Very disappointing...

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

There were three things I deeply appreciated from this film: how one can love a book, the kindness of complete strangers, and how well the letters were crafted. I have a passion for reading and a dire need to write, hence the education I received in this film was priceless. Since I am of the mindset that very little impresses me, it was fascinating to be reminded of that great hope and excitement of entering new territory completely unawares.I understand her complaints of Chaucer and the Anglican bible translation, but found myself wanting to know how this uneducated woman had such a desire for acquiring these many treasures. That is an exceptional characteristic, NOT weird my dear....I thought of all the kind gestures I have made over the years, typically to friends, colleagues, wanting to impress, and not exactly for the noblest of reasons. How the pay it forward concept was manifest in just a few simple lives, but made such an impact on so many others.My writing skills, albeit a published technical author, is so very lacking in refinement and humorous expression. Yet another work and lessons in progress.I was extremely fond of the lead performances and the capture of just the right sights and sounds of a busy New York City apartment. Mel Brooks is the last person I would assume to produce this type of film. I thank him for taking that chance to bring it to an audience who has the patience and sentimentality to cherish every moment.

This is a rare movie.There's no plot really. There are no explosions. No chases, that would make Dirty Harry's day. No death's that involved gore. No sex even mentioned, let alone witnessed. There's not even so much as a chaste kiss between the two main characters. Would you believe that two of the highlights was nothing more dramatic than poetry read by people who knew how to read it? Would you also believe that the plot revolved around the delight of a reader of English Literature, and the slow mutual regard that developed between reader and bookseller? Would you be as entranced as most of us who wrote reviews were as we listened to these two exchange the simple pleasure both enjoyed in the other? And yet it's a remarkable movie that many people rated as a ten, including me.I thought it was a ten because everyone spoke like people.The movie was not only about books, and literature and poetry. It was about how people helped each other through difficult times with little acts of kindness before the term was even thought of.While the main point of the correspondence between these two concerned books, the humanity of one American (the character played by Anne Bancroft), and the proud dignity of one Englishman (Anthony Hopkins) was really a celebration of what is best in all of us. That is what made the movie so touching.It is also what made it worth its ten.

How could any flick with Ann Bancroft and Sir Anthony Hopkins be anything but good? ... This film is simply one of my favorite films of all time. The story, script, character development, acting ... everything about this film is A-One. Even the support performances are excellent. I could watch this film over and over again and never get sick of it.Bancroft is at her seasoned best in this movie. She is funny, smart, and attractive. So many people remember her only as "Mrs. Robinson," but she is so much more than that, and this film really shows how good she really was. The world is a sadder, darker place without her in it. She will go down as my favorite actress of all time.This movie is quietly brilliant. That's all I can say. You have to watch it to believe what I'm saying. It's just ... lovely.

Just after World War II, impoverished New York writer Helene Hanff (Anne Bancroft) takes to writing to London booksellers Marks & Co at 84 Charing Cross Road in pursuit of cheap used books. Her irreverent correspondence comes as a breath of fresh air to Marks' manager Frank Doel (Anthony Hopkins), and the English end of the correspondence gradually becomes less stuffy as Helene's correspondence opens up to include all the shop's staff and their families.The book comprises the letters between Hanff, Doel, and the other people involved. The film does a pretty good job of dramatising what is essentially no more than the contents of those letters. The story is gentle and nostalgic, starting just after the war and lasting about 20 years, chronicling the growing friendship between Hanff and Doel, punctuated by her ongoing (and constantly thwarted) attempts to get to London to meet her friends.I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and it was no surprise that I enjoyed this film too.