Prismark10 So soon after the Silver Linings Playbook, you would have thought the teaming up of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence would hit pay dirt at the box office.Set in 1929 Great Smoky Mountains in Carolina after the Wall Street Crash. George Pemberton (Bradley Cooper) and his business partner try to keep their logging company afloat. The bank have taken his vast lands in Brazil as collateral. The local Sheriff (Toby Jones) and his associates want to buy up his land and turn it into parkland. Pemberton quickly falls in love with glamorous Serena (Jennifer Lawrence) and marries her. Serena has an aptitude for business and to pus George to the edge with amoral means, this means murder as both strive to be successful. However a child that George has had with another woman tips Serena over the edge.The film is rather inert, the story has a tragic tinged moodiness but never really gets going. A cast full of British actors tells you that it was shot somewhere in eastern Europe. Both Cooper and Lawrence feel ill at ease with their characters.Director Susanne Bier has made a misfire yet atoned for this by directing the wonderful spy thriller for BBC television, The Night Manager.

Blackbird013-1 To be honest I am only writing this review because the film has had such a negative reception. I want to make a few things clear.This film rather than following the Hollywood formula is more true to life in the sense that some European films have been. Life isn't always exciting, sometimes it can be brooding rather than fast paced with flashy cars and "cool" props being used to polish up perception.I would classify this as historical fiction in the sense that most films with a historical setting have a lot of flash and posturing. This film offers a view of the less glamorous times during the depression. It gives you a glimpse of the issues through the plot rather than show you first hand. Some elements are true to Hollywood such as perfectly clean main characters but conceptually this film seems like a simple slice of life.One person said you ended up not liking anyone. I think that's the entire point of the film. It's dark, brooding, and it has things to say about the nature of people and life without offering the flash and allure of a visually stunning or fun filled film. Many can't understand the setting (the depression) and might not understand the hard choices people made between survival and dreams which still relates to current life in many ways.I found the plot believable and think it's a good film for the deeper thinkers and realistic story lovers. Although poetic, it substitutes flash for substance. Instead of looking for something action packed or something to cuddle up with just accept it for what it is. It's unlikely to be pleasant for the light hearted.

flynhi Beautiful, great acting, good story, twice as long as needed. I was wishing I had tevo and could skip all the ridiculously long stares at Jennifer Lawrence. The Czech Republic sure looks a lot like the Smokies - wish that $ could have been spent in the Smokies... Like my aunts in Ohio would say, "Geez oh crimene" IMDb is serious about keeping out rifraf from writing reviews! Just getting to where I contribute was like escaping from the Soviet Union! And now - they won't accept this unless it's at least ten lines. Ten lines!? Are they serious? What for? What if a movie isn't worth 10 lines? What if IMDb fans don't want 10 lines? No one at IMDb ever attended a writing class obviously. The rule is keeping out more good reviews than ensuring only high quality reviews. This is still just 9 lines. Where do we review IMDb and the 10 lines minimum?

MartinHafer With Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in this film, I am sure folks immediately thought of their lovely romance in "Silver Linings Playbook"--and that's natural. However, when people saw that this was NOT a romantic film but a very, very grim and slow film, I am sure that alone turned off many fans. Regardless, folks were sure turned off and this went on to be one of the biggest money-losing films of the year. Despite this, is the film any good?Well, yes and no. I'd say yes in that there are some very nice performances==particularly by Jennifer Lawrence. While she plays a thoroughly unlikable lady, she is able to convey a lot of emotions without actually saying anything. I was very impressed by her. As for Bradley Cooper....well, his character wasn't very interesting. The film also has some lovely location shots. What I didn't like, was that the film was too stark, too quiet and too god-awful depressing. Additionally, and this is a more minor quibble, but I HATE how in the close-up shots the camera NEVER remains still. I am sure some folks think it makes the film artsy, but on the big screen it probably induced nausea.The story itself is about greed, corruption and amorality--themes that made me think of "There Will Be Blood", though without the larger than life leading performance. The Pembertons (Lawrence and Cooper) marry and move to the area which is now the Great Smokey National Park during the early Depression. Their goals are to eventually earn enough for a huge spread in Brazil--and both seem willing to abandon morality and decency to do it. However, Mrs. Pemberton is a lot like Lady Macbeth--the vicious woman pushing her husband to do ANYTHING to earn this fortunate. But when Mrs. Pemberton realizes that a woman in town with a small child is Mr. Pemberton's, this same vicious and amoral energy is about to be unleashed on the husband, child and old mistress.This is a slow and unpleasant film...I'll admit this readily. However, I don't think overall that it's a bad film--even if it is a movie practically overflowing with nastiness! I see it as a film that STILL has an interesting story that could have certainly been much better. Giving the story some energy, some life would have greatly improved it. As it is, I just can't see most folks being very willing to watch this sort of unpleasantness.