Todd Haynes thinks that he pays homage to Sirk when he's really just making the subtle more obvious. Far From Heaven really needs a shot of modern deconstruction to be worth anything.
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12/26/02
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Far From Heaven (2002)
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:184
Fresh:167
Rotten:17
Average Rating:8.2/10
Consensus: An exquisitely designed and performed melodrama, Far From Heaven earns its viewers' tears with sincerity and intelligence.
Theatrical Release:Nov 8, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $15,776,481
Synopsis: The model marriage of Frank (Dennis Quaid) and Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) in 1950s Hartford is depicted in television ads, and a magazine features photographs of Cathy as a model homemaker... [More]
Starring: Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson
Director: Todd Haynes
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Reviews for Far From Heaven
Almost unbearably gorgeous upon first viewing. Roiling beneath the beauty is a flood of emotion that became even more heartbreaking on a second viewing.
12/15/02
Technically, “Far From Heaven” may be the best film of the year.
12/12/02
A wondrous note-perfect homage to the moviemakers of the 1950s
12/09/02
Everything from the cinematography to Elmer Bernstein's syrupy score is invocative of Sirk's immaculate style in films like All That Heaven Allows and Imitation of Life.
12/08/02
If you've never heard of '50s auteur Douglas Sirk, much less seen one of his films, you may want to stay far away from Far From Heaven.
12/08/02
One of the year's best films, featuring an Oscar-worthy performance by Julianne Moore.
12/05/02
[It uses] 50s pop-ideology as an excuse to point at big issues from safe distances.
12/03/02
Dennis Quaid's portrayal of this man tortured by his desires is one of the finest of his career. I can't help but think Quaid probably wouldn't mind showing that wife-stealing Russell Crowe that he too is worthy of a gold statuette.
12/02/02
Beneath this conservative façade lies a complicated and progressive commentary on the present that Haynes leaves to the viewer to interpret.
12/01/02
The remarkable thing about Far From Heaven is what an emotional experience it is—this is no arid, intellectual exercise but a genuinely heartbreaking story of three decent people prevented by repressive social conventions from acting on the desires
11/29/02
Though less obviously a tour de force than many flashier recent art films, such as Alexander Sokurov's one-take feature Russian Ark, it's no less impressive as a technical achievement.
11/29/02
Top CriticA minor miracle - exquisitely executed in almost every artistic and technical detail.
11/28/02
The film can be regaled alone just for its magnificently rich color tones.
11/27/02
[Todd Haynes] illustrates what could have and should have been by painstakingly reproducing a 1950s look and style and coupling it with social content not discussed openly until years afterward. He envisions a more legitimate genre had it been allowed to
11/27/02
A delightfully complex movie made in the style of the simplistic, idealistic technicolor 1950?s film, though not about the '50's.
11/26/02
Haynes reaches back half a century, cutting through post-modern posing and self-conscious irony, to remind us that it's OK for a movie to show feelings.
11/25/02
The film's performances are thrilling.
11/24/02
As the rebel with a cause, Julianne Moore incomparably embodies an exemplary housewife who nearly disintegrates as the values she once treasured become farcical, empty tenets that restrict her happiness as opposed to safeguarding it.
11/23/02
Click to read the article
11/23/02
Latest News for Far From Heaven
July 18, 2007:
Video Clip of Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan
Celebrated director Todd Haynes has taken on a rather ... experimental project this time around. He'll have seven different actors playing different "aspects" of songwriter Bob... More...
May 08, 2003:
As the rebel with a cause, Julianne Moore incomparably embodies an exemplary housewife who nearly disintegrates as the values she once treasured become farcical, empty tenets that restrict her happiness instead of safeguarding it. 
More...
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