Rating: 
Summary: An Amazing Film!
Review: This film is simply amazing. I must say that I have watched it more than once since I received it the day the film was released on dvd but I could never bring myself to write a review. Moore playing her heart out to perfection as an uptight perfect housewife of the 50's to her sexually closeted homosexual husband. What erupts on the screen never stops and keeps one off ease. Moore never truly lets her emotions fly, her scenes of pain and anguish are hidden behind her china like skin and perfect hair. Haysbert and Quaid match her performance to the hilt. Quaid overly expressive and brooding as he wrestles with his emotions and Haybert as the calm and educated negro she falls for.
Haynes puts the drama of the film inside the house. The house which is perfect in every way down to its monochrome couch and chairs is off set by the drama brought into the house. Moore is truly trapped here and often bottle her emotions to keep the facade admist but outside the property Moore can let go and she often does so in the comfort of Haysbert!
The final scenes of the flick can have you reaching for the tissue. Never once do Haysbert and Moore kiss but just the wave goodbye has more intimate detail and love in it than Moore's entire union with quaid. Yes this flick does copy heavily from Douglas Sirk's masterpieces like "Written on the Wind" but when it's copied from such amazing source material no one can blame a retread. "Far From Heaven" is a brilliant film and the entire cast lays out truly heart tugging performances.
Rating: 
Summary: A good "Genre" movie at best
Review: Being such a movie buff, I rarely see a movie which I dislike but I have to write that this is one of the first. Although I have to agrree that the movie eloquently and beautifully portrays the style of film making from the 50's, the basic premise of the movie left me completely cold. Julianna Moore in her role as an emotionally stunted June Beaver was a character for whom I could not have empathized less. Yes, I appreciated the issues were relevant to the day, homosexuality, interratial relationships and the predjudice of whites against blacks (and vice versa) but the manner in which these were portrayed left me feeling nothing but impatience with the main character, Cathy. As a 21st century moviegoer and one not having been born until the 60's, I could not have identified with these issues as they were portrayed. Cathy to most of us (under 45) living today is an alien species. The way she talks, dresses, thinks and reacts is an unknown entity. How she reacts to her husbands sexuality and how her friends react to her friendship with a "negro" (Cathy is noted by a prominent social news writer as being kind to negros) is not understandable as it is portrayed in this film. With no background information about the times in which she lives, her actions are stilted and silly and unfortunately so was the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Hey, did you know the fifties had racism?
Review: Yeah, and homosexuality wasn't socially accepted. Well, if you didn't know, that's one thing you'll get out of watching this film! And, indeed, the only thing.Now, it's true that Far From Heaven has some very pretty cinematography, and the actors do well enough, given the material they have to work with. And yes, it does look like the cinematic fifties. It is all for naught, however. I have, admittedly, never seen a Douglas Sirk film, so I don't know: perhaps this is a brilliant pastiche. But, honestly, who cares? The script is utterly inert, dramatically and emotionally (who in the world ARE these people who claim to find it gripping and/or moving?). That this was--allegedly--intentional means nothing to me, because I don't watch films for the purpose of congratulating myself on how very clever I am. Sorry. Nonetheless, Far From Heaven is worth two stars, if only in bemused recognition of the perverse doggedness with which it pursues its highly dubious conceit. You don't see many movies so weird (the other one I can think of is the even-more-deranged and, consequently, more fun, Pumpkin). And it does elicit a few unintentional laughs in the way that it doesn't leave even the most painfully obvious of cliches unbelabored. For these reasons alone, it may possibly worth seeing, although the general critical rapture it's received is totally mystifying.
Rating:
Summary: Revisiting the melodrama
Review: This is one of the more daring movies of 2002. It splendidly observes the harshness of oppression in the 1950's. Not many other movie producers have dared this. They return to the long-lost melodrama style with a current twist and a brilliant rebellion of most old fashioned beliefs. "Far From Heaven" proves that Julianne Moore continues to evolve into one of the greatest actress around. Her emotional Oscar nominated role as a housewife matches perfectly with Dennis Quaid's greatest role of his career as a successful businessman who realizes he's homosexual. Dennis Hayward proves that his acting career has only began as we will be watching more of him many years to come. No actor holds back any necessary emotions for a second. This screenplay accurately desplicts the life as a minority and their friends. Many people who didn't live that through that time don't realize these incidents happened. The emotional aspects of them symbolize the movie's quality. If you watch this movie, it may take you two times to appreciate it, but you'll be glad you did. "Far From Heaven" will be a classic.
Rating:
Summary: NOT so Far from Heaven!!!!
Review: This was definitely in my top 3 films of 2002. Todd Haynes (director of another wonderful movie, Velvet Goldmine) has crafted something truly amazing. In this film, Haynes uses the old-fashioned 50's Douglas Sirk drama style to tell a story that is very contemporary. Of course, racism and homophobia were problems of the 1950s, however it was rare that they were presented in this way... While the style in a way is almost anti-realist with its stylized dialog and sets, somehow this film gets to something very real. Julianne Moore's performance is absolutely perfect. You can see her insides being ripped apart as she realizes that her family is not the "Magnatech" perfect family that she and her husband want to present to their relatively conservative Connecticut town. Dennis Haysbert portrays the black gardener that Moore falls in love with, and he also does an amazing job. He is quietly intense. Dennis Quaid, however, pulls one of the best performances of his life by portraying the "perfect husband" who realizes he is gay. As his meltdown ensues, you realize he is a great actor. Seeing his 80s films, WHO KNEW? This movie is a piece of virtuoso filmmaking and acting. It could have easily come off awfully, yet the talented people who all worked together to create it made sure that it was not over the top. DEFINITELY see this film!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Drama
Review: Far from Heaven invokes the style of Douglas Sirk's films of the 50s. The cinematography is lush and beautiful. The colors of autumn blend brilliantly with the costume design. It is a tale of sexual and racial prejudice and how it was ingrained in suburban society in the 50s. Julianne Moore is such an excellent actress that every role she plays she is fascinating. However in this role all the subtle expressions and nuances she excels in make the movie much more then it might have been. She just shines. Dennis Quaid also gives an excellent performance that he should have received an oscar nomination for. He plays against type and tones down the wide smiling persona he often shows in other movies. You can feel his pain. This is a wonderful movie that should be seen more then once.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully compelling...
Review: I saw "Far From Heaven" last night at the cinema and loved it. The way the director recreates the whole 50s american movie ambiance, carefully makes it look believable, and yet still manages to retain a whole faux look to it, is indeed quite remarkable. The story is, of course, touching and every bit compelling, mapping the very specific sociological effects that sexual and racial discrimination have upon those who endure/try to overcome them. Its importance, however, lies in the subvertion of paradigms: the portrayal of these very controversial circumstances amidst such a "squeaky-clean" nearly-mythological setting, so deeply rooted in the memories of the american people BECOMES the pivotal point of this film, the crack that tears their whole "perfect world" apart.
Julianne Moore's performance is mesmerizing. She's not only beautiful but also capable of sending shivers down your spine, if only with just a contrived smile. Dennis Quaid is also excellent as a repressed & closeted gay husband. Last but not least, Dennis Haybert's performance is also remarkable.
I'm reviewing the movie itself here, not the DVD. RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: Stunning!
Review: I thought this film was going to be a broad satire or pastiche along the lines of Pleasantville or Ice Storm, but it's not that at all. It's a devastating observation on social manners & attitudes in 1950s America & on how those manners & mores were reflected in the Hollywood of the time & refracted back into society. One of the most incredible-LOOKING movies I have ever seen. Every shot should be framed; you just don't want to blink. Perfectly cast too. What a surprise peformance Dennis Quaid gives. Dennis Haysbert is excellent, too. He comes across as a cross between Rock Hudson & Colin Powell. Not bad for the romantic moral center of the film. But it's Julianne Moore who really grabs you in her fist & squeezes tight & never lets go. I doubt I have ever seen a truer, richer or more moving performance in my life. She put a lump in my throat the first time she said goodbye to Mr. Deagan & believe me, I'm a crusty old dude. No way this movie is a superficial pastiche.
Rating: 
Summary: If you liked this movie......
Review: Or even if you didn't, I suggest watching the better film "All That Heaven Allows" starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson..."Far From Heaven" is definately an adaptation of the Wyman/Hudson film, however I feel the acting in this film was a bit hokey...Could be because I saw "All That Heaven Allows" first... Either way, see both films and make the decision for yourself which you feel is better...
Rating:
Summary: Well done --> TOTALLY forgettable
Review: It was last night ... what was this about? Oh, right, a man realized he likes men, and a woman realizes she likes a black man. Um, I'm not exactly sure this was educational ... It certainly took itself seriously, especially in set design and visual style. Which trivializes it further ... The acting was perfect. But the movie was pointless.
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