it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

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

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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

An enigmatic and elusive film that poses many questions about the nature of identity without offering any concrete answers. It will likely prove a challenging watch for some, as this is a film that forces the viewer to stew in its uncompromised ambiguity and takes pleasure in doing so. Its symbolism and themes are overt in certain respects but ultimately remain tantalizingly out of the viewer's grasp, prompting that puzzled contemplation that the best ambiguous films do. It's also just a really fun watch. Fantastic performances by both Sissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall who both play hypnotically bizarre, at times quite hilarious characters. And given that we're dealing with master director Robert Altman, the dreamlike, increasingly dark and unsettling tone is fully-realized and unwavering. It's not the most momentous or showstopping of his work, but it'll swirl around in your mind for days if you're open to the experience.Decent 4/5

Robert Altman is one seriously unpredictable filmmaker. He can make light-hearted, comedy of the mainstream like Popeye and Dr. T and Women, but then out of left field, he gives you something like this. A masterful art film. His versatility is worshiped in the film industry. Watching this film, you can see his extraordinary talent. It's one the most carefully prepared and well edited thrillers I've ever seen. The story is very common to film, it's execution is what makes it so fresh and entertaining. The film drones with it's repetitious soundtrack. It cuts back and forth to symbolic images. The performances from Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spackek are abnormal, and so is the environment they live in. How it compares to his other works, I don't know. But, to those who are avid Art-house film-goers, or fans of the modern day Altman, Paul Thomas Anderson, cannot miss out on seeing this.

I'm still discovering Robert Altman's films, and after a few deceptions (not so much because those I watched were bad movies, but because I had high expectations), this one was a nice surprise. It's a movie that could only have been made in the 70's, it's one of a kind. From the few popular movies Shelley Duvall has been in, this is one of her finest. I couldn't help but smile when she says "What's the matter, haven't you ever seen twins?". Sissy Spacek is easier to catch on screen, she's also great in this.As of the amazing performances, we're introduced to a dreamy like California scenery, there's nothing unusual about those two words in the same sentence, but the atmosphere is almost ethereal, from the pastel colors to the apathetic people all around. I kept thinking if they did that just to spite Millie or because they simply wouldn't bother to listen to anyone. Millie's situation is so anguishing, it's really similar to one of those dreams where we talk and talk but people don't seem to notice, like we're ghosts. I know the character wasn't near being pleasant, but I felt sorry for her frustrated social efforts just the same.I had no idea what the film was actually about when I started watching it, and as Pinky's obsession with Millie developed, I figured it was going to be a very well plotted drama, or something like it. That it is, but it's something else, too. If we pay attention, from the start, there's a strange feeling lurking about, like something's not entirely right...or real. It's no coincidence that Pinky's real name is Mildred, which is also short for Millie (also, Willie...), and both women seem to enter some sort of fusion, there's something that ties them together. Besides, there's another woman, of enigmatic behavior, her importance is revealed further along. For now, all we know is that she paints those exotic printings inside the pool. As of Pinky's accident, which might as well be related to those paintings, she suffers a drastic change of heart, now she IS Millie.It's not revealed to us whether her accident caused her some kind of neurological damage or the beginning of some kind of mental illness...but I'm not so fond of these realistic explanations, not coming from a movie like this. Especially because it wouldn't explain that last scene, where the three women appear to have reached some sort of weird organization, featuring different generations...perhaps they're supposed to be one? I'm not sure of the meaning for the metaphor, all I know is that it's a very intriguing movie, giving us a lot to think about at the end, and it sure is an interesting story about what the experience of being a woman means.

Well, no one can deny the film of not having great ambition. The first two acts are really, really good. It's the last act that truly transcends the film into something utterly intriguing and endlessly terrifying. The film never makes anything too obvious, and it never spells out anything, but its power stems from its seemingly simple execution. The climax (if one could call it that) is truly unnerving. The leads are both truly fantastic in this. This is strongly recommended. It reminds me of both David Lynch and Roman Polanski in its sort of opaque themes, and that's a huge compliment. Shelley Duvall has always been a very underrated actress, and this is a prime example of it.