Rating: 
Summary: One of the most powerful films of all time!
Review: In The Bedroom is about a couple who lose the moral presence they had in their lives and who must in the end live in a world of evil that they have unwittingly expanded, to now include tghemselves. Great loss in this case is not followed by spiritual growth, and this possibility of spiritual growth is found everywhere in the film. Sissy Spacekl and Tom Wilkinson abandon reason and opt for the irrational, and enter into the realm of the truly tragic. In The Bedroom rasies the level of discouse about film s and how they are made and acted by millioins of percetage points. This film shows us where so many current films go wrong or nowhere (A Beautifuil Mind, Vanilla Sky, The Shipping News etc.). Ron Howard distrusts the material of John Nash's very sad life and opts for falsehoods and non art; The Shipping News has no news in it; it is all over the top revelation without cinematic subtlty or expertise, it is more of The Cider House Rules; Vanilla Sky is better, but it tries so hard to be edgy and surreal that it fails to be either, and Tom Cruise cannot carry anything serious unless he has Nicole Kidmann to cover for him. But In The Bedroom is diffrent; it has actors who have expert direction and the talent to follow it, camerwork of a high calibre that reveals as it tracks the eerie town of Camden,Maine, a washed out Maine landscape that matches anything Ingmar Bergman ever shot in Sweden. There are no blu skies as the sun beats down, no healthy looking trees or flowers, and an ocean that looks (and is) polluted, innutrient. An ugly place for bad things to happen. The actors lead us into the labyrinthian ways of terror and loss and vengeance. The ending sharply contrasts with the beginning, as life gives way to death and guilt and fear, with the underpinnings of large questions about personal morality,the development of values that form morality, and the possibility that all cultural and spiritual axioms about life are dead wrong, as following them leads to more self doubt and evil intent. I recommend this film to everyone who has tired of the pat fare that has been on the scene for many years , and has fortunately found challenges in such films as this, challenges that rebuff the simplistic solutions that pose as great thought, and even greater spiritual insight. We have so far to go, light years to go to understand what makes a plot like this one presented in In The Bedroom possible and imaginable on paper and on celluloid. In The Bedroom is where we are.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow and depressing
Review: I'm sorry I wasted money on this film. While the acting was superb, the story line was hackneyed, and the pacing was so slow, I wondered if it would EVER END. And the ending -- my God, haven't these people ever seen a crime drama? Don't they know about forensics? What could these otherwise bright and well-educated people be THINKING???!!! I'm sorry, but the script writers themselves should have been shot for this one. If you MUST, wait for the video so you can use your remote to speed through most of the film, or go get a sandwich.
Rating:
Summary: Dull
Review: A dull movie that is "good for you" because it's got a literary tone. But it's dull. Slow. The movie LONE STAR and COOKIE'S FORTUNE were movies the critics loved, and were very like IN THE BEDROOM, but that I hated. If you happened to see and like either LONE STAR or COOKIE'S FORTUNE, then you'll love IN THE BEDROOM. But if you hated those, you'll hate this.
Rating: 
Summary: Gripping and Real
Review: This movie places you so intensely in the middle of the lives of the characters that it's uncomfortable at times. Especially in the scene where Ruth (Sissy Spacek) and Matt (Tom Wilkinson) finally let their anger out. They direct it toward one another but the two are still so traumatized and grief-stricken neither of them seems overly hurt by the ugly things the other says. And underlying all that, I felt, was a genuine desire to be able to comfort each other and not knowing how. At the end of that vitriolic scene they both seem almost relieved. I especially thought that Ruth was almost glad to take some blame onto herself, as at least something that might make sense in the nightmare they are living in. All this was possible by the incredible performances by both actors. I'd like to see them both win Oscars. The supporting players are excellent as well, especially William Mapother as the dirtbag ex-husband of Marisa Tomei's character. And Marisa Tomei, never a favorite of mine, really shows what she's capable of in the right movie. The Maine scenes are beautiful, making you feel the ache of the other characters, living in their lovely town and quaint old house but numbly going through the motions of life. Definitely one of the best movies of the year with easily the most nuanced and subtle performances.
Rating:
Summary: A quiet but powerful drama
Review: This movie reminded me a lot of "Yi Yi" and "You Can Count on Me" in its quiet, subtle story-telling ways. Of course, the subject matter here is much more intense and disturbing. "In the Bedroom" is a powerful, unsettling and moving drama, but I still left the movie theater a little disappointed. The story becomes increasingly gripping and engrossing, but it feels a little too slow at times and the ending is rather unsatisfying even though I'm sure it was intentional on Todd Field's part. The acting in this movie is phenomenal though and it's worth checking out just for the astonishing performance by Tom Wilkinson, who is easily my pick for the Best Actor of the year. Sissy Spacek is great as well although it's more of a supporting role, I thought.
Rating:
Summary: Richly rewarding family drama requires patience
Review: Todd Field's "In the Bedroom" has elements of family drama, courtroom drama and crime melodrama but in the end is more than any one film genre. This beautifully crafted, understated film about a middle-class Maine couple trying to deal with the murder of their only son ultimately rewards the viewer. The leisurely pace at first threatens to overtax the patience, but gives the cast plenty of time to develop their characters. Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei and Tom Wilkinson respond with beautifully detailed and shaded performances. Wilkinson's portrayal of a peaceable man finally roused to action by his grief is especially fine and haunting. The only negative this film had for me was imbedded in the original story--I found the ease with which characters resorted to violence to solve problems depressing, though for once the impact of this violence is truly devastating, due to the fully rounded characters that it affects.
Rating:
Summary: Silence
Review: I was leaning forward with my head in the seat in front of me tonight at the end of Todd Field's In The Bedroom. I wasn't sure wether I was glad it was FINALLY over or angry that I had wasted $8.50 on the worst film I have seen all year. Truly, I would rather wipe with a ten dollar bill than see this movie ever again. It starts out alright ( most guys will enjoy the make-out close-ups with Marisa Tomei) and the opening dialogue involving lobster catching sets the possibility for symbolic elements but the film never gets of the ground. Hell it never starts down the run way. One major problem is that the film's hook, the gruesome death of Frank, comes after 30 minutes of film has been presented; and while this uniquely makes the event more sympathetic, the film becomes stagnant, tedious, and flat out boring for an over long total of 130 minutes. To say the film is slow would be like saying that the earth is round, but the film's biggest flaw is the complete lack of visual cues. Either due to the poor novel adaption or the awful directing; all we witness for the final two acts are Franks parents sitting around in sadness and boredom. I understand the desire to suggest their depression but after 10 minutes I was think "okay I get it, and lets move on." The parent say nothing, do nothing, and (in my opinion) feel very little (fair acting combined with stupid and pointless dialogue). The trailer to the movie totally mislead the audience. There is no movie sound track, the lobster symbolism is paretically forgotten and the rotating bridge (an extremely interesting visual device) is never used for anything. The movie drags for almost 2 hours before the parents decide they should take revenge for their son's murder, while I had considered it almost immediately once the justice system broke down on them. By the film's final act the entire audience (at least 80 people at hill crest theater) had lost complete interest in the story, characters, and anything else. I was hoping for the parents to kill the murder or for him to kill them or whatever. Anything to end this awful film. At the end if the movie everyone looked at each other and shook their heads in disbelief. There were no words for how confused we all were that a movie that has received such good press could be so bad.
Rating:
Summary: I smell multiple Oscars
Review: IN THE BEDROOM introduces us to an All-American, WASP family, the Fowlers, of Maine. Husband Matt is a respected physician in their coastal community. Wife Ruth directs the local high school's choral group. Only-son Frank, aged twenty-something, works on a lobster boat, but is also a budding architect who's been accepted into graduate school. And Frank is in love with aged thirty-something Natalie Strout, who's separated from her abusive husband Richard, and who's the mother of two small boys. Matt secretly thinks Natalie is a Babe, and envies Frank his conquest. Ruth sees rough water ahead. Frank says, "Don't worry, Mom. It's just a summer thing." The film begins as a goopy-sweet love story. The camera follows as boy chases girl through a sun-drenched field. Boy makes out with girl in the tall grass under a wind-rippled tree. (Oh, puhleeze! Does this theater seat fly equipped with an air sickness bag?) But then the storyline swerves sharply with an act of shocking violence, and life for the Fowlers will never be the same again. As the emotional pressure on them mounts due to circumstances beyond their control, one is reminded of watching one of those WWII submarine combat pictures in which the boat's captain dives her deeper and deeper, and you just wait for the hull's rivets to start letting go. Tom Wilkinson as Matt and Sissy Spacek as Ruth both deserve to be nominated for this year's Best Actor Oscars, and nobody could justifiably complain if they win. (If the name "Tom Wilkinson" doesn't ring a bell, he was the laid-off middle manager in THE FULL MONTY.) When the recriminations and blame start to fly, you know that these two actors are at the top of their game, or have had their own personal relationships corroded by similar acids, or both. Don't be surprised if IN THE BEDROOM is among the five nominated for Best Picture. This is dramatic film at its very best.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie-Accurate Depiction of Effects of Death of Child
Review: This movie was extremely well done-specifically in it's portrayal
of the effects of the death of a child on a marriage and how it effects your relationship with others. Based on reading press releases and newspapers,I expected the focus to be more on the relationship between Frank and the older woman and Frank's parent's reaction to it. I felt sort of [mislead]/manipulated by the press releases on the focus of the movie (which is the reason for my 4, instead of 5 star rating). Having recently experienced the loss of a son about Frank's age, would have waited to see this until a later time, had I known. The press releases portray the focus of the movie to be the affair/relationship between Frank and the older woman and how the parent react to it-not the actual focus. It's probably not highlighted because it wouldn't attract as many people to see the movie (profound grief is not real sexy). As I said above, speaking from personal experience, the movie is an extremely accurate portrayal. Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson superbly portray their characters.
Rating:
Summary: Well done drama/Sissy Spacek won Independent Spirit Award
Review: In the Bedroom is the much awaited thoughtful drama of the year. Sissy Spacek's latest role, Ruth, is that of a teacher of Bulgarian folk music, and the great haunting harmonies of the Bulgarian women's choir provides appropriate soundtrack.
Set in a Maine fishing village Ruth (Spacek) and Matt (Tom Wilkinson) play the parents of Frank (Nick Stahl) whose relationship with Natalie (Marissa Tomei) caused conflict with her estranged husband.
The story is simple, intense, and has a low budget feel (in a positive way). What it comes down to is loss, mourning, and vengeance.
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