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      The Magnificent Ambersons

      TV-PG 2002 2h 24m Drama List
      Reviews 30% 250+ Ratings Audience Score A wealthy and bullheaded man (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) forbids his widowed mother (Madeleine Stowe) to marry an automobile tycoon (Bruce Greenwood). Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Absolutely horrible. TMA was not one of Booth Tarkington's better works to begin with, and this production is definitely the worst presentation of it. Apalling acting under poor direction results in a boring and uninspired waste of time. This film makes representation of a period nobody in the production had any understanding of. Mannerisms and dialogue fail to hit the mark and anachronisms abound. Out of period automobiles with electric headlights, of all things, more 1920s vintage, are passed off as ca. 1910. Electric headlights were part of the essential storyline, after all, so this blunder is unforgivable. You will surely regret viewing this film. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member the original movie is one of my favorites. this version is almost ruined by jonathan rhys meyers. he over acts so badly here that i actually laughed out loud. everyone else in the film does a good job, not great. the original had a certain atmosphere that is definitely lacking here. this story almost unfolds in a "this happened, then this, then this" sort of way that's a little boring. i will definitely stick to the original! Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member It strays so far from the book -- and even Welles' "atmosphere" -- that it should have simply been given a different name. Perhaps, if viewed as an entirely different story, it would be entertaining on the Lifetime channel. The bizarre innuendo of mother and son, the depiction of small mountains in the relative flatness of the Midwestern city (Indianapolis), the over-emphasis of a love story instead of the overriding Tarkington theme of change... The point of the story was "change," its effects, and how it was happening in a growing Midwestern city. It just felt cheap. Now, in all fairness, I admit to saying that it has been 11 years since I viewed it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member I disagree with the statement, "Sixty years after its original production, Welle's vision finally shines through." This production contains none of Welle's black and white ominousness or gravitas. This version is overblown with and over produced. Very few of the characters ring true. Despite the fact that the original Welle's film was "drastically reedited by its studio," his fil still bore the stamp of his unique genius. This film is too sunny, too made-for-TV to ever be an improvement on the original Magnificent Ambersons. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member A remake of the Orson Welles 1942 Version ,which is a tough one to follow, pretty good try though Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member I gave this 3 stars for the stand-out performances by Gretchen Moll and Bruce Greenwood, but the movie on the whole was a disappointment. I love period pieces which is what attracted me to this but the performances by Davies and Tilly, which I expected to be good, were forced and overdone and made the movie fakey. There's an older version which I liked better. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Magnificent Ambersons

      The Magnificent Ambersons (2002) The Magnificent Ambersons (2002) The Magnificent Ambersons (2002) The Magnificent Ambersons (2002) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (1) Critics Reviews
      John Leonard New York Magazine/Vulture Not bad, but even the botched/butchered 1942 Welles version was an improvement on a novel that didn't really deserve a movie in the first place. Feb 2, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A wealthy and bullheaded man (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) forbids his widowed mother (Madeleine Stowe) to marry an automobile tycoon (Bruce Greenwood).
      Director
      Alfonso Arau
      Production Co
      De Angelis Group
      Rating
      TV-PG
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      Aug 11, 2009
      Runtime
      2h 24m