So much average

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

No matter how engaging one person is, no matter how charming, no matter the looks or the spoken words, there is always something that can be defined as flaw. And while Clive Owen is more than charming and might come across as easy going (especially considering Binoche characters behavior), there are many flaws with his character too. But can those two find a way to bridge the gap between them? You'll have to watch the movie to find out.The chemistry between the lead actors is there and you can feel why there would be an attraction, even more so after the first encounter which does not seem to be going that well. But while the main focus is on the romance, there is also the "war" between words and pictures. And since you're not able (yet) to put a graphic review of a movie down (on IMDb at least), the question is: On who's side are you on? And will you switch sides during the course of the movie? Very intelligent and nicely written, witty dialog, good turns and changes and generally entertaining, while not losing its focus throughout

I find it hard to rate a picture with Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche as mediocre, but I have to. I watched this through because they are two of my favorite actors. I have followed their careers with enthusiasm from their early days.This movie is a sappy hybrid of a romantic comedy in the vein of Noel Coward and an inspirational story for adolescents along the lines of "Dead Poets Society". Setting it in Maine made it seem even more implausible and awkward. Clive Owen does a good American accent, but I think he is less powerful without his normal voice. Juliette Binoche held up her end better, but the role wasn't really suited to her talent.The teenagers were very teenager-like. Hammy and overly emotional. Adding veterans like Bruce Davison and Amy Brenneman didn't really help much, since their parts were very superficial. Christian Scheider stood out in the role of Owen's son, reacting to his father's alcoholism.Alcoholism was showcased excessively. Sobriety was a terse footnote. The chronic disease of Binoche's character was portrayed as just a drag, something that just got in the way, as opposed to a challenge leading to ascendancy. This would have made sense in a movie that wasn't trying to be a romantic comedy at times. Overall, the film was a disappointment.

English teacher Jack Marcus (Clive Owen) is dismayed at his students' lack of passion for words. He's a disheveled drunken former promising literary star. Dina Delsanto (Juliette Binoche) is the new art honors teacher at the rich prep school. She's a well-known artist who is newly suffering from debilitating arthritis. She has moved to the country to be near her sister Sabine. They are both misanthropic and combative from their first encounter. She doesn't trust words. He's in danger of losing his job. The two teachers' constant back and forth turns into a battle of whether words or pictures are more important. There is also gifted shy artistic Emily being courted by class clown Swint.It's an interesting idea for a rom-com or something serious. It does need to pick one side or the other. The rom-com works for the most part except for some serious turns. Emily and Swint's drama takes a very ugly turn. Valerie Tian and Adam DiMarco are both good but that section feels like the movie takes a 10 minute interlude into another movie. Owen and Binoche elevate the movie by their acting. The problem is that the movie struggles to pick what it wants to be. It would probably be best as an inspirational teacher slash feel good rom-com movie. However it wallows in the characters' problems a bit too long. The movie goes on and on. It's possible to go darker and more serious. The movie simply needs to narrow its focus and pick a side. Also the climatic competition is not climatic at all. It is really boring and flat. It almost brings the movie to a complete standstill.

Review: Man, this film was long and extremely boring. Nothing seemed to happen all the way through the film and I really struggled to keep my eyes open. I can't really say what the film is about because I really lost interest after a while, but I think it's about two teachers who bring there worlds together of words and pictures by holding a competition in a school. Clive Owen, whose from the world of words, is a alcoholic who is fighting to keep is job and Binoche is from the world of pictures who hasn't got faith in her work. Its seemed more like a play than a movie because there's a lot of dialogue which I got bored of. The love story was a bit strange between the two characters and the tone was dull and it just seemed to drag after a while. That's not to say that the two top actors didn't play there parts well but I just didn't relate to there characters. I was extremely impressed with Binoche who was playing a disabled woman who found many different ways to do her paintings but it wasn't enough to save this drawn out movie. Disappointing!Round-Up: I think that the main problem that I found with the film was that I wasn't interested in the subject matter. The challenge between words and pictures is a good concept which could make a good film, but you really need to make the characters interesting. The chemistry between the two main characters was OK but they really came from two different world's which made them hard to connect. On the plus side, it's a different side to Clive Owen's acting style which we haven't seen in a while and he has proved that he take on any project, but this movie really didn't do it for me. Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $3.2millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their dramas about 2 teachers who are trying to bring there world's of words and pictures together, by holding a competition for there students. 3/10