Random Hearts

source: Random Hearts

I have very mixed feelings about this movie. On the plus side there is good acting and lovely music(I hope to go and buy the CD)......but on the other hand the two main characters spend most of the time looking and feeling sorry for themselves. In brief....a plane crashes and two of the victims were flying off to Miami to continue their "bonking"......unfortunately leaving separate spouses at home who subsequently start bonking themselves....well.... Quite frankly the aldulterers are happier in demise than their surviving spouses ever will be in life and the lead actor in this film makes out that adultery is worse than death..... The lead actress(who steals the show) is the spitting image of Hilary Clinton.....with a teenage daughter and philandering husband to match....... So my recommendation is....enjoy the music!!

Not a bad film. But I was puzzled by a couple of things. It was obviously fall in both New Hampshire and on Chesapeake Bay. Yet it was bright spring or early summer in Washington. And if Kaye was just gearing up for election, it most likely would have been early spring or even late winter. I worry when producers ignore such obvious inconsistencies, perhaps rationalizing that dumb viewers won't notice or even care. It also stretches my credulity to think that anyone would fly all the way from Washington to Miami and back in one day for a very short meeting. Oh. One other thing. You certainly won't be seeing this anytime soon as an in flight movie.

I thought this movie was surprisingly well made. Not totally for what the plot was, but more for the cinematography throughout. This movie is not for the action viewer, nor is it for the perverted. But technically I thought it a good (in a corrupt sense) romantic type movie. Oh sure (SPOILER) their spouses had affairs, but maybe these two were fated to be together. I have no complaints about this movie. And it's far better than say The English Patient. 9 out of 10

I read the other comments here about this movie before watching it. If you've read them, you will know that they are almost all negative. I really don't understand that. I admit that it is far too long (it needs about a half hour cut out to speed it up a bit). The music is often inappropriate. But, strong performances by Ford and Thomas are indeed enough to carry this. With all his fame as a movie star, I'd forgotten that Harrison Ford really can act! This role as a man who has defined himself based upon a lie is remarkable. I find it completely believable that he wants all the details he can get so he can see what was real and what was deception. Thomas is always wonderful and this is no exception. Her initial denial which leads to confusion and then to inner calm is tremendous. This movie is never going to be on anybody's list of great flicks, but it isn't that bad. I'm glad that I waited to see it on video, but it is worth the $3 or $4.

Although I usually like Harrison Ford and late director Sydney Pollack;s work, "Random Hearts" is a dud and a mess. It is all over the place in story and in acting/directing. There is a pointless subplot with Ford's characters Internal Affairs that eats up a good 25 min of superfluous runtime. The low-point though is the supposed morbid romance/relationship that's born out of bereavement. While this might not be uncommon, Ford and Thomas have next to no chemistry, and the strange obsessions with the mystery of the affair wears out quickly. A young Kate Mara is little more than plot device and filler. Towards the beginning the direction and performance for Ford is whacky and eccentric all of the sudden turning morose. The final scene was atrocious too - trying to bow-tie the movie. 4/10 not recommended.

I found this film very interesting. It's about very human reactions to extraordinary events. The director is very good and both Ford and Thomas are excellent. Thomas is very feminine too in a initially reserved way. The influence from Kubric, as some people point out, is definitely a positive factor. I cannot understand why the critics so grossly underrate this fine piece of work. I can understand that some people found it depressive, it deals with tragic and difficult things like mourning, betrayal and so on. Life is unfortunately not always sunshine. The feeling described in the film are very real according to me. The director is a person with talent and integrity and a good actor to boot. I will however admit that some people might find the issues here somewhat boring - until they realize that the issues might concern them as well, in some sense.

In defensive of reality, I have had to give this movie a high score. The story is convincing, the acting, credible; the direction, tight; the emotions, high; the pace, flowing and the after movie discussion around the table over whiskeys and coffee was racy, thought provoking and left no doubt in anyone's mind that "...rather them than me." Infidelity is part of our daily lives, it is a choice we choose in the heat of the moment, most times without regard to the lives that are destroyed in the wake of those heated passions. However it is those lives that are left to pick up the pieces. The script produced sublime parallels, each leaving huge "what ifs?". Certainly a well spent 133 minutes. Conversely, it was the 7 hours of discussion afterward that proved that this movie had both content and entertainment. A sensitive subject very sagaciously handled. Well done Mr Pollack...

Of course, I really enjoy Harrison Ford and I am learning to really like Kristin Scott Thomas. This is an exciting story and I love the personal feelings and closeness between people. I imagine most of us have lived a similar situation and learned from it. I own the movie and I watch it often. Thank you for listening. Florence Forrester-Stockton

If you're having trouble sleeping at night, go to your local video store and rent this movie. If this doesn't put you to sleep, nothing will. I can't believe with all the wonderful people that are involved in this production that it's as bad as it is. It makes the biggest sin a movie can make – to be bored while watching it. Never at anytime do you identify or feel for the characters. I simply watched the film passively and kept wondering when it was going to conclude. I'm glad I didn't see it in the theatre because I would not have been able to stay through to the ending credits. At least with video you can read a magazine and occasionally look up at the TV. This, I'm sorry to say, was what I did while this film was running.