Circle of Friends
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Movie Reviews of Circle of Friends
Movie Review: Well, the scenery is beautiful...
Summary: 3 Stars
Maeve Binchy may not be a modern day Shakespeare, but her books are engaging for their depiction of relationships of all sorts. Where the novel "Circle of Friends" was a charming, if somewhat slow, exploration of friendship and love, this film is a one-joke, tiresome bore, with theme and plot reduced to whether the main characters will lose their religious convictions enough to have sex.Some of the glaring changes from novel to film are completely puzzling. Where, in the book, Eve's bitterness towards the Westward family (her own grandparents and uncle) is highly understandable, the film leaves one wondering why she would so resent people generous enough to pay her way through school entirely because her father was once their employee. Sean Walsh, who originally was shady and avaricious, is now a highly strange man who attempts to rape Benny - and, where Benny's innocent parents could easily be deceived by a swindler, their encouraging a daughter to become involved with one so obviously a problem seems sinister. Those who, in reading the book, enjoyed the thought of Benny's being elegantly clad in a brocade original will find her breasts popping out of an ill-fitting black dress to be far more pathetic than humorous.
This film is suitable for an afternoon of no-thought relaxation, but, if the scenery is a feast, it is a famine in the literary department.
Movie Review: A Great Love Story
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw this movie several years ago when it was still in the theater and I immediately had to buy it as soon as it came out on video. Now that I have bought the DVD and rewatched the movie, I remember the first time that I saw the movie. I think that many people can relate to the character of Benny, portrayed beautifully by Minnie Driver in her first movie role. The rest of the actors are all well cast for their roles, esp. Chris O'Donnell. Two hidden treats in the movie are Alan Cumming as the creepy Sean Walsh and Colin Firth as Simon Westward. As another reviewer mentioned, no the movie doesn't get into too much of the book. If they did, the film would have been three hours long. To sum it up, it is a sweet love story for someone who never thought that they would get the most popular guy on campusMovie Review: Beautiful Romance
Summary: 4 Stars
This is very enjoyable film,well done,finely understated and well-played by all it's actors.Centering on Benny(Minnie Driver),a plain,unassuming girl growing up in Ireland in the fifties,the story begins when she goes off to college and becomes smitten with a handsome rugby player,played by Chris O'Donnell.Thier scenes together are wonderfully nuanced and insightful,and played with genuine feeling.The film can be a bit predictable,with familiar conflicts between Benny and her parents arising,and there's also an incongruously harsh sub-plot centered on a friend of Benny's played by Saffron Burrows,who gets pregnant,causing rather dire complications to ensue.It's better to focus on Minnie Driver,who simply sparkles in the lead role,although it always confuses me when a role calls for someone to be thought of as not particularly attractive,and then they hire an actress as drop-dead as Driver.Oh,well,that's movies for you.Suffice it to say that Minnie gives a great performance,tapping into Benny's defiant spirit,sharp intelligence,and boundless heart.It's a star-making performance,and a film to be proud of.Movie Review: Hmmmm
Summary: 2 Stars
It's not an everyone movie, those who have been cheated on can really feel the pain that the characters in this movie causes. An those you haven't, you'll wish that you will never feel this way. Other than that, it's full of forgiveness and starting over.Movie Review: An Endearing Performance By Minnie Driver
Summary: 4 Stars
An endearing, Oscar worthy performance by Minnie Driver highlights "Circle of Friends," a poignant story of friendship, love and loyalty, set in 1957 Ireland, directed by Pat O'Connor. Driver stars as Bernadette "Benny" Hogan, a sensitive, somewhat self-conscious young lady (she sees herself as plain and over-weight), about to enter the University of Dublin, along with her two, life-long friends, Eve (Geraldine O'Rawe), and Nan (Saffron Burrows). At school she meets rugby star and med student Jack Foley (Chris O'Donnell), and falls in love with him; and, once he gets to know her, (and after a somewhat tenuous beginning), Jack realizes that he loves Benny, as well. Conflict intervenes upon their romance, however, and complications ensue when circumstances force them into a prolonged separation. Benny's home is a bus ride away from Dublin, and it becomes necessary for her to stay for awhile and help with the family store. Ultimately, it leads to an incident involving Jack and Nan, when Jack becomes unwittingly drawn into a particularly sensitive and unpleasant situation which has recently arisen between Nan and her wealthy suitor, Simon Westward (Colin Firth). Driver is the real story here, though, as she gives an incredibly touching performance that so adeptly conveys Benny's sensitivities; she is Benny from the inside out, wearing her heart on her sleeve and so vulnerable to the pain that life can seemingly inflict at will. She is so winsome, and accessible, that it enables you to share her joy and feel her pain; all due to Driver's incredible ability to make such an absolute emotional connection between her Benny and the audience. And having the capacity to evoke such empathy underscores what a truly gifted actress Driver is. As Jack, Chris O'Donnell gives one of his finest performances to date, as well. He manages to delve beneath the surface to tap Jack's indecisiveness, his self-confidence tinged with doubt, while fleshing out the moral aptitude which defines him, and it's reassuring to know that there's so much more to him than being the star jock of the rugby team, because Benny deserves more than that. The audience's identification with Benny is so strong that her endeavors must be rewarded with a man worthy of her affection; for Jack to be any less than he is would be unacceptable and unsatisfying. The wonderful supporting cast includes Alan Cumming (Sean), Mick Lally (Dan Hogan), Ciaran Hinds (Professor Flynn), John Kavanagh (Brian Mahon) and Britta Smith (Mrs. Hogan). Superbly acted and well directed, "Circle of Friends" is a captivating, memorable film, visually attractive and complimented by an engaging soundtrack of lilting, Irish melodies, and Benny is a young woman you'll take into your heart and keep there; for she is unforgettable. This is one of those rare films that penetrates the soul and takes a real look at the human condition, and how fragile at times it can be. It will make you think; but above all, it will make you feel.