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Movies / On DVD / Simpatico
Simpatico

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Simpatico (1999)

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Reviews Counted:59

Fresh:14

Rotten:45

Average Rating:4.6/10

Consensus: Critics say Simpatico's lengthy plot is too unfocused; the movie becomes confusing and tedious to watch.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: The story of three old friends, Lyle, Vinnie, and Rosie (Bridges, Nolte, and Stone), whose lives have unfolded very differently. Lyle has married Rosie and become a successful horse breeder in... The story of three old friends, Lyle, Vinnie, and Rosie (Bridges, Nolte, and Stone), whose lives have unfolded very differently. Lyle has married Rosie and become a successful horse breeder in Kentucky, and Vinnie is a down-on-his-luck California barfly with no real options. Thirty years earlier, when the pair were into fixing races -- and Vinnie was dating Rosie -- Lyle was responsible for unfairly ruining the career of Mr. Simms (Finney). Vinnie has kept the negatives and pictures from the set-up (a graphic hotel encounter with none other than Rosie) and has used this as bait for Lyle, who has financially supported him for years in exchange for Vinnie's silence. Vinnie naively believes that the only way to redeem himself and conquer his inner demons is by blackmailing Lyle and clearing Mr. Simms' name, while winning back Rosie in the process. After Vinnie convinces Lyle into flying out to California, he leaves him behind with his girlfriend Cecilia (Keener), and flies to Kentucky to track down Mr. Simms. Upon confronting Simms, who is now operating under a different name, he discovers that not everyone holds grudges from the past. Simms wants nothing to do with Vinnie's schemes, nor is Rosie interested in his love. He dejectedly returns to California only to find that Lyle has adopted his own worn, beaten persona. Together, the two must confront their present lives head on. [More]

Starring: Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges, Sharon Stone, Catherine Keener

Starring: Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges, Sharon Stone, Catherine Keener, Albert Finney, Shawn Hatosy, Kimberly Williams, Liam Waite

Director: Matthew Warchus

Director: Matthew Warchus
Screenwriter: Matthew Warchus, David Nicholls
Producer: Dan Lupovitz, Jean-Francois Fonlupt, Timm Oberwelland
Composer: Stewart Copeland

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Aug 22, 2000

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Reviews for Simpatico

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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Tt's easy to realize that the overall themes of repressed obsession, buried guilt, broken trust, and emotional betrayal are ones which anybody can relate to, whether they follow the horses or not.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Spencer H. Abbott
Spencer H. Abbott
TNT's Rough Cut

A challenging and arresting story that unearths compelling insights.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
01/01/00
Diana Abu-Jaber
Diana Abu-Jaber
Oregonian

It's a shame Nolte and Bridges weren't cast as brothers, because the two have similar rumpled-suede faces and irritated-bark delivery.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Director Warchus does a fine job of using the strengths of his players as well as the material he's adapting.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jim Bartoo
Jim Bartoo
Hollywood.com

Instead of permitting its characters to be developed naturally, Simpatico manipulates them to fulfill the needs of its heavy-handed plot.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Powerhouse performances can't save sloppy Simpatico from the glue factory.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Something warm and real comes through in Nolte’s and Finney's performances.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
01/01/00
Tom Block
Tom Block
culturevulture.net

Simpatico is a textbook example of how to waste a great cast.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kevin Courrier
Kevin Courrier
Boxoffice Magazine

With the cast and the pulpy neo-noir storyline, one would never suspect that the film is the crushing bore that it is.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
09/07/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Suspend my disbelief? I couldn't even lift it!

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
01/01/00
Gemma Files
Gemma Files
eye WEEKLY

Simpatico pulls up lame way before the stretch.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Another example of when bad movies happen to good actors.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
01/01/00
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a confounding and unsatisfying film.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Warchus' accomplished handling and the stars’ flavorful performances lend Simpatico a bittersweet grace.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dennis Harvey
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Shepard's material has worked its way into categorically better films, and the talents of the creative, ex-Police musician Stewart Copeland go largely untapped.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
01/01/00
Peter Henne
Peter Henne
Film Journal International

The movie is so careless about its horse-selling subplot that its melodramatic payoff feels cheap and abrupt.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Although the central offense of the past is certainly sordid enough, it's not terribly interesting, and no laborious montage can alter that.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
01/01/00
Richard T. Jameson
Richard T. Jameson
Mr. Showbiz
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Stone relies on letting her mascara run rather than creating a character.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Citysearch

The slightly schematic story is enriched by strong performances from all involved.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Stone doesn't show up until the film is half over and seems to be trying rather hard to make up for the lost time.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Millar
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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