Passion Fish Reviews

I really DIDN'T think I was going to like this film, and I ended up REALLY liking it. And if I ever audition for anything, I'm totally using the "I didn't ask for the anal probe" monologue too.

stick with it and this film is very rewarding

More for the ladies I think. Not that I don't appreciate a good film made for women but I found I couldn't relate terribly well with the characters.

Its remarkable that a film about a recently crippled woman, who returns to her Louisiana hometown, and is subsequently cared for by a black woman who was a former drug addict never even comes close to being cheesy or feel like a one of those stupid lifetime movies. I owe that to John Sayles who allows the characters to drive the story. Mary McDonnell is one of the most underrated actresses alive and she gives a brilliant performance as the former Soap star who now must cope with life as a paraplegic. Alfre Woodard, who is ironically known for doing a lot of Hallmark movies, is surprisingly restrained as the nurse. The film hardly ever enters cliche' territory. What I really loved was at the end, both characters have grown considerably, but neither one has any real clue about the future.

The first fifteen minutes or so of "Passion Fish" are misleading, as the film eventually develops into something great. McDonnell and Woodard both deliver powerful performances and Sayles' script is intricate and complex and features character that are incredibly well-developed. "Passion Fish" doesn't start off grand, but the film that it becomes is worth being talked about.

Another great John Sayles film.

Very powerfully acted by Mary McDonnell, and she is very well cast. Alfre Woodard is fantastic, as she always is. It's a fine story, very deep and thought provoking. It is slowly paced, but it works for this film and enhances the overall effect. The two lead performances make the film work. Well developed characters. Very memorable.

Some of the extra roles are a bit soupy, but all the main characters were really good. I'd say it was a pretty good film.

a serial actress is paralyzed by a car accident is looked after by her maid. the chemistry between them holds the film. Some great performances by both the actress. A movie must watch

Strangely enticing drama for which a soap opera star Mary Alice Culhane (Mary McDonnell) wakes up in the hospital after a spine injury resulting from being hit by a taxi (that taxi was hit by another taxi as she was getting out of it). She is then totally confined to a wheel chair and does not take this well at all. Mary then relocates back to New Orleans where she goes through one nurse after another, thanks to her extremely crude and vicious attitude, until finally she clicks with the "one" (Alfre Woodard). I never would have imagined soap opera stars to be divas in an extraordinary way, but McDonnell pulls this off so well that it helps the generally slow moving film progress quite nicely. Woodard's performance is also very strong. The movie works really well and is one that has fallen more or less into the shadows of 1992's releases.

John Sayles has a talent for writing screenplays about ordinary characters with mostly ordinary lives but making them seem engaging. This film is no different. Both McDonnell and Woodard are excellent. I think I prefer Woodard a bit because she's one of my favorite actresses and McDonnell can be a bit over the top at times. The characters don't have an arc. This is just a slice of life with no real resolution of their problems and I kind of like that.

The first fifteen minutes or so of "Passion Fish" are misleading, as the film eventually develops into something great. McDonnell and Woodard both deliver powerful performances and Sayles' script is intricate and complex and features character that are incredibly well-developed. "Passion Fish" doesn't start off grand, but the film that it becomes is worth being talked about.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

(1992) Passion Fish
DRAMA

Similar to "Driving Miss Daisy" which centers on the unlikely relationship between an African American maid and an ego-centric soap opera actress whose on a wheel chair. The film carries itself by the two stars performances of Mary McDonald and Alfre Woodard- do not expect anything else for it's like a play.

3 out of 4

Was seriously waiting for something exciting to happen, how wrong I was. I don't see how this is a comedy either and to think that I wouldn't find anything worse than the recent Inland Empires.

Now, here is a great movie. I do not give scores of "100%" easily... I give this movie such a score. The story of a paraplegic alcoholic actress and her strong, insightful, cocaine-recovered nurse/ friend left me incredulous that I did not remember the plot and characters better from when i first saw the film more than 15 years ago. I should have, because it left an indelible impression on me this time. Mom loved this movie, I am sure, yet I would not call it a "chick flick": the romance is underplayed, and the movie is not a love story... It is a "human" story, the best kind of story, or at least, the kind of story I always like best. No supernatural events, no unexplained mysteries, no magic, no monsters, just two people and their attempts to figure everything out. I loved it. Despite "Mom"!

:fresh: :fresh: :fresh: [b]1/2[/b] (out of four)

[color=plum]Well constructed and brilliantly portrayed gem of a movie from director John Sayles. [/color]
[color=plum][/color]
[color=plum]Mary McDonnell received a deserved Oscar nomination as a soap opera actress who becomes paralyzed in a tragic car accident. Her attitude sours as she deals with her problem with the help of an reluctant assistant, played perfectly by Alfre Woodard. Fine support also comes from David Strathairn.[/color]

From now on, I'm going to post ratings for the films I see as a way of keeping track, but I won't be commenting unless I really feel compelled.

I will still reply to anyone's questions or comments.

[i]Passion Fish[/i], written and directed by John Sayles, is the story of a soap opera actress named Mary Alice (Mary McDonnell) who becomes paralyzed in an auto accident. Afterwards she returns to her small town southern home where she goes through a series of nurses/caretakers due to her drinking, self-pity and extremely offensive behavior. Eventually Chantelle (Alfre Woodard) shows up, determined to make the situation work because of her need for the job and the need to exorcise some demons in her own closet. The two women often tangle, but soon learn to begrudgingly respect one another. Throw in male interests Rennie (David Straitharn) and Sugar (Vondie-Curtis Hall) and lots of cajun culture and you have the makings of a solid flick. The films of John Sayles are heavy on dialogue and character development, and [i]Passion Fish [/i]is no exception. I enjoyed the southernisms as in addition to the interaction between Mary Alice and Chantelle, as well as the side stories of Rennie and Sugar, however I felt the introduction of Chantelle's daughter and father came too late in the film to add any substance, in fact it kind of dragged the film down. That said if you enjoy the work of John Sayles you will likely enjoy this film.

Very powerfully acted by Mary McDonnell, and she is very well cast. Alfre Woodard is fantastic, as she always is. It's a fine story, very deep and thought provoking. It is slowly paced, but it works for this film and enhances the overall effect. The two lead performances make the film work. Well developed characters. Very memorable.