Thoughts on "The Lost Symbol"

Image by Simbe90 via Flickr

I ripped through this in about three days, so it certainly kept my attention. Some of the running around D.C. smacked of National Treasure, but I didn't mind.

The trove of arcane historic trivia was almost overwhelming, but the new characters added to the mix. The whole thread of "Noetic" sciences seemed a bit forced, as did the epilogue, which seemed very preachy.

Some of the plot twists caught me by surprise, some didn't. I don't think Dan Brown fans will be disappointed, and I'm sure he'll make some new ones with this book.

Anyone who liked the earlier Langdon books will enjoy this one. I would rank this a slightly behind the other two novels, but definitely in the same neighborhood.

Thoughts on "Adventureland"

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Adventureland was a major flashback experience for someone from that era (like me). Eisenberg really draws the viewers sympathy as the recent college grad forced to "slum" for a summer at an amusement park while his friend backpacks through Europe. I thought Stewart would have more fun playing against the "good girl" type she has earned from Twilight, but she was a bit of a mope. Granted, her character was dealing with multiple issues, but there wasn't much life to her. Martin Starr stole the show for me with his existential angst. Ryan Reynolds channels his inner Ben Affleck as the older, married guy trolling for younger girls.

The soundtrack mixes the ubiquitous pop nuggets of the time ("Rock Me Amadeus") of the era, with great alternative stuff ("Pale Blue Eyes"). Any movie which features a Velvet Underground song rates with me. However, I seriously doubt a townie bar in Pittsburgh in 1986 had a jukebox with "Pale Blue Eyes" on it. I don't even think it was ever released as a single.

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While the plot was somewhat predictable, most Rom-Coms are. The attraction for me was how the film nailed the time period. It was an excellent film to finish off the summer.

Minor Leagues not Enough for Palin

So Sarah Palin resigns as Governor of Alaska. Is anyone really surprised? It's like a career minor leaguer getting called up to the bigs for a few months and then getting sent back down. As Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz said recently in the Boston Globe, “Any day in the big leagues is a better day than in the minor leagues...’’ Governor Palin discovered this following the Obama victory in November.

One day, she's jetting around the country in designer clothes speaking to the enthralled masses of Republican lap dogs, chatting with Katie Couric (whoops, maybe a bad example to bring up), and pressing the flesh with the most influential right wing big wigs in the country.

Then...nothing. It must have been a very cold December in Wassila when the bright lights went out.

She played the good soldier for six months, digging back into Alaska state politics thinking that with a little more seasoning, she'd be ready for another shot at the majors. Well, as Buchholz and many others players have discovered, once you get that taste, you need more. As Governor, she had to concern herself with pesky ethics rules and the day to day doldrums of Alaskan politics (all due apologies to those of you from our 49th state, but compared to national politics, fishing rights and natural gas pipelines don't cut it for a glory hound). Freed from the responsibility of her elected office, she is now free to make her move back to the big leagues.

Instead of local salmon suppers with constituents, she can roam the country beating the drum for the GOP and feast at $10,000 a plate fundraisers with Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove and the rest of them. Beats frozen dinners with Todd and the brood any day.

So Palin has made her own break and didn't wait for the big club to call again. Where does she go from here? Her own talk show? The Fox News Channel would clear it's prime time schedule for her. The long awaited book tour? Soccer Moms will be lined up around the block. At the very least, she could start her own blog - wouldn't Ann Coulter love that? Whatever she has planned, I bet she'll find those bright lights of the big leagues again.

The only question will be: is she ready? Clearly, she wasn't last time and had to be sent back to the minors. When baseball players are sent down, the work on their skills to earn another shot. What has Palin worked on?

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Now playing: U2 - Running to Stand Still
via FoxyTunes

Jackson's passing should not be compared to Lennon, Hendrix, et al.

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Unlike many of my fellow children of the '80's, Jacko was not the soundtrack of my youth. I was more of the U2 / R.E.M. / Bruce Springsteen type. Granted, he was a huge pop star, but the emphasis should be on WAS. People should not be comparing his death to John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison or Jimi Hendrix.

All these artists passed at or near the height of their powers. You could argue that Lennon was a bit past his prime, but his posthumous release Double Fantasy was a big success, and you could argue that he was experiencing an artistic rebirth.

Sure, Michael Jackson was the biggest selling artist of all time, but he hadn't had a hit (however those are determined now) in more than a decade. His shows were selling out, but it was no more than a greatest hits tour.

Image via Wikipedia

If anything, Jackson's passing should be compared to passing of his musical namesake: Elvis Presley. Both the King and the King of Pop had been reduced to Vegas show status. Both were the biggest stars of their time, but music had definitely passed them by.
His legal and moral issues aside, Jackson was a significant superstar. For 15 years, he ruled the charts. That was, however, 15 years ago. Don't confuse him with those artists who died still at the top of their game.

Thoughts on "Paul Blart, Mall Cop"

I enjoyed the scene where he rocks out to "Detroit Rock City" on Rock Band. Other than that...

It cost us $1 to rent this at a Red Box. Probably twice as much as it was worth.

Image by BenLucier via Flickr

Am I a twit for not Twittering?

I've just recently descended into the circle of hell that is facebook and have enough trouble keeping up with that. I've taken IQ quizzes (genius, of course), listed my five favorite everythings, found out that I drive women wild (thank you, Captain Obvious) and reconnected with people who never really interested me in the first place. Now you want me to update my "followers" on my every move? I've got news for you, I'm not that interesting. Twitter is for people who don't have the attention span for facebook.

I actually don't mind facebook because it has forced me to write more, and it gives me an audience for my blog (yeah, that means you). I've avoided Mafia Wars and Scrabulous, but there are still plenty of things on facebook to waste time with. But at least you are still doing something. It seems like with Twitter - admittedly I've not explored the site fully yet - all you do is follow what others are doing. Suddenly, it's on the cover of Time magazine.

Image via CrunchBase

Now I'm as curious as the next guy, but I don't need to know what people had for breakfast or what song they are listening to at the moment (well, maybe I do). I don't need to know that you just got out of class or crossed the street or picked your nose or took a deep breath. And, I don't feel like telling you those things either. I mean, I don't know about you, but I try to hide it when I pick my nose.

Do I want to know when my niece wins a ribbon at a track meet? Sure. Do I want to know that you just got engaged/married/separated/divorced/remarried? O.K. That's what we have facebook for. And don't give me any nonsense about how the Gen X'ers have taken over facebook and the youngsters need something of their own. Hey, if you don't want to know what your parents are up to, don't friend (is that now a verb?) them. I'm a big fan of the "ignore" button on facebook.

If you spend all your time on Twitter, when do you actually do anything? On facebook, there are games, trivia quizzes, videos, etc. But it seems that all Twitter has to offer is the mundane ramblings of people who think they are important. I understand the whole marketing aspect of the thing, but do I really need another way for people to sell me stuff? Maybe Twitter needs something which functions like a DVR/TiVo - something to edit out the commercials.

As a high school teacher, the social networking boom has captured my attention as I try to better connect with my students. I blog and facebook (another new verb) and post photos on Picasa. These kinds of sites require you to think, plan and react. Which photos do I post? Which trivia quiz do I publish? What thoughts should I put into words for the world to see? But Twitter is different.

With Twitter, we're sinking further into the quagmire of passivity which is plaguing the early part of the century. We've become so enraptured with what others think or do, that we don't do anything ourselves. Facebook is enough of a time vacuum; we can do without Twitter. According to their "Twitter in Plain English" video on their website, "real life is what happens between e-mails and blog posts." Glad to know there's a "real life" in there somewhere, but what happens when you're so caught up with following, you have no "real life" to "tweet"? Later on in the video, it says that what's happening on Twitter is the "real world".

Um, not quite. The real world does not happen 140 characters at a time. It happens with a thought toward what's truly important. It happens in private, without public broadcast. It happens to people who are TOO BUSY TO POST TO TWITTER!

A true twitterer will constantly update followers (sounds like a cult, doesn't it?) on his/her mundane thoughts and activities. It's like fast food for the mind. Oooh, look, Aston Kutcher just stopped at the Circle K! Oprah just fed the dog! My apologies to all you "Twitterers" out there, but I beg you, instead of becoming addicted to this electronic dross, get out and do something yourself. And for god's sake, don't broadcast it to everyone. You're just not that important.

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• Today, We Think Twitter Is Dead (for Now) (gigaom.com)

Thoughts on "Prague"

Cover of Prague: A Novel

Pat Conroy bills Arthur Phillips's novel Prague as "one of those books that help define and identify a whole generation, in the same way that Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises introduced his own lost generation.” While the novel held my interest after a slow start, I don't think it's quite in the same ballpark as The Sun Also Rises.

My main problem with the novel is the multiple points of view. The only real character I cared about was John Price, a journalist who comes to Budapest to reconnect with his estranged brother (Oh yeah, even though the novel is entitled Prague, it takes place in Budapest. Don't ask.). While the novel is told mostly though his eyes, it frequently wanders to some of the minor characters. The novel drags in those places.

Price arrives in Budapest a self-acknowledged virgin, but leaves MUCH more experienced. I don't know if that was meant to enhance the "anything goes" mentality of the newly opened Soviet Bloc countries in the late 80's, but Price certainly got his money's worth.

He spends much of his time in the novel doing promotional work for his friend Charles, a Hungarian-American businessman looking for financial opportunity in his reluctantly adopted homeland. That thread bordered on allegorical as Charles attempts to revive and cash in on an old Hungarian publishing company.

Price and his friends wander through the city experiencing much that is has to offer, but they never really connect with each other. Price has a crush on Emily, and Mark has a crush on Price, but nothing ever gets resolved. Love stinks, yeah, yeah.

The friends play this game where they tell the group five statements and everyone has to guess which one is true. The characters can't even admit the truth about themselves, but they enjoy trying to discern truth in others.

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The writing style and characters reminded me of Less than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis (which I enjoyed): a bunch of morally and sexually ambiguous characters stumbling around in search of the next score or the next party. Instead of cocaine, the drug of choice in Prague is alcohol.

Once the novel settled on John Price as its main focus, things began to pick up, but I found some of the threads of the plot distracting and pointless. I may give Phillips another try, but I won't give him as much rope next time.

Night at the Museum 2 Review

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As much as I enjoyed the original Night at the Museum, this one didn't do much to change the formula. Some of the slapstick routines dragged on a little too long (once the monkey hits him a few times, the humor fades). Amy Adams was a breath of fresh air as Amelia Earhart and she was a more interesting character than Ben Stiller's. The scene where Stiller and Adams wander into a famous, old photograph of VE day in Times Square was about the only new touch.

Being a history buff, I enjoyed the effort to give the Earhart character a spunky personality. I thought the message that Stiller's character had to learn (i.e. do what you love with people you love) was a good idea, but it was somewhat lost in the slapstick. The main character's son, who played a major role in the first one, was lost after the first ten minutes due to technical difficulties (no cell phone service in the bowels of the Smithsonian). One of the things I enjoyed most about the first film was the father-son interaction.

However, the film wasn't made for me. My 10 year-old son proclaimed it almost as good as the first one and "very funny". He and his two friends were laughing through most of the movie. For an enjoyable hour and a half, this one will amuse its audience. For those adults used to the Disney films that appeal to kids and adults, you'll leave a little disappointed.

Why basketball?

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After finishing my 12th season as a varsity high school basketball coach, some people have asked me what it is about basketball that is so interesting. Well, after you read this article by Chris Ballard from Sports Illustrated, you'll know why.

http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/points_after/posts/52661-a-game-to-grow-into

The Unoriginal world of Benjamin Button

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O.K., stop me if you've heard this tale before...

A young boy who is looked at as being "different" is raised in the South by a single (or nearly so) mother, who gives her son a mantra to live by.

The boy grows to a man and falls in love with a hometown girl, but society and fate intervene and keep them apart for many years.

The man wanders through 20th century American history occasionally having an affect on it. He goes to war, acts heroic, survives and returns home.

Through no real effort of his own, he accumulates great wealth and distributes it generously.

He hooks up with a foul mouthed father figure who teaches him life lessons (even sets him up with hookers!)

After years apart, he and his long lost love finally unite (figuratively and literally) and produce a child - who doesn't know who his/her real father is until later in life.

Oh, and a hurricane plays a significant role in the film.

I could go on (and on), but I think you get the point. Forrest Gump was a groundbreaking film, both visually and thematically, and deserved all the acclaim it received.

Now we have The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The credits indicate it is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but it derives (copies) more from Gump than anything else. The fact that Button is nominated for Best Picture is atrocious. Such blatantly unoriginal material doesn't deserve accolades.

If I look at the film independent of the NUMEROUS connections to Gump, I can say that it's somewhat entertaining. I came in expecting some connections, but less that half way through the film, it became a serious distraction for me.

The visual effects were good, but again, that reminded me of...well, you know. There were some beautiful shots of sunsets and snowfall. Cate Blanchette was excellent, but she'd be good reading the ingredients off a Rice Krispies box. Brad Pitt wanders through the film with the same kind of emotional reserve that Tom Hanks did in...arrrgh, there it is again.

Seriously, if you have any respect for the original, you will be gravely disappointed/irritated by this duplicate. I sense a drinking game once this comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray -- "Find the similarities to Forrest Gump".

There the mantra from the Mother -- Drink!
Here he is injected into history -- Drink!
Here's his date with the hooker-- Drink!

If you like to watch Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchette, you'll be happy with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but if you're looking for originality in a film, this one's no box of chocolates because if you've seen Forrest Gump, you already know what you're going to get.

Harris Bobsled

Here's my son sledding on a track we made.

Quantum of Solace Review

By the time I recovered from the headache induced by the frantic editing of the initial chase scene, I was already annoyed by this film. Maybe I'm just a Bond purist (Live and Let Die and Diamonds are Forever being my personal favs), but I like my Bond to show a little personality. Daniel Craig's laconic performance for the first three quarters of the film didn't do it for me. Until he connects with his Bolivian partner and finds out they share the hunger for revenge, I don't think he says a dozen words.

Call me crazy, but I miss the gadgets, too. I did appreciate the homage to Goldfinger in the demise of the lovely Miss Fields.

It almost appeared the fast editing and multiple setting shifts drove the plot instead of the other way around. I realize they are setting us up for multiple sequels with the Quantum conspiracy, but there were to many plot holes and unanswered questions.

There was plenty of exciting action sequences with the individual battle in Siena, Italy my favorite.

After the complex Vesper Lind character from Casino Royale, this Bond girl seemed a bit flat (not that way, of course. She is, after all, a Bond girl).

As usual Dame Judi Dench was a treat as "M". I thought there was more chemistry between her and Bond than there was between the two Bond girls. At least with the "reboot" of the franchise, they had the sense to keep her on board.

If you're an action film fan with no concern for the Bond mythology, there's a lot to like about this film. For a Bond purist, however, I left the theater feeling a bit empty.

Disney Observations

After 8 visits in 4 years, here are some observations:

• the attention to detail continues to amaze me. We ate at the Maya Grill at Coronado Springs for the first time, and the decor was so detailed. From floor to ceiling, the place was decorated in the theme. Even places where very few people look, everything was appointed.
• the cast members are sometimes TOO nice. When we arrived at the SSR check-in, my wife had a splitting headache. One of the cast members asked her how she was doing, and ahe told him with brutal honesty how she felt. The guy immediately rushed off and returned with a med kit with ibuprofen, tylenol, etc. He couldn't stand the idea of someone being unhappy at Disney.
  
• More to come...
  

Parents should remain a mystery at youth sports contests

My son (he's nine) plays youth baseball in Dracut, and my wife and I usually sit in the same place for every game. We plunk down our camp chairs behind the backstop so we get a good view of the game. We end up chatting with the umpire between innings. It's usually a high school student trying to make a few dollars to keep gas in his car. We've learned most of the players names and cheer for them all when they are at bat or in the field.

During a recent game, my son did well on the pitcher's mound and had a couple of nice hits at the plate. In between one of the later innings, the umpire asked who our son was. We told him he was the one who had been pitching, and he said, "Wow, he's really good." We thanked him, and he went on with the game. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but later, I thought it interesting that it wasn't obvious who our son was. I guess we were cheering the same for everyone on the team.

Now that I have a son involved in youth sports, I'm beginning to see things from the other side. I've coached at every level: youth sports, middle school, high school and college, but now I've become the parent. For years, I've viewed parents of athletes from the coach's perspective. I've dealt with complaints about playing time, questions about my strategy and discussions about the schedules. Some parents have been great to deal with, but some have not. Most coaches and officials can tell you horror stories about parents at games and practices. As a coach, dealing with parents is part of the job -- an important part. It takes patience, diplomacy and a good sense of humor to cultivate a good relationship with parents. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

As a coach, I wish all parents would remain mysteries during the games. Think of how much more enjoyable watching the games would be if parents cheered for everyone on the team equally. No one would be calling attention to themselves when his or her child was at bat. No one would groan when a weaker player came to bat at a key moment in the game. No one would try to coach his or her child from the sidelines. No one would embarrass his or her child during a game by confronting a coach about playing time. No one would know which child was yours.

You don't have to scream like a maniac when your child makes a play or comes to bat. They know your voice and know where you are sitting. Trust me, they hear you. They might not hear you at home when you ask them to help take out the trash, but they'll hear you at the game.

The next time you're at your child's game, cheer for all the players on the team like they were your own. Keep your opinions about the coaching to yourself. Be supportive but not overbearing. Make it your goal to have someone come up to you and ask, "Which one is yours?" If you remain a mystery at your child's game, you may just discover more about your child...and yourself.

On Midterms and Iraq

Yeah, it's been a while...

Well, we got what we asked for. The Dems have taken over the House and the Senate. Pelosi's ready to call for troop withdrawal and investigate Halliburton. Hillary stocks her war chest; Barak continues with the Hamlet routine (to run or not to run). Rummy's searching the help want-ads (not for long, I assume) and one can only hope that someone's taken Foley's cell phone away. But what do we really have?

IRAQ

Can we simply pull a Korea and declare victory and walk away? Obviously, something has to change. The hawks claim that if we withdraw now, the power vacuum will create another terrorist breeding ground (a.k.a. Afghanistan) and Al Quieda (sic.) stronghold. Well, at what point do we stay involved in what has clearly become a civil war? How long can we wait for the Iraqi security forces to step up and take control?

The Iraqi government is like the 35 year-old guy you know who still lives in his parents basement. Everyone wants to know why he won't leave. The answer is simple: he doesn't have to! He's got a roof over his head, a live in cook and maid and cheap rent. He won't leave until he's forced to take action. Good ole Mom has to stop cooking, cleaning and hike up the rent. Only then will the human sponge abandon his basement lair. Until we stop doing the dirty work in Iraq, the Iraqis will never step up and take charge. Why should they? Let the Americans spend all the money on the hardware and supplies and take on the dangerous missions. Dumb like a fox, those Iraqis.

Give'em a time table and tell'em it's time to step up and take control of your own country. Sure violence will increase, but we'll give our hard working troops some light at the end of the tunnel and extricate ourselves from a bad situation.

We went in to overthrow Saddam, eliminate WMD's and create a democracy. Saddam's set to swing soon and there were no WMD's in the first place. Two out of three is going to have to be good enough. Democracy's a slow process which must come from within. Nobody dragged the Colonists into the war with Britain in 1776 -- we chose it ourselves. The Iraqis must choose their own form of government. We tried to force the Vietnamese into democracy and look what happened.

The war may have been started on pretense, but it must end with resolve. Set a date and stick to it.

Thoughts on "Million Dollar Baby"

Well, I think the Academy got this one right. As good as Sideways and The Aviator were, this one was better. Eastwood and Freeman bicker like an old married couple and it's hilarious. If someone tells you this is just a movie about boxing, don't buy it. The father/daughter relationship which develops between Eastwood and Swank takes it to the next level. The ending is rather melodramatic, but it serves to develop the characters more, so I didn't mind it as much as others. A high recommendation.

More Summer Reading and Films

Chronicles, Vol. 1 by Bob Dylan

• This was just a tease to whet our appetite for the other volumes. He has four chapters, none of which are in chronological order (would we expect any less from Bob). He begins with his arrival in NYC, then moves to the late '80's work with Daniel Lanois, then goes back to his years in Minnesota and then to his breakthrough at Columbia Records. His style is fairly easy to read, but it was like eating Chinese food -- soon after finishing I was hungry for more. I hope the second volume will be a bit more substantial.

Coach Carter

• Lots of basketball and inner city cliches, but an enjoyable film. Samuel L. Jackson holds up his end as usual as the tough love coach who turns the boys around.

Thoughts on Summer Reading

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

• Much better than the previous book. Rowling has a good take on teenage behavior regarding friends, sex, etc. It will be curious to see if the tragic ending remains tragic, or if certain characters return (like Gandalf) or make an appearance (like Obi-Wan) in volume seven. The plot was better in this one, avoiding the extraneous sub plots which bogged down the fourth and fifth books (Hermoine's elf crusade was particularly irritating). I'm eagerly waiting the last installment.

White Noise by Dom Delillo

• I've struggled with Delillo novels before, but I managed to slog through this one. A late 80's rant on the influence of television and the fear of death. Considering the boring lives the characters lead, I'm shocked they don't long for death as a simple change in routine. Tough characters to care about, and since there isn't much of a plot, there's not much to recommend this book.

Secrets by Daniel Ellsburg

• I put off reading this book for a couple of years, and I now regret waiting. Great look at the 60's from someone who lived it (Ellsburg went to 'Nam, worked for the government and leaked the "Pentagon Papers" which revealed that the U.S. knew they were in a no win situation from the start, but no one wanted to admit it). He takes you from the Gulf of Tonkin incident (a complete fraud) to his acquittal on charges of treason in 1972. We see his character develop from hawk to dove along with the country. I show the film version of this story (The Pentagon Papers) to my journalism students.

An American Requiem by James Carroll

• Picked this up for a buck at a library book sale, and it was worth much more. The writer tells his story of the priesthood, Vietnam and his father (a high ranking Air Force officer). It reminded me of A Field of Dreams with the father-son conflict except the root of Carroll's conflict was Vietnam. The son realizes the conflicts his father faced, but too late to reconcile with him. His departure from the priesthood is a shame...The church needs more men of his conscience and intelligence.

How to be Good by Nick Hornby

• I was disappointed by this book. I'd heard great things about Hornby, but this book left me flat. A British housewife can't handle it when her previously loutish husband suddenly gets religion (in some bizarre form) and wants to change the world by giving away many of their possessions and taking in homeless people. She couldn't stand him when he wrote a column for the local newspaper as the "angry man", and now she can't stand him as a do-gooder. She whines about finding some middle ground and feels guilty about her selfishness. I cared more about their two children than I did about the husband and wife who were the main characters.

Thoughts on "The Aviator"

I haven't seen Million Dollar Baby yet, but it must have been good to beat out this film for Best Picture. Scorcese knows biopics (see Raging Bull). Leo channels Howard Hughes as part Rain Man, part Cast Away. Blanchette deserved her honor with her portrayal as Hepburn. It was long (2 hr. 50 mins.), but kept the interest as we followed Hughes into his own personal hell.

I loved the colors used in the film. Lots of pastels fit well with the time period.

Thoughts on "Closer"

Just hearing Julia Roberts talk dirty was enough to recommend this film.

After viewing, I'm left wondering which character is the most reprehensible. Clive Owen's (he should be the next James Bond) character was a manipulative brute, but at least he was honest. Jude Law as the hopeless romantic seeking total honesty from everyone but himself was the most devastated by the whole mess. Natalie Portman's stripper with the heart of gold finally stood up for herself at the end. Excellent choice of roles for her. After seeing her in this film, it's hard to say she will be typecast as the "Senator Amidala" character for the rest of her career.

Despite all this, the Julia Roberts character was the most reprehensible. She could not decide what she wanted and thus ended up stuck in a marriage she never wanted. The final scene of her rolling over in bed with the look of resignation on her face was the perfect ending for this cynical film. Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter" was a great choice to bookend the film.

Some strange stylistic choices by Nichols. At several points in the film, time jumps dramatically and the view is left to infer this from the dialogue. I guess this was left over from the original stage production. You also rarely see a film with no minor characters. With a couple of brief exceptions, the four main characters are the only ones who speak. Again, I guess this is left over from the stage production (probably just a four person show).

The film was a great alternative to sappy summer romance films. It could have been titled When Harry Screwed Around too Much and Sally became a Stripper.