Passion of Mind

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening
Review: After reading some of the reviews of this movie, I admit to having a totally different perspective of the movie...I think the movie was about "letting go"; and how subconciously we may hold to people, places, and ideas not willing or in some cases, as in this movie, not having the strength to let them go.

Rating:
Summary: Mindless passion.
Review: Caught this on one of those pay-channel "free weekends". The reputation of *Passion of Mind* had, to put it nicely, preceded itself, and when it came on, I found myself sitting down to watch it, preparing to be morbidly fascinated at the proverbial train-wreck. I'm here to report the movie isn't as bad as all that, but it still probably isn't worth the investment of your time. Its premise saves it from total unwatchability. A woman leads two lives, simultaneously, in two different places: in New York, she's Marty, a big-shot career gal who runs her own literary agency; in the French countryside, she's Marie, widowed, with two girls, who writes book reviews for the New York Times. Whenever one of the characters goes to sleep, the OTHER character wakes up and goes about her day until it's time for bed, after which the FIRST character wakes up, etc. She even has a separate head-shrinker for each alter-ego. When the movie begins, she no longer has any idea which personality is the REAL one. This is all rather intriguing. For sheer originality, *Passion of Mind* is superior to most films that were released in 2000, especially that "Best Picture" winner with the bankrupt narrative, *Gladiator*. Devotees of French cinema certainly won't be put off by the challenging story structure or the focus on the interior life (the movie, after all, was directed by a Frenchman, Alain Berliner). Too bad the whole project is marred by the presence of Demi Moore as Marty / Marie. I suppose I should give her credit for trying to revive her career via the art-house, but she remains a most unpalatable movie actress. Has anyone missed her during the 3 years of her absence between the career-killing one-two punch of *Striptease* and *G.I. Jane* and this movie? But I'm not going to put all the blame for this movie's failure on Ms. Moore. Unlike earlier French films which *Passion of Mind* emulates, it unimaginatively trumps up a SOLUTION to its intriguing set-up . . . reminding us that, while the director is French, the production is American. Further, the pseudo-feminist spectacle of a woman enjoying the Best of Both Worlds -- power and prestige on the one hand, motherhood and gracious living on the other hand, with different lovers for EACH hand -- comes straight from those "women's magazines" that reek of perfume. How perfect. And perfectly ridiculous. Finally, it's embarrassing to watch two excellent actors, Stellan Skarsgard and William Fichter, playing second-fiddle to the marginally talented Moore.

Rating:
Summary: Dreaming of an Escape¿
Review: Demi Moore gives a stunning and sensitive performance as book reviewer living in France. She also writes stories, but hides them from the world. She is living one life in reality and one in her dream world. She alternates between living in N.Y. and France. In France she is Marie. In N.Y. she is Marty. At first, not even the viewer can figure out which life is real.

When Marty/Marie falls asleep, she enters a fantasy land of her dreams, fears, sorrows and past pleasures. At some point she looses track of which world is a dream and which one is reality. She wants to live in both worlds because in each she finds significant fulfillment. She wants to figure out which world is real and says:

"I don't know how to get back to the way I used to be."

Her fantasy world does not seem to be harming her real life, but her real life seems
to be slowly destroying her fantasy/dream world. In both worlds, she falls in love with a caring man. In France, Marie falls for a writer (Stellan Skarsgard) who says he will fight for her, but keeps reminding her of when she gave his book a bad review. His theory of life is to always do what you wish you could. He wants Marie to love what he writes and to have her think he is amazing.

In New York, Marty is a business woman in love with a man (William Fichtner) who says he doesn't want to date her, he just wants to be interested in who she is and enjoy her. Marty asks him if he could ever care about anyone enough to save them from themselves and he proves he can by accepting her totally for who she is. She finally realizes that he is the man she has been writing all her stories for and gives them to him to read.

A beautiful thoughtful movie, especially the scenes in France! To me, this is about women who feel they have too many responsibilities and feel the need to escape to a more peaceful and romantic existence.

Anyone who didn't enjoy this movie, has never dreamed about living in France. Oh, I would be there in a minute. Provence, I will see you in my dreams.

Completely Captivating,
Romantic
and fulfilling
on many levels.

If you love foreign films, you will enjoy the artistic
nature of Passion of Mind.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Premise...
Review: Demi Moore was so ubiquitous in the '80s and '90s that it was easy to take her for granted. But the three years since G.I. Jane and Deconstructing Harry (both 1997) represent the longest amount of time she's ever been away from the big screen. The good news is that Passion of Mind represents something of a change of pace; the bad news is that it doesn't fulfill the promise of its intriguing premise or the potential of Belgian director, Alain Berliner, who made such an impression with his Golden Globe winning debut, Ma Vie En Rose (1997).

Like Sliding Doors (1998), Passion of Mind is about a woman living two lives. The twist is that she's living both of them at the same time. In one, she's a single Manhattan businesswoman; in the other, a widowed mother living in the French countryside. Neither can tell which life is real and which is the dream (and both are so idyllic, it's hard to believe either could be real). And so Marty/Marie starts seeing a therapist in each life. She also meets and falls in love with a businessman in New York (William Fitchter) and a writer in France (Stellan Skarsgard).

Screenwriters Ron Bass (Snow Falling on Cedars, Entrapment) and David Field have basically written a Hollywood version of a European art house drama and, just as Marty/Marie is unable to reconcile the two halves of her life -- until the end of the movie -- Passion of Mind never quite comes together either as a splashy romance (there's little chemistry between Moore and her on-screen paramours) or as a serious examination of psychological/philosophical dislocation. But Demi Moore fans should be pleased to have her back where she belongs and to see her branching out into new directions.

Rating:
Summary: Different Demi
Review: Demi Moore's portrayal of a woman living in two worlds was wonderful. The movie is beautifully shot in New York and France, which mirror the personalities of the two characters she plays in the film. The story is certainly not for everyone in the mainstream. Rather, it's more appealing to those of us who contemplate existentialism. That is to say, it's cerebral. It has elements of romance, suspense and light humor, all mixed into this compelling drama of a woman trying to unravel the truth behind what is real and what is not. The actors who play her two loves (one in each world), William Fichtner and Stellan Skarsgard, were terrific. Each gave dynamic and compelling performances in what is truly a different kind of film.

Rating:
Summary: PASSION OF MIND: Double Demi
Review: Demi's quiet return to the big-screen after three long years, "Passion of Mind", finds the superstar playing two roles. Based on "The Double Life of Veronique", Demi stars as Marie, a widowed mother of two in France who can't distinguish her dreams from reality. When Marie goes to sleep at night, she awakens as Marty, a successful literary agent in New York, and vice versa. She has a psychiatrist on both sides tyring to convince her that the other life is a dream. The problem with Moore's character ensues when she falls in love with a man on both sides (Stellan Skarsgaard in France, Wiliam Fichtner in New York). Whe she finally reveals her schizo-dream life to both men, the race is on for both men to help Marty/Marie discover her true identity. But Marty/Marie wants to keep both men and both lives.

Directed by award-winning director Alain Berliner ("Ma Vie En Rose" My Life In Pink) and written by acclaimed screenwriter Ron Bass ("Rain Man" "The Joy Luck Club"), "Passion of Mind" is a tad slow-paced at times. Demi tries her best to deliver a tour de force performance but fails to due to misfocused directing, a slight script, and a very bizarre ending. Demi-nuts will go crazy to see their leading lady, as will anyone with a soft spot for romantic dramas. "Passion of Mind" is reminiscent of Gwyneth Paltrow's "Sliding Doors" and even Moore's own "Ghost".

Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: For those who enjoy the psychology of the mind, this portrayal of a split personality is quite good. As a future therapist, I found it fascinating seeing what life could be like for someone with MPS. I can see, however, that the movie could be confusing or "dumb" if seen by those without extensive psychological background.

Rating:
Summary: Passion of Mind
Review: Good Lord Demi Moore goes artie. This would have been an interesting movie if the premise had not been done SOOO many times (I actually liked Sliding Doors, maybe it was the company). Ms. Moore is hopelessly out of her depth as an actress portraying a women with serious issues, and her attempts at introspection are seriously laughable (hopefully that is not an oxymoron). In any case, during this movie, I honestly chuckled at some of the dialogue, and it really was only saved from a "1" by the supporting actors. Demi, as usual, was truly brutal.

Rating:
Summary: Misguided presentation of an interesting psychodrama
Review: How much one enjoys this film depends greatly on how much of Demi Moore you can stand. If you like long drawn out schmaltzy romances with Demi as the romantic heroine, you will love this film times two. Otherwise, hide any weapons lest you begin attacking your screen.

This film was toasted by the critics, but I didn't think it was that bad. In fact, I liked it. I guess I fall more into the first (sucker for schmaltz) category. The story was criticized as being a contrived version of "Me, Myself and I", where a woman is torn over the choice between life as a professional and the family shtick. That criticism really misses the point. This is a story about a woman's psychological attempt to deal with her traumatic past and has nothing whatever to do with lifestyle choices.

I found this to be an intelligent and complex character study of a woman who seems to be two people living two lives, but really isn't. If that seems cryptic, see the film and it might become clearer. When she goes to sleep from her life with her children in France, she wakes up to her high-powered career in New York and vice versa. She can't determine which is real and which is a fantasy. She has a lover in each life and both seem very real to her. As the story unfolds, she and we try to figure out which is her real life and which is the dream.

The trouble with the presentation is that its real intrigue lies with the psychodrama. Unfortunately, neophyte director Alain Berliner pushed that element to the background and cranked up the schmaltz machine, centering the story on the romances instead. That wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't so interminable. Scene after scene retraced the same romantic theme, until it became frayed.

Other than the misplaced emphasis, the film was well crafted. There were subtle hints throughout about which was the real life, but they were far from obvious tip-offs. However, when we finally discover the truth, it takes forever to wrap up the loose ends. To Berliner's credit, the locations were breathtaking, in both France and New York. It is easy to find beauty in the French countryside, but these were some of the most wonderful film perspectives I have ever seen of New York's skyline and street vistas.

After enjoying a few years as one of the highest paid entertainers on the planet, Demi Moore disappeared for three years. This was probably not the best vehicle for her return. Her performance was strongly emotional but one-dimensional, failing to differentiate the characters sufficiently. She played the high-powered NYC girl to be just as wimpy as the insecure girl in France. To be fair however, she created two very appealing and vulnerable romantic characters and deserved better notices than she received.

William Fichtner was not the greatest choice for her NY love interest. Fichtner is better at abrasive antagonist roles and his attempts at sensitivity came across as far too pathetic. Stellan Skarsgard was much better and made a dashing and attractive romantic figure.

This was a good story that took a sentimental detour under the guidance of an inexperienced director. Still, it was engrossing and even touching at times. I rated it a 7/10. Add a point if you like romantic pieces and subtract at least two if you aren't a Demi Moore fan.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Film, Good Story Idea, Demi Not Bad
Review: I don't dislike Demi Moore although I also would not describe her as a favorite actor of mine. She does a credible job in this movie though. The idea itself is very engrossing. Every time she wakes up, she is either a single career woman in New York or a widow in France with her two children. She sees psychiatrists in both places and has lovers in both. Who are all of these people is the question you will want answered by movie's end. The resolution is equally as clever. I really did not guess who the "unreal" woman was, once you figured out which of the two women really existed and was "real." If you hate Demi Moore though, you may not like this movie because she certainly is in just about every scene of it.