Attraction stalker genre, and I was glad to be proven wrong. Rather than a film about a crazed, murderous stalker, Director Mark Romanek delivers a touching portrait of a lonely man looking for a place to fit in. Robin Williams is excellent as Sy "The Photo Guy" Parrish, who uses his job in the photo departmant of SavMart to accumulate pictures of the family he so desperately wishes to be a part of. When he discovers clues that all might not be sweetness and light with his fantasy family, Sy decides to take steps to correct things. I really didn't feel too much for the Yorkin family- Apart from the sympathetic young son, the parents aren't the nicest of people, and the secret they're hiding made me like them even less. (I did understand how Sy could be drawn to the lovely Mrs. Yorkin, played by the luminous Connie Nielson.) The ending is vastly different from what I was expecting, and that's always a plus. See it for Robin Williams' strong performance, which is sure to be a contender at Oscar time.
Rating: 
Summary: Robin Williams at his best
Review: Even if you do not like psychological thrillers, you must watch this movie just too see how good Robin Williams is even when he is not doing comedy, just in case there are still doubts of his talents after his portrayal of a killer in Insomnia. "Sy the photo guy" is a lonely man working at Savmart who takes absolute pride in his work and has no life whatsoever outside of it, that is besides of a life of his regular customers - Yorkin family. Stalking and obsession taken to an extreme. His portrayal of this disturbed character is so brilliant and chilling, it will leave you speechless. It is a first Oscar worthy performance I've seen this year. I'm trying not to give out too much of the movie here, but what makes this movie so successful is an idea of an 1 hr photo clerk, which is so close to home for most of us. After all, we all have had our pictures developed and printed in such a place one time or another, which incidentally make a perfect argument for all of us to switch to digital and print our own pictures. It is an excellent movie and once again I can not say enough about Robin's performance. Worth spending the money to watch it in the theater.
Rating: 
Summary: well-made but pointless.
Review: This is an exceptionally well-made film, everything but the screenplay. It's too predictable, we know everything already from the previews and the beginning. And as a story it's just not interesting. We don't really care about anyone in the film, we're just creeped out. And while it seems like this would be a good film to address many issues, it never really does (aside from the facade of happy suburban life, an issue which has made many better movies).
Robin Williams plays Sy brilliantly and makes him believable. The climax scene is almost operatic with the music fitting it perfectly. It's too bad these things were wasted in such a bad movie.
Rating:
Summary: Williams' Deep Portrayal of Obsession
Review: Robin Williams in 'One Hour Photo' had me literally by the throat. The movie wasn't actually jump-out-of-your-seat scary, but, if you are a fan of deep psychological thrillers, then this movie is an ideal reference. With Williams' character, Sy Parrish, we are treated to an openly cheerful and devoted man as well as photo-processing guru, but, as the story starts to unwind, we see that Sy's character is in dire need of aid, both mentally and socially. His alter images of himself portraying a contributing member in the Yorkin clan are downright eerie, adding just such a touch of realism to make the average moviegoer appreciate life as it exists today. The average moviegoer does not care about substance . . . just a quick ruffling of feathers for a few dollars. Fans of intellectual independent film will adore the true-to-life realism with which Williams portrays Sy. The picture honestly touched me in a waay like never before. To see a man break down over the loss of his job, and realise that he is in a deeper state of sadness over his losses in the social side is a real tongue-in-cheek, lump-in-your-throat ride. Of course, Sy is a demented and deranged person . . . but he is characteristic of us all in some ways; the way we each latch onto something with a fervour and passion. This is as true to life in the depression sector as one can get, and yet, it is still a character study . . . one not entirely depressing, but having heart as well . . .
Rating:
Summary: Was That Robin WIlliams or Jack Nicholson?
Review: "One Hour Photo" does for Robin Williams what "The Shining" did for Jack Nicholson. This intelligent, terrifying, realistic masterpiece is destined to be one of the screens best directed, edited and scripted films...period. It will stand the test of time and Robin has shown a versatility (i.e. "Insomnia" earlier this summer) that ranks him right up there with the legends of film. This film left the audience in awe. No one left their seats when the credits started to roll. It is mesmerizing, haunting and compelling. What makes it such a creepy thriller is the fact that this flick is REAL! It can, and probably is, the story of what is going on right in our own backyards. I never write about plots or storylines. I can only tell the potential viewer that this is a must if you like intelligent drama, thrills, believability and TERROR. I will never be able to look into Robin Williams' eyes with the same understanding I had back in the days of "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Jumanji". This film has Oscar written all over it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect movie
Review: After Robin's recent flops I went with low expectations as the promos struck me as weird. Within 15 minutes I was totally sucked into the story and the characters.
It was was the best non Hitchcock thriller I have ever seen.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: hype, hype, hype...
Review: I saw this much overrated movie only because of the great reviews it had received and the fact that it was about the only interesting one playing next to all the teenage-summer dreck. I will admit that the movie is well-acted and has some beautiful cinematography, but its message is such a flawed one. I could never sympathize with "Sy, the photo guy". As well-played as the character is, by the time this movie ended I was really angry. This movie's attempt to explain away the personal boundary-crashing behavior of Sy by moralizing was way too heavy-handed. I'll just stick to the foreign imports until Hollywood can churn out something worth watching or buying.
Rating:
Summary: Creepy
Review: This psychological thriller about a twisted stalker, while very well acted by everyone (and extremely well acted by Robin Williams) disappointed me as it pushed the familiar buttons, used the typical symbolism to give away people's motivations, and ended in an improbable (but deliciously creepy) way. Wish I'd waited for the DVD.
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