Heart-warming and magical

I did not know what to expect when I rented this film in the beginning but after watching it, the tale of personal redemption did bring a smile in the end. The script is sharp and witty, and I love how old fashion values are encapsulated in the movie in a realistic, non-patronising way. The actors bring out their finest performance in their respective roles and I thought Bridges, Ruehl (in that marvellous guidette accent) and Plummer were brilliant, in an eccentric, but strangely, natural way. None of these characters are saintly, some can be quite abrasive in fact, but the way these characters are three dimensional makes the audience warm up to them without feeling they are being preached at. I almost cried at the final scene when Parry and Lydia were locked in an embrace, and the soundtrack of 'How About You' perfectly sums up the movie. And of course, the famous waltzing scene in the train station, that was the moment that made the film magical.

There were some negatives in the movie though: I found some of the scenes goofy and outlandish (the scene where Parry rescues Jack from being attacked). The dearth of special effects during that time also made some scenes like the red knight looked grim and tacky today. I also had a feeling that the producers were making a mockery out of people with mental illness as some of these characters which were clearly psychologically ill were milked for entertainment. Which is kind of ironic, considering this movie is about condemning the likes of shock-jocks.