Rick (2003)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Well, since the movie is a spin on "Rigoletto" the tragic clown, you strongly suspect that "Rick" is going to cause someone decent to be extinguished. After about 15-minutes it's fairly certain that the daughter, Eve will be the unfortunate one - because she is the only gentle character in the movie! And since she is also the only person that Rick cares about and conspires to protect, her fate is sealed (the Rigoletto duality).The movie is both entertaining and outrageous. The "morbid ending" isn't to be taken seriously (Rick's grief is brief - in the movie), because that is the whole point of a Rigoletto-style comedy, tragedy. No time for tear jerking - the movie ends with Rick just sort of throwing up his hands in a "why me" gesture, cognizant of his loss and also that he has a lot of explaining to do.Agnes Bruckner (Eve) and Bill Pullman (Rick) give excellent performances - with a very believable father-daughter relationship, as well as interactions with the other characters. The boss played by Aaron Stanford had to love his role as the young weasel:)

this movie showed a lot of promise in the beginning, effective in its displays of style, sadism, humor, and even maybe some sensitivity.but as the film went along, and the ending came within site and it was clear where the film was going, you become angry at the laziness of the filmmakers in devising the ending and also become angry at them for stupidly misusing their artistic gifts (which were on display in this movie) to come to a conclusion that they probably think was iconoclastic but actually was just pathetic.i registered solely to tell all the potential viewers of this film that if you watch this movie, be prepared to despise everyone involved in this film after the credits role.so if i'm not being crystal clear here, i hope the director and the writer on this film never are allowed to be involved in any way whatsoever with another movie I lay eyes upon.

This movie moved in such a quick and informative cycle I felt I couldn't spare 3 minutes to grab a feed bag and a bottle. I can't remember any movie I've seen lately being as captivating and quick.The cast plays the characters in an alternately despicable and delectable, very off-hand way. Who to loathe... more? Many characters are disastrous self-absorptions.Especially notable are the performances of Sandra Oh, Bill Pullman and Dylan Baker. I guess the most notable performance award from me goes to the guy who played Bill Pullman's boss (BIGBOSS), because I disliked that character so much I forgot to even look up the actor's name.Details, details, delicious details are all over this film. The constantly changing phone number on BUCK's business card. The changing wallpaper, the distant behaviour of the friend of Rick's daughter. Rick's office door opening in different directions in different scenes.This movie is worth every moment. I voted so high because I watched it on cable and I couldn't pause it and I wouldn't go pee.Frankly, I found it to be a very captivating movie full of captivating characters full of honest hope and blind faith.

I saw "Rick" yesterday at Anthology, and it keeps playing in my head. Based on Verdi's "Rigoletto, the film is not afraid to mix both dark humor and tragedy. "Rick" manages to satire the corporate world and its self-centered "Masters of the Universe" types, while still keeping true to the gut level truth of tragedy's inevitable demand for its "pound of flesh." 'Rick' takes us inside a rather claustrophobic world of boardrooms and offices, where sex is played over computer chat rooms or under mahogany desks. It's Christmas time, but the emphasis here is on 'taking' all that you can get.Pullman and Stanford are loathsome yet vulnerable pawns in this game of fate. They get what they deserve. Standouts are young Agnes Bruckner as Eve and especially effective is Sandra Oh's terrific bar scene. Definitely worth seeing. I may never look at my Dylan albums the same.