Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Sick Product of a Sick System

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Could this be the most underrated film of all time? I have seen lukewarm responses by critics that remind me of the limited usefulness of critics. I loved this film 30 years ago and watching it again today I see that it is timeless. If you ever feel despairing of life watch this film and see how a crew of lovable misfits can enjoy life and one another. Ebert didn't see it as a realistic portrayal of drunks. He didn't hate the film but didn't love it the way you'd think he would. But he didn't love Silence of the Lambs either. Look, even Michael Jordan missed shots, like half of them.I have known drunks, well pot-heads actually, old washed up ones from the sixties. And they could go about life with humor and disheveled dignity just like the characters in this film. Sometimes artists bring out the dignity that people don't even know they have. That's what Steinbeck did and this wonderful film is a dutiful tribute to him. A classic film. And let us not fail to mention the one of a kind narration by John Huston.

Nothing to do with the book, just used the names of the characters and the location names. It's a simple formula Hollywood movie, boy meets girl, they get on each other's nerves a bit and then it's time to fall in love. I can only imagine that the positive reviews here are from people who hold some sort of financial interest in the film. The story line, again nothing to do with the book really, was scattered and nonsensical. What a waste of my time. Read the book. Skip the movie. This movie actually ruined the book experience for me. Steinbeck would turn over in his grave if he saw this. Now I am reading East of Eden and see that a movie was made about that too. I will watch the film after I finish the book, but I am sure that it will be a poor remake too. As for Cannery Row, you will note that there was no romance between the characters, or any big focus on Dora's whore house. This is all changed in the movie. And the book takes place during the time the canneries were open for business. The film is set at a time when all the factories have closed and the industry had shut down. The characters are never really developed and none of them are likable in any way.

I was incredibly disappointed this was not much better. Perhaps I was misled by the inflated rating on this site. This was a jumbled up movie that never found its soul or covered some of the more memorable portions of the book. Why weren't there ANY scenes that took place in a bar? Everything looked staged and since there was minimal character development ultimately the characters were turned into caricatures. Steinbeck would've cringed while rolling over in his grave. It was very slow to start and painful to finish. And the score was atrocious - abrupt shifts to Vivaldi after ragtime? Come on! Now Vivaldi is rolling over in HIS grave. Reread the book but pass on this movie.

Having read Steinbeck's Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, I am appalled that this travesty was allowed to be filmed. Except for a few character names and a few familiar scenes, the movie was unwatchable. The movie dragged on and the invented dialog was painful to listen to. The screenwriter should be ashamed for defiling the original books to the extent that he did. I understand that most books or novels cannot be set to a movie directly, but this effort missed the intent and charm of the originals. The photography was fairly good and some of the set designs were creative. Although Debra Winger was miscast, she probably was a better choice than Raquel Welsh. How did the Chinese grocer become Mexican? I sincerely wish that someone would remake the movie and be true to Steinbeck's genius. This debacle insulted his memory.