D W

I have been watching and enjoying Spike Lee movies since the 80's and this was the first of his movies that I couldn't finish it was so bad. Lee has always had a tendency to be preachy but this movie is all over the map. What's sad is that he tries to touch on so many different serious issues that deserve to be addressed, but they all end up getting superficial lip service. It's also insanely contrived to the point of implausibility (the scene where they find the gold is laughably ludicrous.) Haven't been this disappointed in a movie in a long time. People are raving about Delroy Lindo's performance and I don't see it. I think it's more a poorly written character than his performance, but it just didn't seem believable how the character seems to be a black-power counter-culture type in one scene and then a Trump-supporting ultra conservative in the next. The rest of the actors were entirely forgettable.

Movie should be called "Poorly Contrived Nonsense." Jennifer Aniston's mildly amusing character is the only reason why I gave it a 2nd star. That should tell you something--Jennifer Aniston is the highlight of this movie. Pffffft!

Laughably bad in just about every possible way. Do yourself a favor and skip this. No idea how it has such high ratings on ImDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

If you like your movies with a giant bag of cheesy cornball intermixed with artificially saccharine pink fluff, then this is the movie for you. Hard to believe that they could make a movie where every moment, interaction and line feels entirely contrived. They also really outdid themselves on the shear volume of cringe-inducing scenes--at least one every other minute. There isn't a genuine frame in this pile of junk, even Jonathan Rhys Myers' Irish accent sounds phony, and he's Irish! It doesn't help that every time I saw Kerri Russel, I heard her screaming, "SHOW THEM YOUR FACE!" Which while the most badass scene in TV history, doesn't quite put you in the mood for a movie of this ilk. Neither does seeing Robin Williams. Or the fact that every time they zoom in on the kid playing guitar his hands magically transform into the those of a grown man, replete with hairy knuckles--just laughably bad. If you're looking for a movie about a child prodigy, then go watch "Searching for Bobby Fisher" or "Gifted," both are infinitely more authentic and hit the notes that this movie strives to hit but comes up wanting.

Just bad, disappointing and bad. The acting is more whiney and unbelievable which is supported by the fact that none of these actors have done anything since this movie. Even the special effects are simply off in so many places, I can't put my finger on it but they don't work. If the 13 year old version of me, that really loved the Narnia books, especially The Voyage of Dawn Treader, knew that this is how they would make one of his favorite books, he would probably laugh and say, "well then don't watch that tripe." I wish I would have listened to the 13 year old version of myself.

Prime example of how the grade school version of me apparently had no taste in movies. I only gave it 2 stars out of shear nostalgia.

Wow, phenomenal. These are the kinds of stories that cinema should be telling. And this is the way to tell them.