This film tells the story of a literature academic who travels to Uruguay to seek the permission from Jules Gunt's family to write Gunt's biography.Omar the professor goes to Uruguay, hoping to convince the three family members to give him permission to write a biography. His stay in the remote countryside proved to be very eventful, with consequences reaching further than Omar would have imagined. All their lives are changed forever, in a positive way. I see this change as personal discovery and growth. They become happier, and go on to fulfill their potential to achieve great things. The dialog is old fashioned in a beautiful way, that stimulates the brain. This style can hardly be found in modern day films, which is a pity."The City of Your Final Destination" is a fairly engaging account of how an encounter in a remote estate in Uruguay can have profound and far reaching effects on all parties concerned.

The City of Your Final Destination is an excellent, intelligent, adult movie about believable people. The behavior and motivations of the characters are brilliantly presented; totally real people with real emotions and mature concerns. These days we could die waiting for this kind of great movie to come along! The meaning of the word "adult" with reference to movies should be changed to describe this kind of movie rather than the pornography genre that now carries that appellation. What the industry calls "adult" should be changed to "adolescent," a more appropriate term for pornography, so the word "adult" could be freed up to describe movies of this maturity and quality. At least 90% of Hollywood's output is banal commercial junk. But in this movie there are no car chases, barroom brawls, drug addicts, topless bars, shooting and killing, corrupt cops, liars, cheats, con men, muscle men, superheroes, martial arts, gratuitous sex, pretty-faced vapid ingenues trying to pass for professional people such as doctors and scientists, and so on. They even kept the cigarette-smoking to a minimum! But don't mistake my objection to Hollywood as moralistic. I'm talking about intelligence, taste and maturity.

Omar Metwally does not come across as innocent but someone with an agenda who needs to appear innocent. I can buy him as a schemer looking for a way into these people's lives as what better way than to be a wide-eyed sycophant? But they would have to be extremely naive to buy him as such.As individuals the other characters were brilliant but somehow they did not mesh together as a believable group. Too much unsaid and too many back stories untold (e.g. why did the deceased author take up with a woman other than his wife? why did the wife so willingly accept "the other woman" and her child into the household?) The ending hokey and contrived.The cinematography was visually spelling binding.Certainly not a rush and out and buy, or even rent for that matter, movie.

I,for one,have always admired Merchant/Ivory productions for it's bravura for taking classic (and even some not so classic)novels,and bringing them to the screen. Despite the sad passing of Ismael Merchant a few years back,James Ivory,and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala have made going to the movies a joy (for the most part). Granted,James Ivory has directed his share of mis-steps (but who hasn't?). This film was actually produced three years ago,but is just now getting distribution. The story focuses on a professor of literature at an un-named college,named Omar Metwally who is trying to get the legal okay to write a biography of an author who only had one novel ever published. Problem is,the family of the author is flatly refusing permission for the novel to be written. When he decides to travel to South America to meet with the family to get permission (not a good idea),he finds out what a dysfunctional family they are (and also finds out the dirty little family secrets,as well as any & all skeletons in the proverbial family closet). When Omar's overbearing girl friend,Deirdre arrives to check on Omar's progress,things get more interesting. James Ivory directs a screenplay written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala,adapted from the novel by Peter Cameron. The sumptuous photography is courtesy of the ever so fine Javier Aguirresarobe,with editing by John David Allen. The film's musical score is composed & arranged by Jorge Drexler. The great Sir Anthony Hopkins,who is given top credit,is Adam,an aged gay man,living in the shadows of the past,as is his sister in law,Caroline,who gets by with sardonic wit & daily doses of alcohol,played by Laura Linney,who just smacks of queen harpie. Omar Razaghi is Omar Metwally,who is the centre of all of this. Charlotte Gainsbourg,most recently seen in Lars Van Trier's 'Antichrist',is Arden Langdon,a hanger on,as well as an Au Pair to Caroline's daughter. The rest of the cast is rounded out by Hiroyuke Sanada,as Pete,Adam's live in lover,Alexandra Maria Lara,as Dierdre,a pushy,bossy,overbearing woman who seems to be planning Omar's life,and the great Norma Aleandro (not seen enough in this film),as Mrs. Van Euwen,who is always on the make for a romantic fling with just about any man who will acknowledge her. All of this makes for an intelligent & entertaining evening at the movies. Spoken (mostly)in English,and Spanish with English subtitles. Rated PG-13 by the MPAA,for some brief nudity & adult content