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13 Conversations About
One Thing
Directed by: Jill Sprecher
Starring: John Turturro
Genre:
Drama
Run Time: 104 min.
Release Date: Jan.
2002
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by Byron
Merritt |
What is the nature of happiness? Why are some people
happier than others? Can someone truly be "happy" all the time? These
questions are put to the movie-goer as director Jill Sprecher (CLOCKWATHERS,
1997) dumps us into the lives of four people: an insurance actuary
played brilliantly by Alan Arkin, an attorney played by current film
heart-throb Matthew McConaughey, a struggling housekeeper played by Clea
Duvall, and a college teacher having an affair played by John Turturro.
The film's premise is a promising one. And you might think that a film
exploring happiness would be uplifting. This film is not that. Happiness
is sometimes confrontational, sometimes life-altering, sometimes
unattainable, and sometimes not what we think it is.
In the vein of LOVE ACTUALLY, this movie jumps us between the four sets
of lives and ties them all together in a societal quagmire of
misunderstanding, loss, acceptance, and the caring we are all capable of
giving one another (this is pulled off quite well by Alan Arkin as he
helps out a former employee whom he had to fire.
While Love Actually pulled the stories together nicely and left the
audience with a satisfactory conclusion, 13 Conversations does not. The
open-endedness of this movie will bother many people (I know it bugged
me quite a bit), but it also gives a realistic look at the emotional
weight we all carry around with us everyday; it's always mutating, and
there's really no end to happiness' changes. It just goes on and on and
on. So 13 Conversations doesn't give any kind of closure either. And
although I can see this as a strength of the film (i.e., leaning toward
reality), many movie watchers don't go and see films for that. They want
to be transported to the unreal and be snuggly planted in that fairytale
aspect of stories.
So if you don't mind an open-ended film and like real-life aspects put
on the screen, you'll probably love this movie. But if you don't like
those things, stay away from this one for God's sake!
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Image from 13
Conversations About One Thing
DVD cost: $17.99
Purchase:
Amazon.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
The films story is
inspired by two different head injuries that director Jill Sprecher
endured.
Movie Quote: "Show
me a happy man and I'll show you a disaster waiting to happen."
Other Actors/Actresses
from 13 Conversation About One Thing
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