Rating: 
Summary: One issue at a time, please!
Review: I grew up in the fifties in the Hartford area and can vouch for the authenticity of the clothing (the color combinations were a little more daring than I remember) and the automobiles and the hairdos. And Julianne Moore has the ability that Jody Foster does, of making the viewer believe those are in fact her clothes and that is her car and her place in the flow of time. All these things were brilliant window-dressing for a movie that made me feel pulled in too many directions and thereby lost me along the way. Had Far From Heaven focused on the struggle the couple goes through after the husband (Dennis Quaid) can no longer deny his homosexuality, instead of throwing in a second equally controversial issue when the wife (Ms. Moore) falls in love with a Negro, this could have been a dynamite of a movie. Instead, it fizzled out with no bang whatsoever. A shame.
Rating: 
Summary: A stunning combo
Review: I would like to believe that somewhere down the line the combo of Todd Haynes and Julianne Moore will be mentioned as one of the stunning collaborations in film. Haynes is one of the most innovative directors, sometimes saddled to concepts that tend to overshadow the fact that he, like William Wyler, should be directing women's pictures. And I think an argument can be made for me being one of our most luminescent performers. This film, shot in the luscious pallete of Douglas Sirk, glows brightly.ok, whatever. I wanted to try to open this with some sort of stylistic thing. Some people are satisfied with style over content, and I must admit, if the content is some "I"m out for revenge-my brother got killed by the mob, and by the way, I"m a character played by the Rock" I"m all for setting it in post apocalyptic Vegas as directed by Quentin Tarantino. Style sometimes makes all the difference.... the style of this movie is amazing. But it is not all. Haynes tells stories of passion unanswered...people reigned in by conventions, and society. I believe that the style of this movie helps tell that tale. We only see glimpses of modern devices. The film, told in 50's style, cuts away before we see everything. In this way, the characters are restrained, and our imaginations are set loose. Long ago I heard Ronald Reagan(oh my god, I"m going to agree with Ronald Reagan) say that movies of his era were summed up by a man and a woman going into a room, and the door closed, and you pieced it together in your mind. This is that sort of movie. I loved it. And finally, the story is not overtly earthshaking, it is the fifties and we know that interacial love was taboo, as was homosexuality.....but when taken as a symbolic language for the oppression people still feel, it is a remarkable work. Moore gives one of the most restrained performances of great depth I have ever seen. Dennis Quaid, who I often think is a little over the top, works well in this. Patricia Clarkson is fantastic, as is Dennis Haysbert. The work is fantastic throughout. So this is a unique film where style helps content to the max. I highly recommend the vision and the film.
Rating:
Summary: An absolute Masterpiece!
Review: For those who think there are no great movies being made today, I urge you to look no further than Far From Heaven. The film is a journey to the era of the "melodrama" and the "weepy," which is really a reinvention of sorts of the Joan Crawford or Bette Davis women's picture, although it is more commonly associated with the Douglas Sirk pictures. The great thing about Far From Heaven is it never tells you what to think, but it tells you what to think about. For example, the film never takes an outright stand for or against themes such as racism and homosexuality, but through the catharsis of the story it helps the audience learn and make up their own minds. My reaction to the film was it was comparing the intolerance and racism of the 50s towards African Americans to the intolerance often felt today and in recent times toward homosexuals. A theme throughout the movie, although never obviously expressed (but expressed through the story), is that it is never wrong to love. Whether you love interracially or even the same sex, love is love (and I believe Dennis Quaid said that in an interview). Not only does Far From Heaven have one of the most original and creative stories in a long time, but it is a film that also contains brilliant acting, cinematography, and a wistful, breathtaking score. The acting by Julianne Moore could almost be considered legendary. There has not been acting like this since the days of Joan or Bette, where the heart is worn so perfectly and vulnerably on the sleeve in the face of love and persecution. If Nicole Kidman hadn't given an equally genius performance as Virginia Woolf the same year, Julianne Moore would have won the Oscar. Dennis Quaid is also memorable and heartbraking as the man who falls in love in an anti-homosexual society that falsely believes that his love is a disease. Best part of this film, among so many unforgettable moments, is the heartbreaking end. The music swells beautifully, the shots of the departing train and falling leaves evoke emotion, and the closeup of Julianne's face with all of her heart and sadness is just grand. A masterful film that perhaps will be remembered as one of the best films of its time, someday when people look back for relevant and timeless cinematic art.
Rating: 
Summary: Visual treat falls strangely flat
Review: Julianne Moore is one of a very small handful of contemporary actresses whose presence onscreen harkens back to the glory days of Movie Stardom - women like Lana Turner, Veronica Lake, Joan Crawford - and her palpable glamour and undeniable screen presence are a hugely welcome change from the bland bleatings of actresses like Gwyneth, Halle, et al. She's a hugely talented actress, too - in pictures like 'Magnolia' and the sublime 'The Hours' she shows that she's so much more than a pretty face. So why, then, does 'Far from Heaven' fail to create any sort of sympathy for her as a controversy-plagued, love-lorn housewife? Starring Moore as Cathy Whitaker, the film pairs her with Denis Quaid as her wayward, duplicitous husband Frank, and the enormously charismatic Dennis Haysbert as Raymond Deagan, her black gardener with whom Cathy has a brief relationship. Cathy, upon discovering her husband's secret homosexuality, does everything in her power to attempt to reclaim her home life, but fails, and finds solice in the arms of Deagan. A good premise for a movie, with an excellent cast - Quaid, back from the dead and on top form, gives a compelling performance as a man coming to terms with himself - and Haysbert has a screen presence and a benign charisma that few of his contemporaries can equal. Moore, as I've mentioned, is luminous and quaint, without ever once being cloying or sentimental. Direction is lovely, with Todd Haynes' retro-fantastic vibe pervading the whole picture, giving an enormous sense of 'The Lucy Show' gone awry. And that's the problem with 'Far From Heaven'. The total lack of contrast between veneer and truth makes for some very unbelievable moments. In a time when seggregation was rampant and sexuality was something dirty, why should Cathy remain so relatively placid and calm when her husband is gay? Why should Raymond Deagan take a white woman to dance at a black dancehall? Moore as Cathy has rarely displayed such a poor sense of feeling for her character, and while she gives a fine performance to match the scenery, she doesn't really touch on the reality of her situation. That's the problem. The premise of the picture is compelling, the ensemble cast are highly talented and the directorial talents of Haynes are top-notch, but the whole movie lacks a sense of the real, the believable, that very soon one begins to wonder exactly what Haynes is up to. Visually compelling, and in places, great, on the whole, 'Far From Heaven' is a disappointment that really could have been a Classic. Not recommended.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST FILM OF 2002
Review: What a wonderful, emotional and beautiful movie. The movie looks absolutely perfect. The Douglas Sirk stylings are a wonderful hommage to the classic director. The script is one of the best. There are no hollywood cliches or cop outs in telling the story. As for the acting, it doesn't get any better than this. Julianne Moore deserved more than an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the perfect 50's housewife. (There's more to her character than that, but for those of you who haven't seen the film...) Dennis Quaid has NEVER been better than this. His picture perfect performance is nothing short of spectacular. Supporting performances by Patricia Clarkson and Dennis Haysbert are first rate. I can't recall the last time a movie moved me as much as this one. There aren't enough adjectives to describe this masterwork. I envy those of you who are seeing this for the first time. Simply put, it is the best film of 2002.
Rating: 
Summary: Brillian Acting, Brilliand Story, Brilliant colors
Review: As has been said in previous posts this movie works on different levels. First of all it shows the life of a decent housewife who is active in the social scene of Hartford, CN. But is also a story about a businessman who finds out he's gay and about Civil Rights in the 50's. The movie looks like it could have been made in the real 1950's. The music, the opening fond of the title, the credits in the end. It also seems to be a great ode to the fifties.
One very visual part of the movie is color, set in the fall in New England, warm natural colors can be seen everywhere. In the trees, the grass, the cars and even the clothes of the people. It is amazing how in many shots Cathy wears the exact same color of clothing, as if they are all the same in color, both skin and clothing. The storyline however tells us that this is definitely a new film. The persons are charicatures I think but with a twist. The hardworking succesful businessman is gay, the black gardener watches modern art and the beautiful housewife is stuck with a gay husband and is in love with a black gardener. It's a fun movie, I recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Hateful look at the era of "Happy Days"
Review: The people behind this movie were successful at achieving their vendetta for the fifties. Hollywood has still not got over the blacklisted era and this movie is a good example of "revenge of the liberal nerds." I will give them credit for the artful reproduction of the movie style of that era, but their narrow and spiteful agenda produced a superficial movie. I have a warm memory of the fifties ala "American Graffitti" and this movie gives no credit to the wonderful aspects of the era. My mother would have been insulted by this movie as I was.
Rating:
Summary: Family caught between isms...
Review: This delicate story is about a family caught between isms, phobias, and socio-economical status. The family's predicament is compounded by the malevolent voice of fellow citizens and it brings about cruel actions of the uninvolved. Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid give their best performances ever as this story unfolds. This is further supported by a truly superior script and direction. It is one of those brilliant cinematic experiences you ponder for a long time after you have left the theater or turned of the TV.
Rating:
Summary: An Accurate Movie!
Review: This movie, for those who were not alive in the 50's, is accurate in every way, from clothing-- poor Julianne Moore apparently owned no flats or slacks to wear, even when she went for a casual walk-- to the attitudes about homosexuality-- this is obviously pre-Stonewall with no "gay" verbiage here-- and the "Negro" or "colored" people. It is no wonder that the rebellious 60's followed the artificiality of the 1950's. The movie is beautifully filmed. Both Ms. Moore and Dennis Quaid are outstanding in this film by Todd Haynes. I cannot remember a movie that Mr. Quaid is better in. I've seen the movie twice; it holds up well on the second viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Imitation Written Close to Heaven
Review: My three favorite films from early teen years were: 'Written On The Wind', 'All That Heaven Allows', and 'Imitation of Life'. I loved all I saw, heard, and felt from, in, and about these films. What I didn't know at the time was that were all the products of the masterful Douglas Sirk. It was not necessary for me to hear Todd Haynes' interesting and reflective commentary on this DVD to know that his film 'Far From Heaven' pays homage not to the real-life 1950s, at least not any life I was living at the time, but rather to the beautiful work of Douglas Sirk and his melodramas. Films that totally removed us from our routine lives and plunged us into the fairytale romantic world of people with beautiful faces, complex personal problems, thwarted love affairs, stunning wardrobes, lush landscapes, and immaculate homes, lives all lived fabulously surrounded by a background of sweeping, majestically emotional musical scores. Speaking of the music, Elmer Bernstein re-created the sound of the scores from the above mentioned films with such accuracy in 'Far From Heaven' it is difficult to believe he was not responsible for any of the original scores of my three favorite Sirk films; with the soundtrack of 'Written on the Wind' (released on 45 EP) being my favorite soundtrack for years to come. Has there ever been a greater musical film moment than that portrayed by the seductive Dorothy Malone (in her Oscar-winning role of Marylee Hadley) when she storms into her room, slams the door, blasts out a mambo/type jazz tune on the phonograph and dances alone, casting off her inhibitions and torrid desires? It is my belief, though of course I can't prove it or even know it with absolute certainty, that many reviewers of this film may have never viewed the original Sirk films which inspired 'Far From Heaven', probably certainly not in their original era. Those reviewers speaking negatively of Quaid's stoic, wooden performance were perhaps not intimately familiar with performances by John Gavin or Rock Hudson. Certainly, the naiveté portrayed by Juliette Moore's character was the most closely reality-based truth about the 50s in this film. Not one mother in any family of my friends at that time could even drive a car. Younger viewers, born well after the 1955, have both lived very different lives than those of us born and reared before 1963 and certainly have been raised on a completely different type of Hollywood film style. It is difficult to say whether we are better served by film styles that are either more intelligent or more jaded, depending upon one's point of view. Certainly they are more action-oriented than the more thoughtful, slower moving films of the 1950's. The one jarring note I felt in 'Far From Heaven' was the single curse word (in the use of the 'f' word). While that word is a staple of today's standard vocabulary (including my own personally), and is often barely even consciously heard by many movie-goers in the context of today's films (or our lives for that matter); I found it disorientingly out of place in this film. Haynes addressed this issue in his commentary and indicated the intent was to 'jar' the audience, which in my case - he did. However, given the otherwise flawless dedication to recreating the work of Douglas Sirk, it was amazing how this one word stood out as inappropriate for the time, the character, and the genre. This is not a moral judgment by any stretch, words are words. Rather my notice of this particular use of this word was more like a reminder of how well-structured films can transport us so completely from our real lives into the world of their creation. For someone who views the variety of films I do, as often as I do, this was an astonishing recognition, mostly for just how unaware I still was of the power of films, even after all this time and exposure. I purchased this DVD at a bargain rate and more than got my money's worth in pleasure and memories. The extras, of which there are several, were interesting and informative. If you are a serious fan or student of 'film', this is a modern day treat which will transport you to more innocent days and a decidedly different film style that you might see in the theater today. If you were a fan of the movies of the 50's, do not let the reviews of those who are not familiar with the originals deter you from securing this film at any price and of allowing yourself to take a magnificent journey filled with heavenly pleasure back into the world of the movies we loved.
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