Earthly Possessions (1999)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Too much of everything

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

There are real sparks here between Sarandon and Dorff and their performances give Earthly Possessions some real emotional weight. I've never been much impressed with Dorff in the past, but playing against Sarandon seems to lift him to a new level as an actor. His physicality serves him well in this role and Jake's hotheaded moments are both funny and slightly threatening (a hard line to walk). Sarandon builds her character so effortlessly that all of Charlotte's personality just magically appears before the viewer. Is there anything she can't do as an actress? The screenplay shows some big changes from Anne Tyler's book, but it does do a good job of capturing the novel's quirky mix of drama and comedy. Many people mention dissatisfaction with the movie's ending and I felt it too. In the novel the ending feels natural and right, but it's as if this screenplay didn't quite take into account the sexual sparks that would be generated between the two leads. Because Sarandon and Dorff have this chemistry together and do such a great job showing the characters challenging each other to be better people, the inclusion of the girlfriend and the "earthly" resolution feel like intruders in a great romantic drama. It left me wishing that instead of an adaptation of Tyler's book (which deals with taking responsibility for choices), the movie was just a continuation of Charlotte and Jake's journey together. In the movie, you just KNOW that their being together is right, even if this isn't the message in the screenplay; that difference leaves the viewer dissatisfied. In a way though, it is more satisfying that the movie doesn't have a pat ending and Charlotte and Jake's relationship is more complicated than it has to be. Movies that challenge our expectations are rare enough these days.

Charlotte (Susan Sarandon) wants to leave her husband, Zack, because she is not happy at all with her life. She decides to go to the bank, to ask all her money and to begin her new life. But then Jack (Stepen Dorff) comes in that bank and robbers it and she has to go with him. Jack needs the money for his pregnant girlfriend and he wants to help her. Whilst the film is moving on, Charlotte changes from an old lady in a modern woman. There is something between them and you can speak of a 'victim'. No she doesn't care anymore about the robbery. She is even happy, finally she lost her husband. But then they see Mindy, the pregnant girlfriend of Jack and that is more or less the end of their love together. She decides to go back to her husband and Jack and Mindy go to Mexico were they have a good life with their daughter. Although Jack misses Charlotte a lot, she knows that this is the best for both.CRITIC: SUSAN SARANDON: she is the actress with the most style and talent in Hollywood. She can play everything and she made great films. She is perfect like always. So is STEPHEN DORFF, who is not so well known but he surely plays a great role.WORTH SEEING, EVEN WHEN IT IS A TELEVISION MOVIE...Rating; 8/10 or *** out of ****

And to think that I almost didn't watch Earthly Possessions. You know, it's a made for HBO comedy action adventure, you can never tell if it's going to be worth it. I don't normally count how many times a movie makes me laugh, but when I had to laugh twice before the opening credits were done, I thought I might as well try. I lost count. Susan Sarandon was wonderful. I did have to go to the bathroom during the obligatory makeout scene, which was thoughtfully placed one hour into it (in case someone might have to go to the bathroom). It's a fun movie.

I thought this was quite a good movie. It stirred something in me.I thought that Charlotte and Jake had real passion. I found myself laughing because of the ridiculousness of some of the stuff that they did.... picturing people in their situation doing the things they did.I really liked it because it was so different and unpredictable. I was very disappointed with the ending though.