Sophie's Choice

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Jay W "Sophie's Choice" is seen by critics as one of the all-time great movies. It is listed on AFI's top 100 films. With all that in mind, why do I not care for this film? I agree that this film has one of the all-time great acting performances. Meryl Streep absolutely earned the Oscar. Her accent is a bit distracting at first, but the audience gets used to it soon enough. And the titular Choice of Sophie is one of the best acted scenes ever put to film. That scene is heartbreaking. Really that scene can stand alone without the context of the rest of the film. But the rest of the film is not to the same quality of that scene. The movie is divided between two main timelines. The flashbacks take place during World War II and focuses on the struggles that Sophie had to go through to survive. That is about 10% of the runtime. The other 90% takes place about 10 years later. There Sophie is in an abusive relationship with an unstable crazy person. Stingo is the awkward third wheel unfortunate enough to be stuck hanging out with the couple. And we, the audience, are stuck right there with him. There is a great film inside of this movie. It is very depressing, but it is very well done. The choice is great, and in fact all the World War II stuff is engaging. Unfortunately, 90% of the film isn't focused on that story. I don't care about Sophie's boyfriend Nathan, nor do I care about Stingo's book. Why does that get more screen time than Sophie's choice in a film called "Sophie's Choice". When people remember this film, they think of the performance and they think of the eponymous choice. If that is enough for you, then this film should satisfy. If you want a great 2hr 30 min movie, then I say, make a different choice. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/02/24 Full Review Carlos F Buena pelicula, impone la duda de cual es la verdadera historia de Sofia, sin embargo me choca la personalidad de Sofia y de su amante, creo que Sofia por sus experiencias deberia ser menos sumisa, y el amante más cuerdo. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/31/24 Full Review Audience Member This ended up being a sad movie, and to its demise had some unfocused and lengthy parts, but the performances were amazing. I really liked Meryl Streep's portrayal of Sophie as well as Kevin Kline's portrayal of Nathan. What interesting characters with real depth! By the end you truly feel Sophie's pain from her story which was shown rather than told, which on the flip side is Nathan's version of how his story is depicted through his brother! Yet both of their demises and deaths felt significant and hit you hard. Stingo played an important role in their friendship and his dynamic with both of them and how he's a third wheel in both good ways and bad ways was good writing! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/18/24 Full Review Christian K A sobering story that showcases some real peaks in acting and filmmaking, but has its fair share of tedious and stale valleys. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/12/24 Full Review Chris H If you can make it though the first hour, which is slow and patchy, you will be rewarded. Streep is amazing throughout but so is Kline. Not sure what Peter MacNicol is doing in the film except to provide context and a "sane" character to contrast with the others. In the second half the full horror of Sophie's life is revealed, but in a subdued way; more like a novel than a Hollywood blockbuster, which is entirely appropriate. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/01/24 Full Review Jeff M I'll try to keep this short and sweet. This has been my favorite film ever for at least 30 years, and I don't foresee any motion picture dethroning it anytime soon. It contains the single best performance by an actor I've ever seen and secured a cinematic love affair I've had since I was 10 years old, when my grandmother took me to see SILKWOOD. Streep goes beyond acting and performance - there is no one like her, there will never be anyone like her and I feel lucky to have been alive during her tenure as the greatest actor ever. The story itself is emotionally volcanic, and the now legendary climactic "choice" scene is probably the most disturbing thing I've ever seen in a movie. But there is also a lot of joy and humor to be found in between the moments of angst. The flashback scenes showing how Streep and Kline met and fell in love are beautiful, and the chemistry between all three leads is crazy good. Like many of my favorites, this is not necessarily an easy film to watch, but the rewards for your mind and soul and heart are worth it. My favorite film ever! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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