pperna9 I just saw this movie last night and was very disappointed. 1st off what was most disturbing was Griffin's relationship with his 2 kids. I understand when you hear the news that you have cancer, you may not immediately want to tell anyone. But throughout the movie.. the lead character never even told his kids that he had cancer. Thats very selfish, especially when you know that you have only one year to live. Moreover, you'd also think he'd want to spend as much time with his kids as possible before he dies. Instead he saw them just one time on a brief fishing excursion. Also, there was no interaction between Griffin and his ex wife whatsover. Very bad movie for these reasons.

inicola2-1 Everyone knows someone like this, they face something awful and turn out better people because of tragedy and not triumph. I am not talking about people you are out of control, but rather about people who are just what they present. I love the male lead in this role because he is someone who is putting himself aside to be there for this amazing woman. Right away, you might think that two people meeting under these circumstances is contrived. But the human probability of the story is very high, and I wonder it this kind of plot doesn't help people to think about the reality of their lives, how we might treat each other and feel about the time that we have had to live. I challenge you to watch this to decide.This movie needs more advertising.

nicole_m13 Was this an indie/low budget film? The story for this movie was very good but somewhere along the way they missed something. It was definitely not the 'same old' story line. The time line was too condensed, it was like watching the Reader's Digest version. There were many things that could have been explained without adding too much time to the final product but that would've added a lot of clarity and made it more 'watcher-friendly'. Great acting on behalf on Amanda Peet and Dermot Mulroney but I understand why this was never released to theaters. Rent it to watch on a Sunday afternoon (or catch it next time it airs on Lifetime) and don't forget the box of tissues.

gradyharp GRIFFIN & PHOENIX is a quiet little made for television film that touches the vulnerable heart. Originally written in 1976 as a television film by John Hill, this thirty-years-later version holds up well, and the fact that audiences will still opt for sensitive stories that treat difficult topics in a mature manner, adding warmly humorous touches to a potentially maudlin idea, speaks well for our continuing tastes.From the opening frames of the film we learn that Griffin (Dermot Mulroney) has inoperable cancer: his frank and compassionate physician (Lois Smith) aligns him with reality. Griffin is a divorced father of two boys and his first attempt to find meaning in his limited time is to spend time with them, an attempt partially thwarted by his ex-wife. Once a workaholic, Griffin attends a class on death and dying at the university and there he meets the rather strange and isolated Phoenix (Amanda Peet). Griffin's new take on life encourages him to go after the seemingly impenetrable Phoenix and through a series of wildly frivolous escapades he courts her and they gradually fall in love - something neither felt they could do. They cope with issues of intimacy and finally Phoenix shares her secret with Griffin, a secret that plunges them headlong into a fully blossomed romance. How the two cope with the inevitable is well handled, rarely bordering on sappy, and always holding our compassion.Director Ed Stone paces the film well, inserting moments of extended silence to match the emotional atmosphere, allowing breathing space. Both Peet and Mulroney create believable three-dimensional characters and are well supported by such solid actors as Lois Smith, Sarah Paulson, and Novella Nelson. The story may have sad aspects, but the cast always allows the humor inherent in any life event to come through. And that is one of the several reasons the film works well. Grady Harp