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Movies / On DVD / Simpatico
Simpatico

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Simpatico (1999)

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Reviews Counted:18

Fresh:3

Rotten:15

Average Rating:4.4/10

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

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Release:

Aug 22, 2000

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Reviews for Simpatico

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1 - 19 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
04/27/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/22/02
Globe and Mail
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
02/14/01
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Warchus seems as at ease with the complexity of the style as he is with directing actors.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Salon.com
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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
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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
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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
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Simpatico never pulls together long enough to amount to much more than a series of prematurely aborted encounters, scenes from a movie sketched but unfinished.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
01/01/00
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
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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
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First-time feature director Matthew Warchus can't keep the plot from bewildering and even distancing the viewer.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jane Sumner
Jane Sumner
Dallas Morning News
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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

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
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Much effort and expertise have gone into the making of Simpatico, but, while it's entertaining, it's not as persuasive as it needs to be to succeed fully.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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A movie hobbled by unwieldy visual ideas.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
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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
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Improbabilities and all, Simpatico still boasts wonderful scenes and a cast that is truly superb.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
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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
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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
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
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