The graphics/animation opening this picture are just great. The first twenty minutes are VERY funny, thanks almost exclusively to Mr. Simms hilarious enthusiasm. Then the film just falls apart. It could have been a good romantic comedy. But instead it thinks it creates suspense, intrigue, danger, etc., which it badly employs. John Hurt does fine but neither he nor Kyle MacLaughlin seem to now what kind of film they are supposed to be in. Hurt is deadpan drama and Maclaughlin is over-the-top zany. I'd accept ridiculous plot devices if the tone of the movie, like the first 20 minutes, remained ridiculous. Especially annoying to me, an attorney who does some real estate, is the suggestion you could con sophisticated people into accepting title to property you didn't own, a virtual impossibility no matter how gullible the Client. But I had to give it a "5" as Mr. Simms introduction is so charming.
Miranda
2002
Action / Comedy / Mystery / Romance / Thriller
Miranda
2002
Action / Comedy / Mystery / Romance / Thriller
Plot summary
A librarian begins a passionate affair with a mysterious woman who walks into his library. When she suddenly disappears he travels down to London to search for her only to discover that she has three identities - dancer, dominatrix and con-woman. But which one is the real Miranda?
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
January 15, 2021 at 05:43 AM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
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An Absolute Miss
Long on style, short on story.
"Miranda", misbilled as a romance/thriller (no thrills in this flick), is really a dark romantic comedy about an enigmatic woman, Miranda (Ricci), who beguiles a male librarian (Simm) with her haunting beauty and mysterious ways. Long on style and short on story, this film spends most of its time with the title character, of course, which Ricci plays well. The film crashes, however, on story as Miranda is really a pain in the a** and not something we, the audience, are inclined to wish on the more likeable Simm character. Meanwhile, bits and pieces of a story are doled out with the dots never really connected at the end making anything beyond the romantic quest little more than window dressing. Recommended for Ricci fans or dark comedy weirdos. (B-)
original and quirky, but ultimately unsatisfying
First the good : this is a pleasantly original and mercurial little movie, miles away from your usual formulaic conman thriller or rom-com. There are some good jokes and lines - and yes, even the titles at the beginning are pretty funny. Also welcome is the satirical bite. The story is set in a Great-Britain where the rich and powerful can build (or tear down) anything that strikes their fancy, while average citizens are supposed to live without such self-indulgent luxuries as hospitals, swimming pools or libraries, because who needs mental and physical well-being ?
On second thoughts : perhaps I was wrong in using the words "satirical bite", this is a pretty accurate representation of societal reality - and not only in Great-Britain.
Sadly the movie does not live up to the potential promised by its original premise. It's clever, but not as clever as it thinks it is. A small example : the various swindles perpetrated are not exactly models of criminal cunning and satanic ingenuity. One cannot shake the suspicion that they would have been undone by even a minimum of vigilance and due diligence. The dialogue and narration too are remarkably uneven.
The various actors bravely do their best, but much of their enormous talent goes to waste. With such a stellar cast this could have been a tragicomic masterwork for the ages, but aah... The things that might have been...