Rating: 
Summary: Screenwriting 101
Review: Just like American Beauty this movie is grossly overrated. Why? Because just like American Beauty the director and screenwriter are trying to pull a fast one on the audience. Don't get me wrong: this is a "well-made film"...but really, so what?! Ernest Goes To Jail is a "well-made film"...that doesn't make it "brilliant" or "powerful" or whatever choice adjectives will be tossed out there to compel you into swallowing this load of crap. In fairness, it should be noted that all of the acting is uniformly outstanding throughout, perhaps none more so than Tom Wilkinson. Too bad his character is so villainously abused by the screenplay.The main problem is the unbelievable and pointless (therefore pretentious) ending. The dead man's father in this movie would have NEVER committed murder. It was completely inconsistent with his character developed through the course of the film. None of the possible explanations for his ultimate actions make sense. Are we supposed to believe he did it because he was secretly in love/lust with his dead son's girlfriend?! Assuming he had any feelings for his son's girlfriend why then would he murder her children's father. Also, would a man (and a doctor at that) who just lost his son take away the father of children he knows and has shown affection for? No way - ergo, more BS. Or maybe he did it because his wife wanted it? Then what's the point of the scene where he accuses her of being bitter and she admits it?! "You're right...I'm controlling and angry and not properly dealing with my son's murder emotionally. It's my fault...but BTW, would you please go kill my son's murderer anyway?" Stupid. Excluding reasonable possibilities for the father's behavior (of which there are exactly none) what's left is a pretentious excuse for literary laziness, like the "the unfathomability of human behavior", or some other faux-deep theme that, were there any artistic accountability in Hollywood, the director and screenwriter would be deeply ashamed of. Perhaps they will claim that they were "faithfully exploring the themes and drama as presented in the original story". That doesn't wash. I could make a film "faithfully exploring the themes and drama" extracted from a list of ingredients on a condiment bottle and call it a metaphor for "the unfathomability of human behavior" and be just as correct given all the guessing these filmmakers would like us to engage in trying to make sense of this turkey's ending. It's sad that noone associated with this production had the brains or guts to say "hey...this ending makes no f*ing sense...maybe it should be reworked to be the least bit believable". If they wanted it to be some sort of Ang Lee remake of Death Wish then at least show the audience how a killing for catharsis or revenge pays off emotionally (a repugnant sentiment but at least one in the realm of possibility) and not some snoozy ending that shows the defiled main character pondering his lobster-induced finger wound. WTF was that?! After wasting two hours on this disappointing film I can least take grim satisfaction in knowing that it will age very poorly and eventually prove an embarassment to the director and screenwriter. As for the hype, doesn't it seem that Hollywood just loves congratulating itself for how brilliant it is? It seldom seems to do so at the right times.
Rating:
Summary: IN THE BEDROOM PUTS YOU TO SLEEP
Review: MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO SEE THIS WITH THE GREATEST OF EXPECTATIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS THE MOST TEDIOUS TRIP TO THE MOVIES I'VE EVER TAKEN. EVERYONE IN THE THEATER WAS SIGHING AND SHIFTING AROUND. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE WAS EVEN SOMEONE SNORING! I TRUELY AM A FAN OF SISSY SPACEK'S, BUT I DON'T THINK SHE DESERVED A NOMINATION FOR SITTING ON THE COUCH BLOWING CIGARETTE SMOKE THROUGH HER NOSE.
Rating: 
Summary: The movie to keep out of the bedroom
Review: This is one of the finest power dramas released in 2001. "In the Bedroom" digs deep into the characters' emotions rather than the action. The lack of musical score gives it that extra raw edge, which is especially necessary in the violent scenes. The movie environment makes the characters look like ordinary people rather than supermodels with a tough life. More movies should do this. Sissy Spacek makes a triumphant comeback as a mother whose son is murdered. Tom Wilkinson brilliantly plays her revenge seeking husband. Their conflicts give "In the Bedroom" the extra realism that it needs. Few know that many couples have these marital problems in this situation. The duo proves that they researched these issues before filming as did Marisa Tomei for her role as a mother of two who witnesses her boyfriend's murder. Tomei's extra demand is performed wonderfully when her character's abusive soon-to-be ex-husband stalks her. Nick Stahl's lack-of-media-credit role proves that he'll perform bigger roles in the next few years. "In the Bedroom" was well-deserving of its five Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe win(Sissy Spacek-Best Actress). This is a wonderful movie for those who are looking for an emotional drama. Some may have to watch it a second time to further understand the theme. Either way, one will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Sissy spacek deserved to win the oscar!
Review: i have read the other reviews people have put in here and my question is what are you guys thinking? this is one of the best movies of the year! and sissy spacek deserved to win the oscar. im sorry halle berry's performance in monsters ball was terrible as was the movie itself and she did not deserve it. i was really shocked when she won. I was rooting for sissy spacek.
this is one of those movies that draws you in and wont let go. Nick stahl and maris tomei are in love despite their age difference. when tomesi's ex husband in a violent rage kills Stahl, Spacek and Tom wilkerson(hisparents) wants justice. but when none happens they take matters into their own hands. i really liked this movie. probably my favorite part was when sissy spacek slapped marisa tomei because i was so surprised as was the entire audience when i saw it in a theater.
Tom wilkerson did an excellant job too.
Rating:
Summary: It's very good! But don't expect any explosions!
Review: This is drama. I mean DRAMA! It deserved the nominations it received for Best Actor, Actress, supp. Actress, and Picture.
This movie really made other so-called dramatic films realised in 2001 look like the shallow made for TV movies they were. With what Mulholland Dr. did with plot twists, and Lord of the Rings: FOTR did with visuals, this movie did with acting. Now for those who don't have a lot of patience with movies that are not paced as a Jerry Bruckheimer film, you'll have to watch the movie in intervals. This is a movie that is hard to forget once you get into the characters. It draws emotions without "bringing on the cheese" (Sorry for the cliche). It's great though. But if you must have an explosion in your movies to really feel satisfied, then don't watch this movie. Otherwise rent it, watch it!
Rating:
Summary: A Quiet Powerhouse
Review: "In the Bedroom" is like a tightly tied knot that is being pulled tighter and tighter until the string finally breaks. From the initial tension between the parents and the girlfriend to the killing, to the grieving and finally the cathartic revenge, the film holds a tight grip on the viewer and does not let go. What I found most intriguing about this powerful film is the slow disintegration of the happy surface veneer of the marriage of the two parents. The tragedy forces the parents to confront their own faults, fears and ill feelings concerning their son and each other. The silence is finally broken, and the lack of communication in their marriage as a whole is finally addressed. The scenes intimate the sometimes vast difference between what is displayed in public and what is really happening underneath the surface of a relationship behind closed doors. The confrontation between Spacek and Wilkinson is one of the strongest and most potent scenes I have seen in a long while. "In the Bedroom" is a difficult film to watch. It is not easy to experience the tension, the grief and the rollercoaster of emotions that the characters face, but there are few films in recent memory that capture these emotions so vividly and realistically.
Rating:
Summary: "In the [Garbage]"!!!
Review: That's the only place this film belongs. Acting, script, pace
are all unbelievably slow and boring. ...
This film will make you scream in frustration. A true example
of an exercise in pain. I am only writing this in hopes to save
some unlucky viewers who were tempted by all those glitzy
nominations. Veer away!!
Rating: 
Summary: Too slow
Review: I was excited to buy this movie after all the hype and awards. But after viewing it, Im left wondering 'why'? I'm not one that has to have tons of action in a movie to be entertained, but it doesnt have to be THIS slow, either! The first few minutes of the movie told the viewer that there was a relationship between the son and the older woman. The extra 20 to 30 minutes of drivel continuing on this fact was pointless and it almost made me fall asleep. I perked up a bit when the tragedy occurred, but just as quickly, it grew mundane again. And the ending left much to be said. Sissy Spacek and Marisa Tomei are great actors, but this movie was just simply boring.
Rating: 
Summary: i really wanted to like this movie...
Review: i really really really wanted to like this movie, but i didn't think it was as great as all the hype around it. marisa tomei was okay, not great; sissy spacek was mediocre, which was sad to see because she is so much better than that. it was just not all that engaging, and it seemed to try too hard to pull some cheap emotional punches. i'd say rent it but don't buy it. ordinary people was a much better movie; moonlight mile was a much worse movie.
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL, EMOTIONAL, RAW and GRIPPING!!!
Review: A difficult movie, but WELL worth the effort. I'm surprised at some of the less than rave reviews here. This is a movie that is unflinchingly unpredictable. Everyone is totally believable, but you never have any idea what a character is going to do next. It's richly written, with beautiful texture and pacing (the pacing is slow, but it's like slow boil...stuff IS happening). And the plot is familiar at one moment and totally unique the next. The first "act" deals with introducing us to loving couple Sissy Spacke and Tom Wilkerson (although we can tell that many years together has led to a small dose of "familiarity breeds contempt"...this couple is believably "non-intimate" like many long-termed married couples are...they fight, they give each other looks and yet we know they are committed to each other). Their son, Nich Stahl, a young man barely out of high school, is engaged in an affair with an "older" woman (Marisa Tomei). When her estranged husband finds out, tragedy ensues. The second "act" shows how the loss of their son, particularly to violence, leads to feelings of helplessness, remorse, hatred, desire for revenge, and most of all, a near total emtional estrangement between the couple. We aren't just dealing with a generic "grief" as we have seen in countless TV-movies. This movie dares to show how these two likeable people are ravaged by their loss. RAVAGED. Whew, it's some tough, emotional stuff, but so believably presented as to be thrilling at the same time. Near the end of this act, there is a scene where the couple nearly come to blows and start spewing out their accusations with the kinds of words and insults that you can't take back...you know the kind. How this spell is broken is an absolutely amazing, surprising and REAL scene. Not with theatrical gestures and grandoise speeches, but with the arrival of a little girl selling candy for a fundraiser. Don't ask...just watch and be totally moved. Act Three is vengeance. Many have argued that this act pulls the movie out of reality and into "Hollywood" or at least into another genre of film. Yet is it really such a stretch that the couple would find new unity through their desire for revenge. And how much, really, if YOU were the parent of a murdered child, would it take to send you in thirst for revenge. And again, the movie doesn't take an easy, predictable road down this act either. The acting is uniformly OUTSTANDING. Sissy Spacek, a much admired actress who has always frankly left me just a little cold, is GREAT. She allows herself to sink into her despair, yet remain cold and tightly wound. She has a scene with Tomei that is startlingly in its actions and emotional rawness. She is vulnerable, in all senses of that word for an actress. Speaking of vulnerable, the much-maligned Marisa Tomei is riveting. I've always hated that she caught so much grief after winning her Oscar for MY COUSIN VINNY. You know what...she's a pretty darn good actress. She has a vulnerable quality that just shines from her. She's BELIEVABLY sweet and sexy, and in IN THE BEDROOM, she is stripped raw too, with guilt and sadness. But the truly revelatory performance comes from Tom Wilkerson, most famous before this for THE FULL MONTY. He is at once stubborn, tender, funny, loving, tough, whimpy, sad, determined, intelligent, emotional. He juggles all his emotions and all his character's transitions with TOTAL control and believability. Denzel Washington won the Oscar for TRAINING DAY...Russell Crowe was heavily favored by some for A BEAUTIFUL MIND, but it was Wilkerson who really gave the most astonishing performance of the year. All the characters were presented as people we might know...really know. Thus, their draining emotional journeys can be empathized with. It's a bleak and beautiful movie and one I can't recommend highly enough for an adult audience.
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