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Rating: 
Summary: Beyond Obsession
Review: 2½-to-3 stars would be more accurate, depending on personal likes and dislikes. John Nolan (Jeff Goldblum) has the apparent misfortune of being in Tony's Deli (to buy a bottle of wine) when a hold-up occurs. Physically he is unscathed, but a recently hired store assistant, Augie Rose, is killed by the assailant, practically dying in Nolan's arms with the words "John, it'll be OK". Mentally injured and haunted by these events, and disturbed by the callousness and inability of the police department to make proper arrangements for a funeral and the personal effects of Rose, Nolan pursues the matter himself. He learns that Rose spent 20 years in prison for armed robbery, aggravated by a history of previous petty crimes, has no next of kin, and was released from prison three weeks ago. By signing as a brother, he gets the personal effects no one else wants. Thus he finds the apartment. And so the involvement cascades. With each discovery, Nolan entangles himself ever deeper in the web of Rose's prior life. This film is not a crime story about bringing a murderous assailant to justice; that's not even part of the script. The Tony's Deli incident merely sets in motion what becomes a psychological obsession ("Suspicion" is a misnomer!) in a willing individual and the consequences thereof. Nolan has the option on several occasions of withdrawing from this obsession, but he deliberately chooses to go completely overboard in the opposite direction. Aside from the necessity of having a plot for this film, why would the Nolan character have this obsession and be so willing to abandon his cushy life style? There are some good answers presented here: a personal feeling of guilt that he was in some fateful way responsible (After all, if he had accepted the bottle of wine as is and left immediately, the incident likely would have been nothing more than a routine street-punk robbery.); a deep sense of injustice relative to the mindless consequences of this random killing and his desire to mitigate it if he can; a cooling of ardor toward his housemate Carol, whom he has been dating for 6 years but never married; the dull grind of the life insurance business; a life where importance is measured by whether or not a wine bottle's label is scratched (and how fate hangs in the balance on that trivial detail!); an existentialist mindset where there is no longer meaning or purpose in his middle-aged life, with little more to achieve beyond marriage, a house in the suburbs, a flashy Volvo, and monetary independence. Perhaps he sees in the deceased a way to escape his own human predicament: engagement. Goldblum's acting ability is particularly well suited to this type of role, which is strongly reminiscent of that in "Into the Night". In both films, his character becomes disenfranchised from the daily grind and departs to greener pastures, getting in way over his head in the process. Those who enjoyed one film will likely enjoy the other. The 1.85-1.00 picture is crisp with good color and detail. The Dolby 5.1 Stereo Surround track is fine. The DVD keep-case is good. There are minor extras of little consequence.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Obsession
Review: 2½-to-3 stars would be more accurate, depending on personal likes and dislikes. John Nolan (Jeff Goldblum) has the apparent misfortune of being in Tony's Deli (to buy a bottle of wine) when a hold-up occurs. Physically he is unscathed, but a recently hired store assistant, Augie Rose, is killed by the assailant, practically dying in Nolan's arms with the words "John, it'll be OK". Mentally injured and haunted by these events, and disturbed by the callousness and inability of the police department to make proper arrangements for a funeral and the personal effects of Rose, Nolan pursues the matter himself. He learns that Rose spent 20 years in prison for armed robbery, aggravated by a history of previous petty crimes, has no next of kin, and was released from prison three weeks ago. By signing as a brother, he gets the personal effects no one else wants. Thus he finds the apartment. And so the involvement cascades. With each discovery, Nolan entangles himself ever deeper in the web of Rose's prior life. This film is not a crime story about bringing a murderous assailant to justice; that's not even part of the script. The Tony's Deli incident merely sets in motion what becomes a psychological obsession ("Suspicion" is a misnomer!) in a willing individual and the consequences thereof. Nolan has the option on several occasions of withdrawing from this obsession, but he deliberately chooses to go completely overboard in the opposite direction. Aside from the necessity of having a plot for this film, why would the Nolan character have this obsession and be so willing to abandon his cushy life style? There are some good answers presented here: a personal feeling of guilt that he was in some fateful way responsible (After all, if he had accepted the bottle of wine as is and left immediately, the incident likely would have been nothing more than a routine street-punk robbery.); a deep sense of injustice relative to the mindless consequences of this random killing and his desire to mitigate it if he can; a cooling of ardor toward his housemate Carol, whom he has been dating for 6 years but never married; the dull grind of the life insurance business; a life where importance is measured by whether or not a wine bottle's label is scratched (and how fate hangs in the balance on that trivial detail!); an existentialist mindset where there is no longer meaning or purpose in his middle-aged life, with little more to achieve beyond marriage, a house in the suburbs, a flashy Volvo, and monetary independence. Perhaps he sees in the deceased a way to escape his own human predicament: engagement. Goldblum's acting ability is particularly well suited to this type of role, which is strongly reminiscent of that in "Into the Night". In both films, his character becomes disenfranchised from the daily grind and departs to greener pastures, getting in way over his head in the process. Those who enjoyed one film will likely enjoy the other. The 1.85-1.00 picture is crisp with good color and detail. The Dolby 5.1 Stereo Surround track is fine. The DVD keep-case is good. There are minor extras of little consequence.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Obsession
Review: 2½-to-3 stars would be more accurate, depending on personal likes and dislikes. John Nolan (Jeff Goldblum) has the apparent misfortune of being in Tony's Deli (to buy a bottle of wine) when a hold-up occurs. Physically he is unscathed, but a recently hired store assistant, Augie Rose, is killed by the assailant, practically dying in Nolan's arms with the words "John, it'll be OK". Mentally injured and haunted by these events, and disturbed by the callousness and inability of the police department to make proper arrangements for a funeral and the personal effects of Rose, Nolan pursues the matter himself. He learns that Rose spent 20 years in prison for armed robbery, aggravated by a history of previous petty crimes, has no next of kin, and was released from prison three weeks ago. By signing as a brother, he gets the personal effects no one else wants. Thus he finds the apartment. And so the involvement cascades. With each discovery, Nolan entangles himself ever deeper in the web of Rose's prior life. This film is not a crime story about bringing a murderous assailant to justice; that's not even part of the script. The Tony's Deli incident merely sets in motion what becomes a psychological obsession ("Suspicion" is a misnomer!) in a willing individual and the consequences thereof. Nolan has the option on several occasions of withdrawing from this obsession, but he deliberately chooses to go completely overboard in the opposite direction. Aside from the necessity of having a plot for this film, why would the Nolan character have this obsession and be so willing to abandon his cushy life style? There are some good answers presented here: a personal feeling of guilt that he was in some fateful way responsible (After all, if he had accepted the bottle of wine as is and left immediately, the incident likely would have been nothing more than a routine street-punk robbery.); a deep sense of injustice relative to the mindless consequences of this random killing and his desire to mitigate it if he can; a cooling of ardor toward his housemate Carol, whom he has been dating for 6 years but never married; the dull grind of the life insurance business; a life where importance is measured by whether or not a wine bottle's label is scratched (and how fate hangs in the balance on that trivial detail!); an existentialist mindset where there is no longer meaning or purpose in his middle-aged life, with little more to achieve beyond marriage, a house in the suburbs, a flashy Volvo, and monetary independence. Perhaps he sees in the deceased a way to escape his own human predicament: engagement. Goldblum's acting ability is particularly well suited to this type of role, which is strongly reminiscent of that in "Into the Night". In both films, his character becomes disenfranchised from the daily grind and departs to greener pastures, getting in way over his head in the process. Those who enjoyed one film will likely enjoy the other. The 1.85-1.00 picture is crisp with good color and detail. The Dolby 5.1 Stereo Surround track is fine. The DVD keep-case is good. There are minor extras of little consequence.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie
Review: I think it's one of the most original films I have seen in a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: Fresh Quirky Writing and Character Development
Review: I'm not surprised this was a made for cable movie now released on DVD and titled "Auggie Rose" (originally and more aptly) or "Above Suspicion" (more recently and less aptly). That is because the cable industry will frequently take a chance on a script with less than blockbuster appeal. This film is a case in point with Jeff Goldblum given a chance to develop his acting chops by playing insurance executive John Nolan, who becomes more and more obssesed with the life of the late Auggie Rose. Rose died as a result of a deli-liquor hold up when Nolan was in the store. Nolan feels guilty about Rose's death because he had made Rose replace a bottle, which startled the robber into shooting. However, guilt quickly turns into something more as Nolan starts taking over Rose's life, including meeting the woman Rose corresponded with but never met. Nolan becomes Rose when he meets her. Probably we could have used more motivation for the Nolan character's extraordinary choices throughout the film but Goldblum makes it work, that this guy wants out of his present life. Heche is very good as the girlfriend. Goldblum and Heche are quite equal in their roles, both showing a great deal of acting talent and character development. Some harder edges and clearer motivation in the script would have pushed it up to a 5 star movie. As it is, it is a strong 4 star movie.
Rating:
Summary: Fresh Quirky Writing and Character Development
Review: I'm not surprised this was a made for cable movie now released on DVD and titled "Auggie Rose" (originally and more aptly) or "Above Suspicion" (more recently and less aptly). That is because the cable industry will frequently take a chance on a script with less than blockbuster appeal. This film is a case in point with Jeff Goldblum given a chance to develop his acting chops by playing insurance executive John Nolan, who becomes more and more obssesed with the life of the late Auggie Rose. Rose died as a result of a deli-liquor hold up when Nolan was in the store. Nolan feels guilty about Rose's death because he had made Rose replace a bottle, which startled the robber into shooting. However, guilt quickly turns into something more as Nolan starts taking over Rose's life, including meeting the woman Rose corresponded with but never met. Nolan becomes Rose when he meets her. Probably we could have used more motivation for the Nolan character's extraordinary choices throughout the film but Goldblum makes it work, that this guy wants out of his present life. Heche is very good as the girlfriend. Goldblum and Heche are quite equal in their roles, both showing a great deal of acting talent and character development. Some harder edges and clearer motivation in the script would have pushed it up to a 5 star movie. As it is, it is a strong 4 star movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Quite Believable
Review: It starts out with an interesting enought storyline, but it becomes difficult to believe what motivates Jeff Goldblum's character to continue to want to impersonate this ex-con at sigificant expense and humiliation to himself. A complete stranger who he knows for less than a few minutes. Was penpal Anne Hechte's character that desireable? The job search to become a liquor/deli store clerk or bust, seemed painfully degrading for this sucessful insurance executive who did not seem unhappy with his former life. The policeman who keeps his eye on Goldblum, seemingly knowing what is happening inside him while he undergoes this identity change, was also hard to buy. He had no motivation to do this as it did not appear that a crime was or would be committed. The speech about his only mini identity crisis near the end was a weak excuse for his watching Goldblum. I saw it through because I kept thinking something interesting would happen, a twist somewhere, but it failed to deliver.
Rating:
Summary: Auggie Rose Beyond Suspicion
Review: Suppose it's easy to pick apart any movie, but if the story
remains in your mind after the next day, what does it matter?
Sure, Auggie Rose must'a set Fox back in sales, they aren't
giving it any play. Goldblum and Heche!? Together!?
And...a Darren Aronofsky film it isn't. So what? It's well written, nicely filmed and decently acted. Matthew Tabak wrote and directed this little verite piece,
and the players have worked magic with their cameos, to the
point where it just feels comfortable to watch, like wearing
an old plaid shirt and a pair of levi's on a Friday night,
sitting on the couch with your favorite girl and a frostie. Only hope Fox gives Tabak the chance to write/direct again.
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