From reading these reviews, one can clearly see this is a film that polarizes viewers. Frankly, at first, I almost dismissed it because of the violence and hopelessness. But the acting in this tragicomedy is so utterly compelling, the pathos so real that I couldn't stop watching, and the spot-on dialogue kept me caught up in the story. The humour was not just icing on the cake, but it infused some credible lightness into this heavy tale. John Travolta's line to his nine-year old daughter, "..shut up and drink your beer!" would not have worked in a lesser film, but it was perfectly absurd and hilarious. In the ending, there is neither redemption nor catastrophe, and it feels authentic, because tomorrow is still another day...

Was very disappointed in this film.Where to start? Well first of all, most of the movie is really just set-up for the last 1/4 of the movie yet nothing really much happens in all this time so I found myself just wondering when John Travolta would enter the picture.I guess the major problem with the movie is that Robin Wright Penn's character doesn't progress at all. Though there's supposed to be this time span of ten years between the first 3/4 of the movie and the last.So in the last 1/4 of the movie we find Robin Wright Penn's character in this home in the suburbs, married with kids and all, yet it's played as if she just stepped out of the gutter of the proceeding portion of the movie. Really makes no sense at all.It's a fairy tale and totally unbelievable.***SPOILERS AHEAD**** And to accept the fact that she would just run off with Sean Penn's character (who's been in the nut house for 10 years) even though she hasn't kept in touch with him in all those years and has a new husband (Travolta) and kids and a whole life, yet she just leaves it all behind is just so silly.A similar scenario was played out much better in the end of the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks & Helen Hunt. In that movie he returns from the dead after having been stranded on an island for years. When he returns, he finds Hunt married with kids. Though they profess their love for each other, she of course, says she simply can't run off with him and leave her kids and her present husband. THAT folks is reality.What we have presented in this movie is just so much silliness. Shame too, because the acting's not bad.But basically what you have is a movie where the first 3/4 of it is one long boring set-up followed by a quick totally unbelievable last 1/4.

Are we not sick of watching Sean Penn making contorted faces, showing us his inner pain, angst and suffering. Watch this flick if you are ready for more. Have you ever seen a movie you liked by the Cassavides family? OK...here is another......tedious....moronic...uninteresting....just a pure piece of crap. A complete waste of time, unless you live a worthless life and want to use up another 90 minutes before you die. If you look at the box office statistics for this movie you will see that it was a real stinker and rightly so. One other thing....just try to think of one good Gina Rowlands, (Cassivedes wife) film.

Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn fall in love, but their lives are everything but stable. Sean Penn is sent to jail for a number of years and when he is released he returns to his love Robin Wright Penn. She is now married to John Travolta and they have several kids. Normally this kind of family business would take months or even years to solve, but these crazy people and kids settle everything in one day. This means emotions, actions and dialog concentrated to the very essence of these peoples lives. Quite fascinating to watch and reminding of the way director Nick Cassavetes' father John Cassavetes used to make movies. Sean Penn always puts his soul into his work and the other actors do a great job. This movie is great fun. Watch it!!!