Film Review: "Elegy" (2007)Writer Nicholas Meyer, also know for directing two of the most accomplished Star Trek movies with the original crew from 1966 - "The Wrath of Khan" (1982) and "The Undiscovered Country" (1991) respectively - prepared an adaptation of a Philip Roth novel from 2001 with the original title "The Dying Animal"; yet did not dare to direct for second time after also-arranging the screenplay for "The Human Stain" (2003) starring Nicole Kidman and Sir Anthony Hopkins based on another Roth's novel out of the year 2000, where the direction went to Hollywood veteran Robert Benton (born 1932).The direction for "Elegy" had been given to female director Isabel Coixet by producers Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi, who fairly prepares her leading actors Sir Ben Kingsley as the teaching Professor David Kepesh and actress Penélope Cruz as his student Consuelo Castillo to ongoing screen chemistry; nevertheless at no time get them to get out of the comfort zone to make a daring step towards heart-breaking melodrama with a thrilling touch. Instead writer Nicholas Meyer and the director decide to change the novel's ending to an lesser effect of dramatic mediocrity under further at times high-tension build-ups cinematography with a long dolly-push-in take within a Manhattan apartment's living room onto the character of Kepesh reminiscencing on an all to present death allegory in modern life.But then again the direction of Isabel Coixet denies itself consequence in jumping between relieving suspense-blocking scenes with David Kepesh's best friend George O'Hearn, portrayed by welcoming final screen appearances of deceased actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010) and actress Patricia Clarkson as the character of Carolyn, who saves the leading man any time, when some on-screen conflicts might start to hurt to break open a darker passage towards thriller elements instead given chances away for considerably unnecessary - due to the initial novel subject matter - happy ends.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

Isabel Coixet's film begins with Ben Kingsley's academic ruminating about art on a peculiarly highbrow television program; but unfortunately the film is to concentrate on a less interesting subject, the eternal attraction of younger women for older men. The rest of the movie invites us to sympathise with poor, elderly Kingsley as he has to deal with the stresses caused by having Penelope Cruz as his girlfriend; even when she gets cancer, it appears that the main consequence of this is that Kingsely is forced to unpleasantly confront his own mortality. If the film was a satire of an inanely self-centred man, it might work: but we're invited instead to view Kingsley's position as an essential tragedy of the human condition. Personally I prefer to take my own sympathy elsewhere.

if Penelope Cruz ever lost some fans it because of this film elegy this film is pure junk see the plot now Ben Kingsley an old man who loves sex & chases young women lays his eyes on hot student the story then gets extended & then sex scenes comes with Penelope showing her naked breasts like some wwe wrestler then comes some gross kissing & more insult for the viewers he is having all that in someone Else's house.i am embarrassed to write a review here this is some shameless.please throw the team into jail for this porn film.as a Cruz fan i am not disappointed because it her style to be sexy & in her most career she did films that promotes sexual & vulgar stuff.don blame her at all she needed some serious money.& Ben is the worst actor ever old guy cant act loves to have sexy only.so for die hard Penelope fans around the world ill tell you this movie does not exist just pretend to believe it.my rating is 1/10 .these guys should hang their heads in shame

Despite good performances from the central characters this is a flawed and immature piece of work and it stems from the writing which is like one of Woody Allen's efforts at profound insight into life but without the jokes. The result is nothing more than a second rate adolescent chapbook of narcissistic reflections using other peoples ideas.The artistic quotes to establish his credentials: e.g. the Velasquez pictures were the sort of seduction trick a much younger man might have tried; the photography, the piano music; the awful aphorism about the superficiality of beauty were a set of attributes of a silly and pretentious work. It may have been necessary to have read some art history but nonetheless the main characters lived in a precious and self conscious world.Into this world Consuela's enters like a fetish object, almost capable of being a real person but not quite in the fantasy of the old man. The ending - improbable and not cruel enough - completed the mawkish tone of the work. Stripped of the college degree quotations this is a cheap story.