This movie is SO underrated

I agree.
I can't believe that it is so ignored by moviegoers that yours is the ONLY post in this board thus far (posted 6 days ago).

This is a great film !

De Palma's work has always been underrated.

Films like Blow Out, Scarface, Body Double, Dressed to Kill, Obsession.

Now they are considered movie classics

Ditto everyone else, especially... I Thought I Was Alone!

This film was great. I own it on video and watch it about twice a year--it never gets stale. Why is it so disparaged??

And the blockbuster cast: Hanks, Willis, Griffith--quintessential, Cattrall--sexy, Rubinek ("I'm... THE assistant district attorney.")--hilarious, Freeman--towering, Hancock--Jackson/Sharpton.

The film admitedly DOESN'T mirror the book--the book is serious. As with most films-adapted-from-the-books, you have to see the film first and read the book second.

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the main complaint is the obviously bad casting. As a DePalma fan, i must concede (especially with zilmos as the cinematogropher- think i spelled his name and career wrong though) that the visuals and sweeping images are brilliant. But the main reason people slam this film is the atrocious casting, william hurt would have been better then tom hanks for the simple reason hanks is too likable. This character, even just by the films standards and not the books, is supposed to be a unlikable charachter who through hardships becomes a different (maybe likable) person. Hanks, who has a spencer tracy/william holden sort of dignity and likability, is not right for this role.
Bruce Willis, of course, is awful in this film. This film was made before willis learned to stop using his moonlighting/die hard schtick in every movie.
The way he portrays the journalist is smirky, hypertense, and unbelievable. Bruce Willis as a journalist, even one for a murdoch owned paper,is about as believable as denise richards as a rocket scientist in that bond film.
Melanie Gritteth is not bad, but A) the breast implants in the middle of the film, which should have been postponed till after shooting and B) she doesnt radiate that "damn i would leave my wife for you" sexiness that is essential to the film. It is a well filmed film, like i said, and you cant argue with the direction, cinemaphotography, locations and morgan freeman (who should have been played by alan arkin) but this is not a exceptional film by any stretch of the imagination.

Definitely a great film. The reviews make it clear that the book was so diferent that, those who read it first are simply incapable of enjoying the film. Luckily, I didn't, which is why I can appreciate and enjoy this underrated De Palma gem so much.

Prog.

I love this movie. I haven't read the book though. Eitherway I can't shake off the absurdly low rating as being a conspiracy!

It's good I found this thread here because I would probably think I must have gone mad or my sense of humour is somehow distorted. The rating of this film is a capital proof one cannot rely on ratings.

The film might be bad as an adaptation of the novel. I can't judge that, because I haven't read it. In fact, it is only here that I found any novel exists. I understand that people who read and liked it might be critical of the film, if it's not a faithful adaptation. However, there is no reason why we shouldn't consider this film as an independent creation without comparing it to anything beyond itself.

As to the film, great acting (I don't see why "overacting" should be a flaw in a comedy), great camera work, a wonderful social satire. This is really one of the funniest films I have ever seen, and not many comedies make me laugh or even smile. The only reason I could imagine for the generally bad reviews (if they are really so bad) is the terror of political correctness that keeps the USA and increasingly Europe in its iron grip.

De Palma is probably best known for his classic gangster films ("Carlito's Way" and "Scareface"). But he is an equally talented comedy director. Check out "Wise Guys". In my private ranking of comedies, both these films are easily within the top ten. "Wise Guys" are rated even below 6 on imdb. Horror, horror...