Movies
Curtis Hanson goes lengthy drama/romcom. I'm not really sure what notes he was trying to hit here exactly, but none of the three genres are very successful. Instead, you get a bit of everything, spread out over 130 minutes of film. I think people making that kind of commitment deserve more. The performances are pretty decent, but the characters are rather shallow. The plot is extremely predictable, the comedy isn't very funny and the drama is way too simplistic to make a real impact. It might've been better if the film only lasted 90 minutes, the 40 minutes excess really killed it for me.Read all
Vintage 90s thriller, the kind you couldn't imagine would still be made today. The film spends the first 20 minutes detailing the entire plot, the rest is just going through the motions, without any kind of twist or upset along the way. It even takes out time to explain its own title. Needless to say, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a film in dire need of tension. So the plot is a real bore, other elements of the film are completely unable to make up for it too. The cinematography is utterly bland, the score feels like something they found for free. It's almost as if you're watching a cheap TV production, not a 90s blockbuster hit. The performances are truly poor too, which leaves ... nothing really. Best to forget all about this film as quickly as possible. Read all