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| Two hot stars, - one an established superstar (Cruise), the other a foreign (Australian) up-and-comer (Kidman), - seem caught in an epic that's too pompously grand to serve anyone right on this poster for Ron Howard's Far and Away |
An odd Irish couple from different spectrums of the social ladder strike for America in 1892, the land of opportunities, where their lives are made more complicated, before they reach and participate in the great Oklahoma land race.
Far and Away is written by Bob Dolman (Willow (1988)) with its co-writer/director, great Oklahoman filmmaker Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon (2008)) contributing story elements.
It works alright for a time as a picturesque period romance, a breezy adventure with giggles, silliness and dangers, especially because Robert Prosky (The Skeptic (2009)), who plays a landlord, was such a wonderful character actor.
But even though I like Nicole Kidman (Billy Bathgate (1991)) and Tom Cruise (Knight and Day (2010)), one feels lost with Far and Away. It is a case of some very heavy writing and severely banal storytelling. Paired with the epic running time, the couple's hardships are also downright dull.
Despite major production expense, the scenario throughout seems highly unreal. Beautiful, grand imagery (cinematography by Mikael Salomon (Tell It Like It Is, Boys (1980))) and a fine John Williams (Munich (2005)) score make it tolerable.
SPOILER Cruise's climactic declaration of love to Kidman: "You're a real corker!" - Has to rank as one of the year's worst lines put to film. Far and Away is a highly vapid experience.
Related posts:
Ron Howard: Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) - Stapleton's Corman doc. is among the year's best films (interview subject)
2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess
Frost/Nixon (2008) - Howard's political drama is gripping, superiorly acted
The Da Vinci Code (2006) - Howard's first Brown adaptation is a popcorn thriller hoot
Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
A Beautiful Mind (2001) - John Nash given the Epic Treatment
EDtv (1999) - Phenomenal cast shine in Howard's witty mega-flop
Backdraft (1991) - Howard's giant, stupid Chicago-set firefighter movie
American Graffiti (1973) or, Cruisin' Modesto '62 (actor)
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 60 mil. $
Box office: 137.7 mil. $
= Minor flop (returned 2.29 times its cost)
[Far and Away premiered 18 May (Cannes Film Festival, France) and runs 140 minutes. Shooting took place in Montana, Oklahoma and Ireland, including Dublin, from May - September 1991. For the Land Rush scene, 800 riders and extras and 900 horses, oxen and mules, 200 carts and 12 cameras were used. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit Lethal Weapon 3 and fellow new release Alien 3 to a Memorial Weekend total of 12.9 mil. $ in North America, where it spent another 3 weeks in the top 5 (#4-#4-#5) and grossed 58.8 mil. $ (42.7 % of the total gross). The film reportedly made 29.6 mil. $ on home video sales, which, if added into its gross, would make it a box office success. It earned no nominations for serious awards. Howard returned with The Paper (1994). Cruise returned in A Few Good Men (1992), Kidman in Malice (1993). Far and Away is rotten at 48 % with a 5.26/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Far and Away?
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