Rating: 
Summary: Great Performanc by LLoyd Catlett in an otherwise Lousy Film
Review: This one stars a very derelict looking Nick Nolte, a handsome Brook�s Brothers suited Jeff Bridges and a very young looking Sharon Stone. The story is about three friends that were involved in fixing horse races twenty-five years ago, on the periphery of organized crime. They have some deep, dark secret from those days. The Nick Nolte character is letting the secret leak out. He seems to be trying to sell some allegedly pornographic pictures that are somehow connected to their secret. When his old partner Jeff Bridges finds out what he�s been doing, he goes on the warpath. The problem is we have no idea what this is about or what�s going on. Nick Nolte is too drunk and too disheveled to believe. Jeff Bridges is the opposite; we have too hard a time believing his character was ever a fixer. The one and only strong point in the movie is the race track mobster played by Loyd Catlett. He is evilly charismatic. Nick Nolte makes an attempt to sell the alleged pornographic photos to him. Catlett�s character is totally cool and on top of his game. He�s so sharp while acting cool that he�s riveting. He�s playing his end of the game like a grandmaster. You really can�t wait to see how he plays his side of the game. Unfortunately, his was a wasted performance, because the rest of the movie is hopeless, so bad, it should never have been brought to screen. The presence of three major stars couldn�t salvage it. Sam Shepard, normally a great screenwriter, should be ashamed of this one; it�s a stinker.
Rating: 
Summary: Buried Secrets Unearthed
Review: This review refers to the New Line Home Video DVD edition of "Simpatico".......
Successful Kentucky horsebreeder, Lyle Carter(Jeff Bridges) is just about to make the deal of his life, when his past comes back to haunt him. A phone call from old friend Vinny Webb(Nick Nolte) puts the Kabash on everything. The cryptic call has all the sounds of blackmail! Lyle puts everything on hold and rushes out to California, to "help out" his old friend. Vinny has a plan though, that leaves Lyle alone and paranoid. Paranoid, that Vinny will spill the goods on a crime that along with "Rosie"(Sharon Stone),the three committed more than 20 years earlier.The story of corruption in the horse racing industry unfolds in a series of tense flashbacks, played intuitively by the younger counterparts of the three, Liam Waite, Shawn Hatosy, and Kimberly Williams. The memories that they have tried to bury come flooding back, along with the pain and guilt of the lives they ruined. Will they be able to cope with these secrets for the rest of their lives or will the deeds of the past destroy their lives? I seem to be in the minority, but I was impressed with first time director Matthew Warchus' style. It drew me in right away with it's Noir-like qualities and intriguing characters. I've watched it several times and never seem to tire of it. It is based on Sam Shepard's play(which I haven't seen, so I can't compare the two). The great cast, I'm sure helps tremendously, but don't look for Sharon Stone until about an hour in. Albert Finney as the immoral victim of the scam is marvelous as always, but Catherine Keener as, Vinny's girlfriend, the somewhat naive but only honest person of the bunch, really steals the show with her superb performance. If you like a good drama, with just a touch of humor and interesting character studies, this is a good one. With all the various degress of reviews here, you might want to rent it first(I also sometimes see that is is played on some of the cable movie channels) to see if you like it. If you have already seen it, and know you like it, I can tell you that the DVD looks and sounds great. From Churchill Downs to the outskirts of Southern California the colors and picture are an quality outstanding. You have the choice of widescreen or a fullscreen format(This choice pops up right before the start of the film). You can also choose between Dol Dig 5.1 or Stero surround(audio set-up for this).Don't look for too much in the way of "bonus" material. There is a theatrical trialer and filmographies of the stars. The only subtitles and language are English. Give it a try and decide for yourself....thank you...Laurie
Rating: 
Summary: 2 Hours of My Life I'll Never Get Back....
Review: UGH. This is a perfect example of Hollywood gone bad. What the heck??? WHY WAS this movie made?? It was perhaps the most boring 2 hours I have ever spent and I have my share of dull moments...believe me! I'd rather get a root canal than sit through this flick again. I rented it because of the stellar cast which obviously is having a hard time getting decent work. This film was muddled and just plain uninteresting. You couldn't care less about the characters, and even the nice horsey setting in Kentucky didn't help one bit to make this movie watchable. I'm taking the time to write this because if I can persuade even ONE person to not waste their money either buying (God forbid) or renting this movie, then it was worth my effort.
Rating:
Summary: Pointless and Awful
Review: We rented this film because of the cast and the blip on the cover sounded intriguing. I gave it one star only because I couldn't give it anything lower (minus 100 would be closer to what it's worth.) A totally pointless story about characters plagued by a silly scam that took place years ago and is now buried in the past. Why bring it up now? God only knows--the audience is never told. And why is everyone so upset over it now? Beats me. We never know anything about how the characters went from the past to where they are now, but they are all so unlikeable, you really don't care. The ending has to be one of the most idiotic in Hollywood history. Avoid this movie, you'll be glad you did!
Rating:
Summary: Terrible Movie!
Review: What a terrible, ponderous, senseless movie. With Sharon Stone touted in the cast, one would at least hope for some attractiveness in the film, but she was painted with some kind of lip wound, and make-up did their best to hide her beauty. Nick Nolte was the typical anti-social drunk/druggie that he often plays, and Bridges was as hapless as he usually is. There was no identification with anyone in this movie, neither sympathy or pity, except, perhaps, for the horse. Skip this one; there is nothing positive or redemptive about it!
Rating:
Summary: HORSIN AROUND
Review: You would think with such a pedigree of talent (four Oscar nominees), SIMPATICO would come charing out of the gates and knock you over! Beautifully filmed in Kentucky and California, the movie however is merely a cinematic version of one of playwright Sam Shepard's character studies. It's plot is so convoluted and erratic, it's hard to keep up with. And the twists the movie takes, most notably the seeming reversal of the two male characters, it becomes annoying in its duplicity. Credit goes to Albert Finney and Catherine Keener particularly for at least trying to flesh out otherwise cardboard characters. Sharon Stone doesn't show up until the movie's almost over, and we get to see her do her sleazy alcoholic hasbeen role once again. Ditto to Nick Nolte, who seems to have made a career playing scruffy looking nobodies. Even the usually reliable Jeff Bridges gets lost in the muddled film. I don't know what I was expecting, but SIMPATICO doesn't win, place or even show for me.
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