“Great cast! A little too dragged out.”
“A beautiful elegiac piece of lives intertwined, so delicately revealed through intricate insights. I’m amazed this screenplay was written by a man. He was able to show us the inner workings of so many types of women, so many layers. I strongly identified with Kerry Washington’s character of Lucy. I saw two friends go through the same thing. I loved this movie.”
“Would have loved to see the scene when the panties are discovered.”
"Annette Bening should be declared a national treasure."
“There were so many credibility gaps for me in this film, but hey, its not a documentary, it’s a work of art. Overall, I liked this movie and the tremendous complexities of each character. It’s been a terrific year for films, John. Many thanks.”
“Good film.”
“I enjoy seeing well known actors in small roles. Don’t find it distracting at all.”
“Loved the scene on the terrace when Watts opens her robe to neighbor. Best line: ‘be the mother.’ Loved the idea of parallel lives of Bening and Watts who couldn’t be more alike in personality. So genes really do win out? Rodrigo Garcia made some fascinating casting choices, Carla Gallo plucked from CARNIVALE. So sorry Samuel Jackson gets left out of the final equation. I didn’t believe he would let it go. Cherry Jones we will always think of the nun in DOUBT. She plays a great nun.”
“Annette Bening was great! And she had no plastic surgery. What a treat to see an aging woman. Strong independent women was another treat.”
“Would have made a better Hallmark Hall Of Fame TV movie. Better if it were shorter.”
“A TV soap.”
"My family has members who have adopted children, and the angst in the film - though it may have seemed melodramatic - was nothing compared to the heartbreak of false leads to children that never come, a thousand worries about the child when you are finally chosen for a child, and the stress all of this puts on a marriage. The film certainly pulled the right strings for me."
“Great performance by Annette Bening.”
“Bravo Rodrigo Garcia! Wow! An excellent film. The characters were so well written I feel almost any of them could have carried their own movie. The actors carried their roles as delicately as bringing a newborn into the world and with Mr. Garcia as the mid-wife (husband?) they were in great hands. It’s great to sit through a film that respects the audience’s intelligence and emotional connections. Naomi Watts surprised and thrilled me. I had no idea she was this good. Annette Bening is such a good actress it makes me moan she does doesn’t work more often. Samuel Jackson was so suave and debonair I can forgive him for SNAKES ON A PLANE and a lot of other junk he has done over the past decade. He is one of the better actors on the planet. He needs to make more work of this quality.”
“How could actors of such quality sign on for such a ridiculous project?”
“Good actors, terrible script.”
“At last, a meaty, emotionally-charged story of life changing decisions and repercussions. From moment to moment not a better film this year. Yes, perhaps it’s all wrapped up a bit too neatly, but Bravo for a positive outcome.”
“Mature honest look at motherhood, adoption and life choices.”
“A touching journey of discovery, disappointment, risk and fulfillment. “
“Only Jimmy Smits – who qualifies for sainthood ahead of all the nuns in the film - and perhaps Samuel Jackson are worthy of praise, while all other men in this film are wimpy husbands/lovers or cheating next door neighbors, and there is little or no mention of all the men who impregnated these women and then are not heard from again, they should share the responsibility and the angst.”
“Wonderful engrossing story. Loved the editing, the pieces came together.”
“It’s a woman’s movie. The men are there to move it along.”
“Was Mr. Garcia adopted? What an interesting treatment of such a complex emotionally charged issue. Paco’s daughter’s “God” speech was a little preachy but it’s part of the adoption issue. He understood the stories masterfully.”
“I loved it and hope it doesn’t turn people away from adoption or get used by the far right in an anti-abortion campaign.”
“Gripping, the transformation of Karen into a mother and a real human being.”