12 Great movies, I wish I had seen it in the big screen...

"Laksh, that’s the word"! Farhan Akthar's simple account of a boy turn into a man, left me in splits yesterday. I fed my eyes to this amazing movie Lakshya, and I wanted to watch the movie all over again and again and again!!! The moment I was done with the movie, I retorted "Wish I had seen this in the big screen"!! Well, then I thought why not come-up with a list of movies which I gave it a miss in the big screen ( theatre) … Bingo!I ended-up with this list( in chronological order) which deliberately took into account, movies releases post-1990 only(to make my job simple :-)) . Without much ado, here we go!!!

Movie	Release	Director	Why Theatre?
The Godfather: Part III	1990	Francis Ford Coppola	Anything for the Godfather! The final installment of the epic, The Godfather Trilogy, punctuates the effort of Michael Corleone to legitimize the crime business. The final scene (Al Pacino crumbling from the chair to bite the dust) embodies the very spirit of Pacino's nonchalant acting!
Michael Madhana Kamarajan	1991	Singeetam Srinivasa Rao	A rib-tickling comedy. Kamal dons four avatars and pulls them off with consummate ease. Climax scene, atop the hill in the ruined house involving all the pivotal characters in the movie is just one reason why I feel this movie ought to be watched in a theatre.
Roja	1992	Mani Ratnam	Movie that catapulted Mani to national fame and ear-marked the arrival of the musical prodigy A.R.Rahman. Movie broke all box-office records and the music went on to become TIME magazine's Top 10 greatest musical albums ever.
Schindler's List	1993	Steven Spielberg	A biographical film about Oscar Schindler a German businessman who single-handedly saved the lives of 1000 polish lives. Ben Kingsley ( of 'Gandhi' fame) as Schindler's accountant Itzhak Stern blew my mind away . A black & white classic of the 90's!!!
The Shawshank Redemption	1994	Frank Darabont	Morgan Freeman's Narration! What else.
Braveheart	1995	Mel Gibson	Mel Gibson's directorial debut couldn't have turned more fairy! The movie received as many as 5 academy awards, and got nominated for an additional five. Arresting dialogues, scenic cinematography and Guerrilla wars against English forces makes this movie a wonderful cinematic experience.
Kurudhi Punal	1996	P.C. Sreeram	Slick. Laconic. Lighting. Three words that describes the very essence of the movie. Based on Govind Nihalini's plot on infiltration, movie unfolds brilliantly with an out-of-the-world screenplay sans regular doze of songs. Kamal and P.C Sreeram dished out a movie which gave Hollywood production a run for their money!
Titanic	1997	James Cameron	Cameron's genius to interlace a love story amidst the infamous ill-fated 1912 maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic ship, proved to be a wise bet and made him an overnight hero! The film garnered as many as 11 Oscars. I still cant digest the fact I had let go the opportunity, when my friends saw the movie in Devi theatre when we were in our twelfth standard.
Lagaan	2001	Ashutosh Gowariker	India's most recent entry to the Oscars. The movie rekindled the national spirits of many people. It’s a victory of a nation and it must be savored only in a theatre!
Shrek	2001	Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson	A pioneer of sorts in the animation industry. This movie defied standards! Gave the audience something else to see! People from all walks of life were enchanted about the foul-smelling Ogre and the donkey and the rescue tale. This movie is a like a painting and paintings look good only in a canvas!
A Beautiful Mind	2001	Ron Howard	One of the few movies which disturbed my mind! Two days, I was completely occupied with this movie, I couldn't come out of it!!! Who could forget Prof.John Nash?? I felt like kicking myself for not watching this movie in Sathyam.
Lakshya	2004	Farhan Akhtar	Farhan Akhtar. Lt. Karen Shergill . Romila Dutta. Christopher Popp!

Anjadhey - Movie Review!

It's an ace form Mysskin! Exactly two years back, he sprung a surprise-hit with Chithiram Pesuthedi! He's back again with a bang! With the same team re-grouping, success only had a slim chance to elude them… Anjadhey has been declared a critically-acclaimed movie and can be easily cherry-picked as the best movie of the year so far.

Mysskin has intricately woven a plot based on a famous storytelling technique called twist-of-fate. The story is set in the backdrop of a police colony and revolves around two pivotal characters Sathya (Naren) and Kirupa (Ajmal) who share a very good relationship with each other. Kirupa aspires to be a SI (Sub Inspector) and slogs tirelessly in pursuit of his dream. Sathya cools his heels as a hooligan often engaging in petty brawls.

Relentless pestering from his friend Kirupa and mordant words of his father (M S Bhaskar), conspires Sathya to appear for the SI interview and by crook means, he lands up with the job. Kirupa is denied of the SI job and he accounts Sathya as responsible for snatching the job from him and develops hatred towards Sathya. Kirupa seeks redemption in life and becomes a hoodlum. This sudden twist-of-fate which sees an exchange-of-ends in character feeds the rest of the movie and makes it a compelling watch.

Naren and Ajmal have played their role to perfection. Naren's mannerism while he engages for each fight is riveting. Ajmal has handled two extreme natures of good and evil diligently. Two surprise packages in the movie are the villains. Kudos to Mysskin for casting Prasanna, chocolate-boy of Kanda Naal Mudhal as Casanova and Pandirajan ( Kadhanayagan fame) in negative shades, who once ruled the roost with his comic prowess. Prasanna as Daya with his weird-hairdo had essayed a different role and has challenged himself and succeeded. M S Bhaskar, as Naren's father has stunned with his sublime acting. Other casting accolades include Ponnvannan, Livingston, Kuruvi and Vijayalakskmi (Chennai - 600028 fame).

Sundar C Babu has done an impeccable job as a Music Director. He haunts with his BGM, a perfect coup for a thriller. Talents such as Sundar C Babu ought to be given more chances. There is a fine thread between 'Dabban Gotthu' and Folk and Babu has walked meticulously on that fine thread with élan. 'Kannadhasan Karaikudi’, 'Kathazha Kannalae' are fine examples. The dream sequence song 'Manasukkul' was quite captivating as well. Theme music was pulsating.

Mahesh Muthusami has done a fabulous job with the camera. His effort to foster the eerie mood of the film is evidently visible in the big screen. The climax shot at Karumbu Thottam which must have gobbled-up incredible lengths of film role certainly praise-worthy and a feather in the cap for the lens men. Certain angles were really extraordinary and songs were well shot. Sadagopan Ramesh has done a crispy work with his scissors.

Minuses include Ponvannan's dubbing (done by someone else or he had a sore throat?), Confession of Kirupa in the climax which seemed totally illogical and lastly the unbearable length of the movie. I must confess I don't mind watching a movie even 4-hr-long, but industry doesn't work that way. Mysskin has failed to understand in spite of bearing the brunt on the last occasion with the pre-mature fate of Chithiram Pesuthedi. Box office declared CP a failure, not before Oscar Ravichandran intervened. He edited out close to 20 mins and re-released the film which ran to packed houses. I wonder what the fate has in store for Anjadhey?

But take nothing from this talented director, Mysskin. He arrived with Chithiram Pesuthedi and he is here to stay with Anjadhey!

Kamal Hassan - The unsung singer!

Kamal Hassan, is very well known as a multi-faceted actor, hell-bent film-maker, and an avid dancer. But few people must have adored Kamal Hassan as a singer. It might raise an eyebrow, if I were to tell you that Kamal has sung close to 75 tracks, and as it turned out be, most of the songs were runaway hits. Lot of the people though denigrate Kamal, accusing him that, he forcibly persuades music directors to have him sing at least a track in films he's casted on. But people, fail to understand Kamal is qualified enough to do the singing himself(occasionally). Why???

Kamal under the tutelage of Dr Balamurali Krishna has practiced carnatic music and Mr. Krishna was so impressed with Kamal, that he asked for 2 and a half years while Kamal continued with him, and he would make sure to get Kamal on stage with him. Kamal engrossed with movies couldn’t really afford the time! Dr. Krishna was so fond of Kamal, in the Miley Sur Mera Tumhara short film, he wanted Kamal to sit next with him on the Tanpura, but Kamal humbly declined saying it'd be unfair.

Ilaiyaraaja was the first MD to spot the singer in Kamal and gave him ample opportunities to sing all-along in their long term illustrious association. Memorable films include Aboorva Sagotharargal, MMKR, Virumaandi and the recent Mumbai Express. Kamal has also sung for other music directors which includes ARR, Karthik Raja, Bharadwaj, Vidya Sagar, Yuvan Shankar Raja…

I thought it’d only be befitting a post to come out with a compilation of my personal favorites

Kamal has sung for Ilaiyaraaja and other Music Directors…

So here it goes for the ultimate connoisseur of music!

• Vizhiyorathu Kanavum - Raja Paarvai
• Vikram...Vikram… - Vikram
• Ammammamma Vandadhingae - Per Sollum Pillai
• Potta Padiyudhu - Sathya
• Raja Kayya Vecha - Apoorva Sahodarargal
• Sundari Neeyum - Michael Madhana Kamarajan
• Kanmani Anboda - Guna
• Inchi Iduppazhaka - Thevar Magan
• Thanmanam Ulla Nenjam - Mahanadhi
• Ram Ram Salaam - Hey Ram
• Sanyaas Mantra - Hey Ram
• Unnai vida - Virumaandi
• Maada Vilakke - Virumaandi
• Ninaivo Oru Paravai - Sigappu Rojakkal
• Yaar Yaar Sivam - Anbe Sivam
• Alwarpettai Aazhuda - Vasool Raja MBBS
• Muththe Muththammah - Ullasam
• Peek Into Assasin's Life: Neruppu Vaayinil - Pudhupettai
• Kadhal piriyathu kavidhai - Pancha Thanthiram
• Injirango Injirango - Thenaali
• Kadavul Paadhi - Aalavandan

Sathyam 'Extravagant' Cinemas!!!

I really detest starting-off blogging on the break of a new year, with an unpleasant experience. But then, I couldn’t help it! While most of the Chennai-crowd were merrily celebrating the New Year at party halls, beaches and resorts, I chose to visit Sathyam Cinemas!

I quickly discovered Sathyam had something new in store for us. What??? LCD screens at restrooms, gaudily displaying the new releases and show timings… What a crock of shit that was! Sathyam Cinemas hitherto had done some significant renovation, reorganization and restoration. Worth a mention is the plush seating, RDX, Magic-Hat, Fuel, Pure Cinema et al…

But this one??? How on earth is this going to command a better movie-watching experience for the viewer? Looks Sathyam were left with surplus funds, and decided to piss it over… Utterly Preposterous…

It wouldn't spring up as a surprise if Sathyam shoots-up the ticket price in the name of such barren benefits and make ‘stinking’ profits! Beware where your money goes!

Evano Oruvan'in…Review.

Voila!!! Year 2007 has been glorious for Tamil Cinema. Sivaji, Billa and Pokkiri set the cash ringers ringing, drawing huge profits for producers, distributors and theater owners. Sivaji , was the most talked about film in Bollywood and it became even popular when it made it to the UK top ten. Not only the masala cinema clicked, but offbeat movies such as Paruthiveeran, Thamizh M.A , Onbadhu Roobai Note, Veyyil were also received well at the box-office....A very good sign indeed… And I almost forgot Mozhi.. A feel-good entertainer from Radha Mohan!!!

Fag-end of 2007, witnessed a critically acclaimed movie Evano Oruvan, plainly adapted from a Marathi film Dombivli Fast(2005) directed by Nishikant Kamat. Madhavan was so intrigued watching this movie that he immediately called up Nishikant, asking him to cast him in the movie if the movie is ever remade in Tamil. Nishikant and the technical crew made their debut in Tamil and Evano Oruvan arrived. Evidently mesmerized by the movie, Madhavan decided to don the mantle of dialogue-writer under the wishful/watchful eyes of Seeman and co-produced the movie with Abbas Mastan and K Sera Sera. Double-debut for Madhavan, as Dialogue-writer and a co-Producer.

Made with a shoestring budget, Evano Oruvan is a circumstantial account of a middle class man who inadvertently becomes an overnight notorious criminal. Sridhar Vasudevan(Madhavan ),a bank employee, leads a monotonous Mon-Fri-9-5 life… He is agitated by the fact that everything in the society is powered by money, where moral and ethics are only dictionary-bound. Vasudevan manages to keep his emotion in leash, until corruption knocks the door of his bank in the form of 'Cherian' .After a steamy confrontation with Cherian, Vasudevan runs amuck and eventually takes a Krishna-avatar (with a cricket bat), to fight against the evil of the society. Finally, a fiery police encounter spells doomsday for the Anti-Hero who waged an Anti-Social War!

Movie has lived up to its tagline 'Ungalil Oruvan'… I was easily able to identify myself with Sridhar Vasudevan. There are so many things contributing towards that identity factor. Am a middle-class salaried employee living in a suburb of Chennai ,just like the place Nanaganallur. Electric Trains are my mode of transport and I also hanker for Jannal orae seats. And the most important thing, I've seen for myself, the corrupt face of society. Enraged and pent-up, I flee, I quit, I retire... unlike Sridhar Vasudevan!

Actor Madhavan has done immense justice to his role and the same holds water with Sangeetha( as Vathsala). Seeman as a cop is a complete misfit, a square peg in a round hole. He doesn’t suit the character and his dialogue delivery is sporadically artificial. Madhavan as a dialogue-writer has excelled. Some of the dialogues stunned me and left me reeling. Worth a mention are 'Unmae Sudum,adhuku munnadi Unmayae namma suttudanum', 'jannal seat'a pidikarthukulla uyirae pordhu' ( one has to see the movie to understand the profound sense of this dialogue). Nishikant has diligently worked on the screenplay, to ensure the film doesn’t sound like a documentary. It is slow, but really doesn't consume your time. Really doesn’t. It takes a lot of courage to direct a film without songs and Nishikant has done it with Evano Oruvan. No songs. No frills. Pure cinema!

Without an iota of doubt, Nishikant has presented the problem of 'Corrupt Society' dutifully, but the solution?? Well, the solution is left up to YOU!

Stain your hands( with blood) or

Join your hands( against corruption).

Wish you all a Happy New Year!!!

Hope Year 2008 is even better for Tamil Cinema!

Onbadhu Roobai Note & Evano Oruvan - Movie Review...

Whhhhhhhhoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa… Over the past few weeks I am treated to the hilt, when it comes to movie-watching… I've never felt so glad and content watching Tamil movies. First it was, Ram's novel 'Kattradhu Thamizh' , last week eyes soaked watching Thankar Bachan's biopic 'Onbadhu Roobai Note'….And icing on the cake was Nishikanth's 'Evano Oruvan', which I saw last night, at a rather lesser-conspicuous Anna theatre at Mount Road…

Thankar Bachan's 'Onbadhu Roobai Note' chronicles the life & times of Madhavar Padayachi (Sathyaraj). The first half sees Madhavar's rise, as a self-contented, hard working and upright individual hailing from a remote village Pathirakottai, near Panruti. Madhavar, a philanthropist by nature, leaves no stone unturned when it comes to helping the people in his village. This selfless nature of Madhavar sows the seed for a perennial camaraderie with Khaja Bhai and his wife Kameela (played by Nasser and Rohini), then struggling to come-up in their life. As time rolls, movie sails through to the second half and punctuates Madhavar's downfall. Madhavar's brother spills venom, and influences Madhavar's sons and in-laws to rebel against the monarchical rule of Madhavar. Sons and in-laws are reduced to mere puppets at the hands of guile-natured uncle. Madhavar, infuriated by their action, decides to desert the family. He along with his wife Velayi(Archana), leaves the villages and seeks help from Khaja Bhai(Nasser), who by then grows in stature and wealth. Khaja Bhai(Nasser) readily helps Madhavar, and sets-up cattle poultry for their living. Misfortune never comes single, and Madhavar loses his long-time company(Velayi) in a freak accident. Devastated by wife's demise, Madhavar languishes in seclusion and decides to return to his village. The very next day Madhavar resigns his soul at Pathirakottai!

Thankar Bachan makes no bones about his penchant for village-centered subjects. And his later offering ‘Onbadhu Roobai Note’ suggests there is more in the offering. Thankar Bachan has marshaled his resources well, and Sathyaraj after 'Vedham Pudhidhu', 'Kadalora Kavidhaigal', 'Kadamai Kanniam Kattupadu' and 'Periyar' has got a fair chance to show his mettle. An once-in-a-lifetime role, for Sathyaraj and he has grabbed it with both hands. The film travels intensely on the shoulders of Sathyaraj and the shoulders have never drooped. After watching the film, I couldn't resist thinking, how an actor of Sathyaraj's caliber is wasted all these years by the Tamil film industry. Nasser, Archana and Rohini have enacted their role to perfection. The film’s treatment is raw, rurally-raw! Music doesn’t score much. Films set-up amid this kind of milieu has lot of scope for RR, and I must confess, Bharadwaj has not made the best of the opportunity. Thankar as a cinematographer has excelled in capturing the rustic-refreshing mood of the movie. Vairamuthu’s has penned the lyrics and deserves a fair round of applause.

Mr.Thankar Bachan - Take a bow!!!

Evano Oruvan review, coming soon…

Kattradhu Thamizh (2007)

Almost a month back I watched this movie 'Kattradhu Thamizh'… I was completely taken aback when I learnt Ram Subbu was a debutant-director. A fresh plot interlaced with a gripping narrative commending sustained interest, coming straight from a debutante did really surprise me. Nevertheless Ram has scored heavily with his first outing.

Since lot of ink is already spilt on reviewing this movie from all possible quarters, I shall be pithy in this review. A contrived attempt!

Prabhakar, a devout Thamizh fanatic fumes at the step-motherly treatment given for Thamizh (language), and the fact that it happens at Tamilnadu (Home of Thamizh language) only rubs salt into wounds. Piling on to the misery is his haunted childhood and lost-love. Manic-depressed Prabhakar goes on a killing-spree and finds solace in killing people brutally. Hackneyed, it may sound, he finally finds his lover again, after momentary happiness their efforts to reunite bombs, and they relinquish and perish their life at earth to join hands in heaven.

Ram Subbu deserves a pat on his back for spearheading such a beautiful-yet-complex story. But am hard-pressed to say, the screenplay sagged occasionally. And they were some sporadic glitches as well, for example, protagonist roaming scot-free after sabotaging 27 lives, lacked logic and reasoning. But that shouldn’t cast aspersion on this talented director. Tamil Cinema has found a new lease of life, and directors like Ram Subbu , Ameer, Gautham, Vasantha Balan should be given due credit.

Jeeva, made his debut with 'Thithikudhey', and has grown by leaps and bounds since then. He's become really choosy and has the ability to deliver- more-than-expected with aplomb. His penchant towards selecting roles of various hues is sure to take him places. And 'Kattradhu Thamizh' for sure will find a place in his repertoire. Yuvan has simply rocked. He's started earning more respect for his re-recording than songs. 'Paravaye engu irrukirai' sung by the maestro himself is the best of the lot. Kadhir, the cinematographer of ‘Kattradhu Thamizh’ deserves a special mention for his adept cranking of ARRIFLEX.

A must-watch for people who belittle Tamil Cinema!

A must-watch for people who believe Tamil Cinema is graduating to the next level!

A must-watch for people who indulge in hero-worshipping!

Happy Belated Birthday!

It was not just another child artist who donned the greasepaint at the tender age of 6 for the movie 'Kalathur Kannama'(1960)… The world had little hindsight about this prodigious talent… Little did they know about the destiny of this child-prodigy…

A wannabe director, Kamal never wanted to face the camera, before he would be first spotted, cradled and nurtured by the ace-director KB, who persuaded him to take up acting and eventually proffered him meaty roles in his earlier years at the filmdom… The actor has come of age since then, taking success and failure into his stride with equanimity… 38 years at the tinsel town, he's ruled the roost and is hungry for more success as ever…

Perhaps he’s the only actor in the world to have dabbled with myriad arts of film-making such as Production, Direction, Writing, Lyricism, and Choreography …Saluting the legend of Kamal Hassan…The real thespian...

Happy Belated Birthday!

Taxi Driver ( 1976)

Hailed as a landmark film of the 1970's, the story of 'Taxi Driver' piggy-backs on Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), an isolate-distorted-illusive- paranoiac-delusional-misanthropist-vietnam-veteran. Travis perceptibly smitten with insomnia, spends sleepless nights as a cabbie. The ugly face of New York City precipitated with scum, filth, and decadence sets off Travis to go on a reckless rampage, as he ends up rescuing Iris Steensma (Jodie Foster), a twelve year old prostitute from the willful custody of 'Sport' Matthew (Harvey Keitel), who runs a brothel. And Media catapults Travis an over-night-Hero!

Martin Scorsese has admirably skewed the movie through the eyes of Travis. Be it the loneliness, filthy streets of New York, non-chaste women et al… Scorsese has etched all these attributes and shades at will and with utmost perfection. Most of the scenes were shot with a pinch of dark, suggesting the estranged mind of Travis, and they were absorbing and at times very disturbing. The climax, shot for well over 5 minutes, unleashes a bloodbath, with most of the central characters involved. A massacre!!! Had it not been for the creative camera angles of Michael Chapman, bloody-scene could have doomed... Laconic dialogues penned by Paul Schrader are worth a praise, it had the stimulus to inject pain, and rarely pleasure. I really enjoyed some of the one- liners…

On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.

Shit... I'm waiting for the sun to shine.

Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk.

You're only as healthy as you feel.

Bernard Herrmann (remember the nerve-jangling music of ‘Psycho’), music was really instrumental in making the movie 'Taxi Driver' a classic… The subtle Jazz, occasional sforzando of drums took the movie to dizzy heights of haunt, suspense and hallucination.

(Just a day after composing the music for ' Taxi Driver' Bernard Herrmann passed away...)

Having said all this, I must admit I did not enjoy watching 'Taxi Driver' as much as I did enjoy watching 'The Godfather’, ‘Psycho’ or 'Raging Bull '. With all due respect to Martin Scorsese, I did not feel the pounding heart, lump to my throat, an occupied-cum-disturbed mind, intense emotion et al… Scorsese is masterful in generating such inexplicable feelings out of watching a movie…

Perhaps, the Italian Version of the movie (which I actually saw today) has played the spoilsport…Lost in translation :-(

I'll pick the English version and hopefully I should be made to eat my own words and may be I'll eat a humble pie … :-)

the pursuit of happγness

Inspired by a true story, Gabriele Muccino's 'the pursuit of happγness' is a heart-warming narrative that epitomizes the poignant relationship between a father and a son, captured through various phases of life!

Chris Gardner (Will Smith), a salesman, runs from pillar to post selling bone-density scanners, a medical equipment device, for a living. He finds it hard to make ends meet as he tastes little success with his profession. Married to Linda (Thandie Newton), Chris is blessed with Christopher (Jaden Smith), whom he cherishes, more than anything in his life.

Chris's life is deprived of what every lower-middle-class family is deprived of. Happγness! Desperate to get relieved from the cruelty of a discontented life, Chris decides to get rid of the ill-fated scanner business, and looks out for a new calling.

He gets to know about an internship program at a Stockbroker firm, Dean Witter Reynolds. Chris slips into a tête-à-tête with Jay Twistle, Resource Head at Dean Witter and makes the best of the opportunity by solving the Rubik's Cube immaculately! Jay Twistle, who observes this amazing ability of Chris, pulls him to the internship program, but without any salary. Chris now had the onus of outsmarting other interns, because only one intern was hired for Dean Witter from a pool of 20. Also, he never quitted the scanner business, as it was the only source of income. This meant, he had to slog all day long!

Things go awry, when Chris Gardner takes a double blow, Linda deserts the family to lead a separate life at New York and Chris finds himself ousted out of his apartment by the owner, owing to his constant slippage in paying rents. He had nowhere to go! Fraught with debt, to the Income Tax Department, his bank account would be locked anytime. He was literally bankrupt. Crestfallen Chris hits the nadir of his life! Left with no options, he wanders like a nomad in the streets of San Francisco, along with his son. And out of the blue, Chris takes a bizarre decision to spend the rest of the night at a rest-room (read cave) of a railway station!

Oh, Gosh! What scene that was! I wonder how a director could craft the best scene of the movie in a rest-room!!! Kudos to Muccino! Chris and his son confined to a rest-room! Chris locks the rest-room and parks his right leg against the door, to prevent people from gaining access to the rest room. At one point, an outsider persistently tries to unlock the rest-room, and Chris tries to stop him from the other side of the door, clutching his son who's in the middle of a deep sleep, and tears trickle down the cheeks of Chris. Just imagine!

That scene stands out. I am sure it would have deeply moved Al Pacino!

After all the tribulations that he had to undergo, Chris Garden finally sees the light at the end of the tunnel as he emerges successful in the internship program and eventually gets hired by Dean Witter.

The dialogues & interludes between Chris and his Son were impeccably penned & captured. Worth a special mention is the top-angle shot at the rest-room! Although the movie moves at snail's pace, one can't really reprehend the director, because movies such as this, ought to progress slowly and the script badly demands it. Music was no great shakes, although it had great scope!

As far as the performances go, well it's a one-man-show. Will Smith dons the role of a father to perfection, and it's Will Smith all the way.

A job well-done Mr. Gabriele Muccino!