Sadly Over-hyped

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

,,,and a classic family.This is simply one of the best films ever. Its one of my most favorites and hopefully it will be released on DVD very soon.Shirley MacClaine is the queen bee and Marcello Mastriontanni is the bees knees! Fantastic performances all around and a rich story that will leave you remembering the film for years to come. The cultural aspect here is cheerful and insightful and the whole idea of living in NY in the 60s was a blast to me when I first saw this. ( I was 11- so I had an imagination- sue me!) Highly recommended! 10 stars.

If this is not (intentionally or otherwise) a pilot for a TV series, what is it? Episodic, altogether lacking in unity and narrative flow, there is enough caricature and stereotyping to offend the sensibilities of most Jewish- and Italian-Americans. To understand the characters' motivations, a viewer must look beyond what is presented here - i.e., must imagine why these characters act as they do, since the explanations are not forthcoming in the film. If you were left wondering what is going to happen next to Pearl, her daughters, her grandson, her new husband and his family - all of their situations left open-ended - you were more absorbed in this claptrap than most viewers are likely to be.The performances are not at all bad, but then, one-dimensional characters don't present much of a challenge.

The critics did not like this film, and it now rates only a 5.6 for IMDB votes, but have a read of the positive comments below. My wife and I enjoyed this film. There are many meaningful parts, numerous gags and funny situations amidst the painful family life portrayed a la NYC Jewish-Italiano.The three awards include two Golden Globes, and with Shirley MacLaine, Marcello Mastroianni, Marcia Gay Harden, and Kathy Bates, there is a lot more to this film than either the critics or voting would indicate.It may not everyone's cup of tea, but well worth a video rental if you can appreciate the messages about family life. A good flick - go ahead and try it.

The writer and director were not satisfied with a straight forward story, and stretched for effect a little too obviously. The subplots do not comfortably weave into the main story thread of the film. However, there are some very fine attempts to pull things together in telling scenes. I recommend Used People to viewers weary of car chases, ear splitting sound tracks and teen age angst. You won't regret spending some time with almost real people.