Simpatico

I really don't know where to start. The characters weren't that believable at all. The development they have gone through (as you see them in their youth as well) and the development they go through during the movie just doesn't make sense to me.

And the plot, you can smell something similar to a plot here and there, but that is as close as you get. The first 15-20 minutes it works, it feels like an ordinary movie. But then it just breaks down and you wonder what the message is, what the story is, what the heck this movie is supposed to convey.

In summary it's a pointless flick that doesn't strike any chords in me anyway.

Just from reading the main cast of this, one would expect a marvelous drama. Nolte, Stone, Bridges and Finney... such grand talent in the craft of acting. The fact that the writer/director had never worked in movies before or since didn't worry me too much... The Wachowski brothers handed in first-class work the first time they tried their hand at directing, and their first script... well, OK, but they've later redeemed themselves for that turkey. The cinematography is not unique, but it has moments. The editing is much the same... effective at times, but rarely breaks away from the norm. The plot is fair... it develops nicely throughout, providing the back-story and evolving throughout. The pacing is OK. The acting is pretty good, I didn't really find any performances to be lacking. I think my main issue was that I could simply not understand why the people acted like they did, for the majority of the film. I never anticipated their actions, I never followed their motivation and got to the conclusions that they did. Also, the themes and ideas seem to be nothing more than side-notes... none are explored with much effort. All in all, I found this to be a decent-looking film with sufficiently good acting that just didn't make an awful lot of sense and didn't spend enough energy on giving the viewer anything solid, be it an idealist message or simply food for thought. I recommend this to fans of horse-racing, as it features a few very nicely shot sequences of horses, and, to a lesser extent, fans of the actors and possibly those who know the play(as I don't know it myself, I wouldn't be able to tell you if this were a good translation or not). 5/10

I like Jeff Bridges tremendously, so I'll watch anything with him in. But this film has so many loose ends, you could make a ragrug.

Good acting by all, but a good dollop of suspension of disbelief is necessary with so many unlikely events or inconclusive nuances of the plot. Vinnie and his girlfriend checking into the same hotel and not knowing it. What was that all about? And what was Carter arranging with Simms anyway even before Vinnie turns up from the past?

The central premise seemed to be Simms's reconciliation with the past - forgive and forget. Very good, but this wasn't developed enough. Okay Carter throws it all away through guilt and wants the simple life again. But it's not believable. They can't be nineteen again.

It should have been filmed in the European style - slow and ponderous would have been so much better. But this version is too clipped and compromised with modern moviegoers tastes. Stone is very very good. Nice to see Nolte in rags again, it's his forte. Jeff is sleepwalking though. New girl terrific. Does she go back to Vinnie in the end or go with Simms? I think it's back to Vinnie. It almost works - I like movies that exercise the mind and leave loose ends to speculate on. But without the basic substance, loose ends is all Simpatico has.

Vinnie Webb (Nick Nolte), Lyle (Jeff Bridges) and Rosie Carter (Sharon Stone) were very good friends many years back and used to scam at races. Fast forward to 20 years and they all took different roads; Vinnie looks like a hobo with drinking problems and can't even pay his rent, Lyle and Rosie are divorced but are about to sell their prize stallion Simpatico. After Vinnie manages to steal Lyle's wallet unknown to him, he goes to Kentucky for blackmail an official that uncovers their past scams.

In the first half SIMPATICO looked decent but as it progressed, it became confusing and dull. At times Vinnie's motives looked unclear while Lyle spent most of his time shouting, and the scene where Rosie rides Simpatico for the last time and then shoots him... why they had to put it? It was also badly edited and not likeable. Nolte, Bridges and Stone give their best with the material given, but they surely deserved better than this. And everything else about the film is just as forgettable.

Not a terrible movie but very bland instead, just like eating toast: not that bad but something nobody would ever look forward to.

Like the race-horse of the title, the cast in this dark, eccentric tale are pure thoroughbreds...Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges, Albert Finney,Kathryn Keener, Sharon Stone along with up and comer Shawn Hatosy. And though the director, Matthew Warchus, appears to be a first time helmer, his handling of these pros is sure-footed. Warchus also does an impressive job of steering us through a complex plot with sure, visual dexterity. SIMPATICO, from a script by Warchus, based on a Sam Shepard play, really isn't about horse-racing. It's an entertaining exploration of betrayal, survival and how the simple passage of time changes the whole equation.