Works better in its various parts than as a whole.
Comment
12/06/02
The Weight of Water (2002)
32
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:62
Fresh:20
Rotten:42
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: The story is too muddled to build any interest.
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Two stories unravel simultaneously in this dark and suspenseful film. The first story, set in the present day, concerns a photographer, Jean (Catherine McCormack). She is working on an article for... [More]
Starring: Elizabeth Hurley, Catherine McCormack, Sean Penn, Sarah Polley
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Reviews for The Weight of Water
It's a 100-year old mystery that is constantly being interrupted by Elizabeth Hurley in a bathing suit.
11/27/02
A well-acted movie that simply doesn't gel.
11/22/02
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11/18/02
Top CriticShreve's graceful dual narrative gets clunky on the screen, and we keep getting torn away from the compelling historical tale to a less-compelling soap opera.
11/15/02
You can feel the restlessness in the repressed emotions and unspoken passions of the characters, but exactly what they yearn for is not always clear.
11/14/02
Though it never rises to its full potential as a film, still offers a great deal of insight into the female condition and the timeless danger of emotions repressed.
11/08/02
An intelligently made (and beautifully edited) picture that at the very least has a spark of life to it -- more than you can say for plenty of movies that flow through the Hollywood pipeline without a hitch.
11/08/02
The problem is that for the most part, the film is deadly dull.
11/07/02
Bigelow perfectly establishes a feel of place and time for both stories, and they're so radically different that you may find yourself shocked when 100 years flash by in a single cut.
11/07/02
In old-fashioned screenwriting parlance, Ms. Shreve's novel proved too difficult a text to 'lick,' despite the efforts of a first-rate cast.
11/06/02
Maneuvers skillfully through the plot's hot brine -- until it's undone by the sogginess of its contemporary characters, and actors.
11/06/02
Kathryn Bigelow, it's like she's directing two films. They have very distinct styles, and everybody gets their say and gets their moment.
11/05/02
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11/03/02
Her film is like a beautiful food entrée that isn't heated properly, so that it ends up a bit cold and relatively flavorless.
11/02/02
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11/02/02
Top CriticClick to read the article
11/02/02
Top CriticIt's got a good director. Good cast. Good source material. Yet it still sinks like a stone.
11/02/02
Flat and melancholy, a muted tale of throttled feelings that never builds emotional momentum.
11/02/02
Weaves a spell over you, with its disturbingly close-up look at damaged psyches and its subtle undercurrents of danger. But its awkward structure keeps breaking the spell.
11/01/02
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