For the Moment

For the Moment is a two-hour trailer for a good movie. It's all lead-in; it never peaks, just slowly wanders along. There's tons of character background and lovely scenery--some good acting, too--but it never all comes together with any excitement whatsoever...and suddenly it's over without ever having gone beyond what should be the intro.

Think: An expensively-made Hallmark Hall of Fame production. Plenty of longing looks between the two lovebirds, much dialogue that fills time but doesn't advance the story, some 90s political correctness to do with blacks and gays that never could have existed in 1942 rural Canada, guilt for everybody--and you know who the victims are going to be from the first time you see them.

On the upside, Russell Crowe is beautiful.

This film takes you to another time when there was a different pace to everyday life. We get an idea how families had to deal with the war and how quickly we sent young men off to fight. A very touching look at the past and a reminder that casualties of war don't just happen on the front.

Luckily many of us have never had to go through what our great-grandparents, grandparents or parents went through during a war. This film, I think, is a small thank you. Peter Outerbridge looks amazingly like a young Peter O'Toole and Russell Crowe is absolutely charming and as Australian as he can be. It's definitely worth listening to him recite "High Flight" and makes me wonder what he might accomplish with Shakespeare.

About midway through, a character invokes a bit of romanticism. Life, this person says, is "a collection of moments; you got good ones and bad ones; they're all special if they stand out ... Once you've had a moment, it stays with you forever." Clearly, the thematic intent here is to celebrate each moment of one's life, to cherish it, and then watch it fade away.

Russell Crowe plays Lachlan, a charming, Auzzie WWII pilot-in-training who, with his airman buddy, drops by to say hello to the buddy's wife-to-be at her Manitoba farmhouse. And Lachlan takes a romantic interest in the future wife's sister, Lill (Christianne Hirt).

The romance between Lachlan and Lill is a bit dreamlike. As the plot moves along, characters express their joy and excitement, their guilt, their disappointments, their dreams, and their fears. Drama arcs high in the second half, and as one moment fades into the next, change brings tears and sadness. Not everyone survives.

Production values are high. Cinematography is quite good. The excellent flying sequences evoke a sense of romanticism. Casting and acting are fine.

My only real problem is the film's script. After the characters are introduced, the plot seems to go into a holding pattern; not much happens until the second half. Further, the main characters did not really interest me; I could not really identify with them. Also, I was a bit confused on several points; clarifying dialogue would have helped.

"For The Moment" will appeal to dreamers and romantics. The WWII setting adds a touch of nostalgia. Overall, the story is a bit downbeat and sad, slightly melancholy. It's a well-made film, if you can get interested in the characters and are in the mood for a period piece romance.

Russell Crowe is such a cutie pie! I know, this isn't news to anyone. But just in case you belong to that little, stubborn group of women who refused to have a crush on him during his heyday (like someone I know), go ahead and rent For the Moment. I watched it with that aforementioned lady, and she turned to me after ten minutes and sheepishly admitted, "He's really cute. . ." Coming from someone who had always compared him to Archie Bunker, that was high praise.

Russell plays a flyboy in training during the height of WWII, and although he tries to fight it at first, he falls for a married woman, Christianne Hirt. Christianne's husband is already fighting, and her younger brother joins up; it goes against her better judgment to care for someone else she has to worry about, but she just can't help it. They have a very sweet romance that helps you understand the impulsivity of wartime and the necessity of showing love while you still can. You can probably tell from the title (and the incessantly sad "Pachelbel's Cannon" during the opening credits) that this won't be a sunshine-and-rainbows story. This is a heavy drama with a mixture of realism and extremely clever dialogue.

Writer-director Aaron Kim Johnston's screenplay made me laugh, cry, hope, and accept that there was no other way for the story to turn out. I loved all the scenes with Wanda Cannon. Her husband was also away fighting, and to keep her farm afloat, she became the town's friendly hooker. Some of the other girls shunned her for it, but she always had a quip ready to defend herself. Wanda's steady beau, Scott Kraft, was a decent and responsible man, and also the flight instructor for the young boys. It would have been easy to make their romance silly and unrealistic, but Johnston didn't. From the funny lines ("Just because you're so good at handing out free samples doesn't mean you could ever make a sale") to the profound ones ("Crossing through one big, dark room full of disappointment and surprise, you're bound to bump into something"), For the Moment is a wonderful story. It's easy to imagine it was a sweeping 1000-paged novel or an abridged version of a miniseries from the 1970s, but the credit goes entirely to Johnston. I definitely recommend this movie for those, like me, who name WWII as their favorite era. With good-looking actors, endearing characters, a heart-wrenching plot, and a great screenplay, you can't go wrong.

Russell, my fav, is gorgeous in this film. But more than that, the film covers a tremendous range of human passion and sorrow. Everything from marriage to homosexuality is addressed and respected. The film makes the viewer realize that tolerance of other humans provides the route to saving humanity. Fabulous love story between Lachlin and Lil. I replay their scenes over and over again. Anyone who has ever been in love will empathize with these people. All characters are cast and portrayed excellently.