Rating: 
Summary: All Style and Not Much Substance
Review: This is a slick film, but let's not confuse that with its providing any kind of meaning. A number of reviewers seem to have been baffled, as I was, by the seemingly pointless kissing scenes. Meryl Streep's kiss at least made some sense in the context of the script, but Julianna Moore's seems to have been entirely pointless, and just for shock value. But nobody nowadays is shocked by same sex kissing scenes, which are so prevalent now as to have lost all significant attention getting value, and in fact are showing up with such regularity in today's films as to appear as gratuitous nods to trendiness. The many-layered quality of the movie is at first sight intriguing, but don't be fooled -- it soon becomes evident that it is merely a facile device to make us think that the story is "deep." Of course, the suggestion that most women are either overtly or secretly lesbians must surely make it "deep," no? Unfortunately, sadly, NO. It's merely a tedious false premise that is fast getting really old, tiresome and predictable. Although there are 3 layers, each of them is disappointingly shallow. As each layer peels away we are left puzzled because there is nothing underneath. What WAS the Julianna Moore character's problem anyway? Her potential solution and her actual solution were a bit extreme. OK, so some people react in extreme ways to their lives. Fine. But why are we supposed to feel sorry for her or care? Is it because she has the same mental problems as Virginia Woolf or because, like Woolf, she's bisexual? Is it one or the other, or both, and are these problems enough to make any real woman abandon her children and thus destroy them? Why would such a self-obssessed woman be a sympathetic character; does anyone know? (The terrible "aged" makeup job didn't help. Hint to movie makeup artists: old people don't have toned wrinkled skin: they have sagging wringled skin.) ...
Rating: 
Summary: A story of three women
Review: "The Hours" is a somber, moody, and unique film that you either find "stunning" or "boring." I admit I lean toward "boring," although I do admire the acting and the musical score.
The film shows one day in the lives of three women: British author Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), living in 1923, fifties suburban housewife Laura (Julianne Moore), and sophisticated New Yorker of 2001, Clarissa (Meryl Streep). As she story opens, Woolfe is writing the book, "Mrs. Dalloway." She suffers from mental illness and eventually commits suicide. Laura, who is reading "Mrs. Dalloway" thirty years later, is seriously depressed, cannot function as a wife and mother, and likewise contemplates her own suicide. Clarissa, nicknamed "Mrs. Dalloway," is the angst-ridden caretaker for Richard, her gay ex-husband who kills himself by movie's end. It is only then that we discover that Richard's mother is actually the unhappy Laura. There is no tangible connection between Woolf and the other two ladies, except for her book and their common tendency to succumb to their own inner demons.
The three leading ladies are each wonderful and it would have been a toss-up for me to pick the one to win an Oscar. (Kidman got it.) I might have chosen Moore, but only by a little. Ed Harris plays the man dying of AIDS who chooses suicide instead. He is brilliant here.
Phillip Glass' musical score is subtle, delicate, and a perfect background to the inner turmoil of the three women.
My problem with the film is, despite all the good acting and the wonderful score, it is so relentlessly low-key as to be dull and, even worse, none of the women's characters are sympathetic or likeable, so I didn't care what happened to them. I was left wondering why Michael Cunningham wrote the novel in the first place, and why someone thought it interesting enough to adapt for the screen. It is the story of a day in the lives of three women, none of whom were particularly engaging or appealing to me. If you are a fan of Virginia Woolf, I think you would probably enjoy the film a great deal.
Rating: 
Summary: A Thinker's Movie..
Review: The Hours has all of the ingredients of a great film: subtlety, competent acting, good dialogue, and great costuming. Usually a discriminating moviegoer has to go to the independent theaters to catch a quality movie. I personally love "timeline movies", and this one was very cleverly done. If you are taking the initiative to read customer reviews (Amazon.com customer reviews are the best reviews I have ever seen, way better than the "movie critics"), you will find this movie thought-provoking and intriguing.
Rating:
Summary: Superb acting, depressing story
Review: I had heard a lot of buzz about Nicole Kidman winning the Oscar for this movie, and the trailers made it sound interesting without revealing what it was really about. Curiosity got the best of me, so I watched it. Yes, the acting was excellent. The cinematography and editing were also well done. But the story is another matter. On a surface level - this is NOT a spoiler - you could say The Hours is about suicide and lesbianism (or at the very least, sexual confusion). On a deeper level, it's really about living with the bad choices you've made. Yes, life has its dark moments. Yes, we make bad choices. Yes, we regret those choices. But I'm not particularly interested in seeing a movie that emphasizes the bad stuff of life. The Hours was the most depressing movie I have ever seen. I just could not find any redeeming value in it. If this was supposed to be some feminist empowerment film, it only succeeded in empowering women to ruin their lives. Also, a movie with a bad ending totally ruins the whole thing for me. I found the ending of The Hours not only unsatisfying, but downright disturbing. It doesn't bother me when movies end on a sad note or the main character dies or something bad happens, but there's usually a glimmer of hope or goodness in the plot somewhere. I found none here. Generally, I watch movies to be entertained, to be distracted, to be moved, to be educated at times, even sometimes to simply appreciate the art of the film medium, but always to enjoy. Unfortunately, while The Hours was somewhat interesting on an "artsy" level, it wasn't worth my time to see what all the buzz was about. It left me empty. My advice: Go see something uplifting instead.
Rating:
Summary: A wealth of riches that cannot surpass a weak script
Review: This is movie that polarized its audience by either boring some to tears or making others feel as if they experienced one of the great movies of 2002. Although I am for the most part with the former in that it bored me a vast majority of time, I tried to look within why this movie bored me as I usually like movies that focus on characters and not necessarily plot development and this one, on paper, seemed to fit the bill. THE GOOD: Most of the acting is superb. This was not Nicole Kidman simply pulling a De Niro with the prosthetic nose. I don't know that I would call it the best LEAD performance of 2002 as it was a rich and understated SUPPORTING performance but Kidman has done better in "Moulin Rouge", "To Die For", and the best thing about "Eyes Wide Shut". Julianne Moore as always, was good, but she has been better in so many other movies that it's a shame that she has not taken Oscar home yet. Although I think that Meryl Streep walks on water, this performance did nothing for me as was the case with another great actor, Ed Harris, who played a literary tool more than a character. Don't get me started on Jeff Daniels is he was so miscast that it almost made me forget how much I've liked him in other movies. The direction was colorful and the water theme felt refreshing as did the score. I know that some had problems with Philip Glass' score, but I enjoyed it. THE BAD Meandering attempt to bring together the commonalities of women living in different times. There is really very little story to tell and what it does tell is so self-indulgent or structure rather than character driven. Although I strongly disagree with those who believe that a good character must have an arc that involves some sort of growth or transformation, any "movements" would have helped this particular movie as it seemed like it was frozen in time and made the characters seem like all they needed was a little Prozac to get over heads out of their behinds. I don't say this flippantly, but I was not touched. There have been many jokes about this movie's title and how some people felt that it took hours and hours to get through it. I was very disappointed to have such a wealth of talent simply wasted in a production of half-developed concepts that made me feel like walking away from it. In a nutshell a depressing mess with some good acting and some good scenes; however (even with Kidman's great performance) I cannot recommend this movie to even those who like small-scale movies where actors act and things don't explode.
Rating: 
Summary: awful, pretentious, boring waste of talent
Review: this film is a plotless melodrama about selfish, self-absorbed people. it was dull, pretentious and boring. the only straight male characters were weak and codependent(mr. virginia woolf) or clueless(mr. julianne moore). reverse the genders of the male stereotypes and there would have been an outcry of political incorrectness. don't waste your time. one would think that with this many stupendous actors that something better could have been made of it all but alas...it was terrible!
Rating:
Summary: Roll up your sleeves for this one!
Review: I had to chuckle when I saw the disparate reviews, from those who loved and those who hated The Hours. I did not know what to expect when I saw The Hours. I had not read the novel, because I do not usually read any contemporary fiction. Perhaps the planets were aligned in some such way, but I was completely floored by The Hours! There are so many layers, you could keep peeling and peeling and dissecting for a very long time. And, if you enjoy that sort of thing, then it is right up your alley. If you don't enjoy introspection, and symbolism, and the study of the human experience, then you will be bored to tears! I happen to love that sort of thing. Asking questions - - why am I here, who am I, what does it all mean - - and questioning my roles - - wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, employee, volunteer, female extraordinaire! - - and wondering 'What If?' every now and then... In The Hours, though, the layers are thick and heavy, so expect to work. And if you are prone to depression, this could possibly bring you lower, although I found it rather satisfying and uplifting by the end of it. While I personally did not agree with many of the choices made by the characters, they were choices nonetheless, life paths anyone could take, and not without repercussions. As for the performances, every actor was superb. Nicole Kidman has my full respect as an actress due to this film. I completely forgot it was Nicole Kidman while I was watching the film. Julianne Moore was fantastic as the housewife trapped in the 50s, and Meryl Streep managed to excellently portray the modern feminist who is just as scared and trapped inside as the 50s housewife. The little boy who played Julianne Moore's young son was superb - - he conveyed so much just through his eyes. Such excellent casting all the way around. The music was also a huge influence on the film, haunting and repetitive, subtly infusing the atmosphere without being intrusive. The whole experience was just enthralling! It has been nearly 6 months since I saw The Hours, and I still think about it. I've now read the novel, and have an even more in-depth feel for what it is all about. I don't feel the time spent was an exercise in futility, I think I am more enriched and receptive because of The Hours.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie
Review: Hello peeps, I'm 15, and I just watched this movie yesterday. I'm not really sure how some people could have thought it was boring, but that's their loss. I do like to watch the X-Men and Tomb Raider movies, and the such, but I also like to watch all kinds of good movies. The people that hated this movie probably only watch action stuff, and can't handle anything deeper than that. Now, the movie itself wasn't boring, for me, anyway. People who said nothing happened, probably didn't even watch the damn thing. Many things happen, but they don't hit you in the face. They are natural. Even when the main characters kiss other women, it all seems natural. The story moves along, and when it was finished, I didn't feel it was too long at all. My advice would be to rent this movie, and see for yourself. Also, I don't find myself looking at Nicole Kidman's nose throughout the whole thing. -Ater
Rating:
Summary: Dull and Confusing
Review: The first fifteen minutes were incredibly boring. No, I wasn't expecting an action movie. The mixture of four time periods was confusing. I've got better things to do than try to keep all the story lines straight and still get the message. I doubted it would get any better, so I gave up. Two thumbs down.
Rating:
Summary: Remarkable Film with Remarkable Performances
Review: If you have not read a synopsis about The Hours or Mrs Dalloway, you will become confused, overwhelmed and emotional viewing this film. The film interweaves three women's story's with a symbiotic thread. Nicole Kidman gives the performance of her career with a nose for depression. Meryl Streep's performance is like watching your best friend in her kitchen as she prepares for a party and tells you about the friend she is going to honor that night. Julianne Moore plays a mother who loves too much but not enough. We follow each of these stories as they play out and weave in and out of each other's lives. The film is dramatic, shocking, and packed with powerful performances. You will love this film, but viewing it once is not enough. You will find a need to talk to with your friends and to discuss each nuance that disturbs or surprises you. See it with friends, prepare before you see it by reading a review or synopsis. You will be entranced and disturbed, but you will be able to devine more of your feelings and emotions after reviewing this film over and over in your mind.
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