Rating: 
Summary: excellent cast performs beautifully despite mediocre script
Review: The dramatization of Jane Smiley's "A Thousand Acres" is dissapointing in that not only does it come from an excellent novel, but also because of the dream cast involved.
The story is loosly based on Shakespeare's "King Lear," in only that the father in the modern version is an evil villain, while the two daughters are alleged martyrs. The issues involved in the film are important and though-provoking--incest, sexual abuse, breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease, dysfunctional families--too bad the writers handled these noteworthy subjects so messily. The calamities piled upon the characters happen in an episodic way, that makes the film feel like a miniseries without commercial breaks. With each new mini-drama, you feel as if you should watch this movie in installments. The script is also full of cliched dialogue, and characters without motivation.
Despite all these flaws, the film is still worth watching if just for the cast. Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jason Robards prove themselves brilliant performers in this film--each actor gives more than the shallow script deserves.
Lange plays Ginny Cook, the shy and docile oldest daughter, who accepts her lot in life without complaint, and manages to live a relatively happy life. Her character is the most appealing, and Lange gives nuances and shadings to the character that weren't written in. Ginny described herself in the film as a "ninny" and she is written as so--Lange gives her so much more, and it is amazing to watch her create a true three-dimensional character.
Jason Robards is Larry Cook, a dragon of a father. He like Lange is given an essentially cardboard character, and his performance gives Larry a sense of pity and pathos, that the script did not allow. The writer wanted him to be simply evil, and Robards chose, wisely, to instead, elevate Larry out from the cartoonishly evil lines he was given, and make him a complex human being.
Michelle Pfeiffer gives the most provoking performance of the three main stars, because hers seems to be an mixture of Robards and Lange's. Her role is also quite underwritten, but she manages to breath life (not just fire) into her character, the angry and resentful, Rose. The part is written as dour and bitter--completely unlikable, and even as the story moves on (slowly) and you realize the sacrifices Rose has made, she is still written in a completely shrewish way. Pfeiffer gives her vulnerability sorely needed, and manages to steal the film (not an easy thing to do, considering her costars).
Jennifer Jason Leigh has a smaller role as Caroline, the youngest daughter. Her role is underwritten on the lines of Robards' and Pfeiffer's characters, yet unlike the two, she fails to bring any depth to the essentially pouty and boring person she is portraying.
All in all, a good movie to watch to witness the beautiful chemistry between two of America's finest actresses.
Rating:
Summary: excellent cast performs beautifully despite mediocre script
Review: The dramatization of Jane Smiley's "A Thousand Acres" is dissapointing in that not only does it come from an excellent novel, but also because of the dream cast involved.
The story is loosly based on Shakespeare's "King Lear," in only that the father in the modern version is an evil villain, while the two daughters are alleged martyrs. The issues involved in the film are important and though-provoking--incest, sexual abuse, breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease, dysfunctional families--too bad the writers handled these noteworthy subjects so messily. The calamities piled upon the characters happen in an episodic way, that makes the film feel like a miniseries without commercial breaks. With each new mini-drama, you feel as if you should watch this movie in installments. The script is also full of cliched dialogue, and characters without motivation.
Despite all these flaws, the film is still worth watching if just for the cast. Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jason Robards prove themselves brilliant performers in this film--each actor gives more than the shallow script deserves.
Lange plays Ginny Cook, the shy and docile oldest daughter, who accepts her lot in life without complaint, and manages to live a relatively happy life. Her character is the most appealing, and Lange gives nuances and shadings to the character that weren't written in. Ginny described herself in the film as a "ninny" and she is written as so--Lange gives her so much more, and it is amazing to watch her create a true three-dimensional character.
Jason Robards is Larry Cook, a dragon of a father. He like Lange is given an essentially cardboard character, and his performance gives Larry a sense of pity and pathos, that the script did not allow. The writer wanted him to be simply evil, and Robards chose, wisely, to instead, elevate Larry out from the cartoonishly evil lines he was given, and make him a complex human being.
Michelle Pfeiffer gives the most provoking performance of the three main stars, because hers seems to be an mixture of Robards and Lange's. Her role is also quite underwritten, but she manages to breath life (not just fire) into her character, the angry and resentful, Rose. The part is written as dour and bitter--completely unlikable, and even as the story moves on (slowly) and you realize the sacrifices Rose has made, she is still written in a completely shrewish way. Pfeiffer gives her vulnerability sorely needed, and manages to steal the film (not an easy thing to do, considering her costars).
Jennifer Jason Leigh has a smaller role as Caroline, the youngest daughter. Her role is underwritten on the lines of Robards' and Pfeiffer's characters, yet unlike the two, she fails to bring any depth to the essentially pouty and boring person she is portraying.
All in all, a good movie to watch to witness the beautiful chemistry between two of America's finest actresses.
Rating: 
Summary: Jessica Lange continues to amaze me
Review: The film is worth buying for Jessica Langes performance alone. Michelle Pheiffer and Jason Robards were also exceptional. The very talented Jennifer Jason Leigh does not get an opportunity to shine as she fills a small, poorly developed role. The Golden Globes got it right with a Best Actress nomination for Lange for this role, but what happened at Oscar time. Lange was overlooked for what was surely one of the very best performances of the year.Buy this film and witness great acting!
Rating:
Summary: A MOVIE MASTERPIECE!
Review: The movie had such a deep plot and i just fell in love with the characters, and have now seen it about 30 times and can recite most of the picture. If you like tragedies then this is your flick!
Rating: 
Summary: sad and depressing
Review: the two leading ladies do a great job but the film is a downer. I would rent this movie but in less you HAVE Family in this film I wouldn't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare it isn't!
Review: This film definitely has merit as well as an all-star cast. It may well be an updated version of King Lear, but I found the topic less than entertaining...and I was not thrilled with the ending. As for Colin Firth's performance as an American drifter... he successfully portrays a Mr. Wickham from his P&P days. He is charming, available, and easy to like ~ except he is definitely not going to be around for the duration. And what sort of cad sleeps with sisters of the same family...simultaneously?
Rating:
Summary: Fine performances ruined by contrived subplots.
Review: This film really angered me. How much did I hate it? Let me count the ways...a thousand ways.... Here we have an all-star cast bogged down in a sewer of melodramatic drivel that was so obviously written by a female, and one who thinks all men are nothing more than demented slime (the book won a pulitzer???). Every man depicted was an absolute loser in one way or another. The central figure is the father, who was verbally and physically abusive, even to the point of raping two of his daughters for years when they were young (although the eldest daughter has absolutely no memory of this fact--yeah, right). The eldest daughter's husband (Lange's) was so weak-willed, he closed his eyes to all the patriarch's abuses just so he could get his share of the property. Pfeiffer's husband couldn't live with the fact that she had a mastectomy, considered her to be sub-human, degrader her at every opportunity, and drank himself to oblivion (he accidentally ran his truck off a lonely gravel road while in a drunken stupor, and into the only creek within a hundred miles--give me a break!). Meanwhile, Lange soon falls in love with a real slick guy fresh out of college who comes back to Iowa to start farming, and guess what? Yeah, you guessed it. He was only out for what he could get. Surprise, surprise. But wait! There's more!! Not to be outdone, the youngest daughter takes sides (rather vehemently) with the miserable louse of a father, and against her own sisters for control of the land (she just happens to be a lawyer who thinks that her father is the best thing since sliced bread). Sorry to spill the 'plot' line on this turgid piece of excrement. The sad thing about this is, most women will love it! Between 1 and 10, "A Thousand Acres" gets a 3, and only because the performances were all first-rate.
Rating: 
Summary: Pfeiffer and Lange: Powerhouse Performances
Review: This is one of movies where the memorable performances of the leads particularly Pfeiffer and Lange was probably now forgotten because of the failure of the movie, at least in the box office and reception by the critics. The movie has some flaws at least from my point of view, like the lack of coherence of the whole movie, some felt rushed and underdeveloped, lacked of style in storytelling, and weakness in the script. But I personally think this movie is still worth seeing, it has a certain quality that made it compelling and very relatable.
Michelle Pfeiffer gave a tour de force performance she interpreted Rose with such anger you almost feel why she's angry. She gave so much depth to her interpretation, the way her eyes well up and the intensity of her face in the confrontation scenes. It was heartbreaking and very touching. ("I did not forgive the unforgivable, that's my sole solitary and only accomplishment") Jessica Lange gave the subtler and more vulnerable attack to the character. She's a little laid back and understated and the result is really moving performance. I think Pfeiffer gave the better performance only because she got to play the more intense, showy, and ultimately tragic character.
The late Jason Robards was very good. He created a character that's both disgusting and also compelling. In the scene where he appeared to start exhibiting signs of senility and he just lost in the case regarding the farm, You can just feel what Pfeiffer was feeling when she said to her dad while going out in the court "Daddy, you lost" and she said it with such desperation and anger. That's probably one of the worst feelings, not being able to make the person who've done you wrong know what he did.
For fans of Pfeiffer and Lange, I recommend this movie. They gave one of the best performances of their careers. For those who are not, but you're a fan of good performances I also recommend this film.
Grade: B+ (the performances I give A)
Rating:
Summary: DEPRESSING!! Not at all what I thought it would be.
Review: This was one of the most depressing movie I've ever seen. It was like that the whole way through. Even the ending was awful. I strongly recommend not seeing this movie. It would be a big waste of time.
Rating: 
Summary: Book doesn't deserve any credit, neither does movie.
Review: While the book is definitely geared to the female gender with its horrible male characters and girls that I think are just as bad, the movie has just the same characters mulling through a landslide of disasters while continueing with their pityful lives. The book had no good characters and the movie which heavily depends on the characters certainly didn't change anything in this flop with two extraordinary actors wasting their talents.
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