Far from Heaven Reviews

I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I have it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. To be honest, the first time around, I found it really difficult to judge this movie. Indeed, before watching this, I only heard tremendous things about it (according to Roger Ebert, it was one of the best movies coming out in 2002), so I had some huge expectations. Unfortunately, I was then a little bit disappointed. I mean, I was not really familiar with Todd Haynes' work back then (it was the first movie he has directed that I saw) but I must admit it was really well directed with some terrific set design and costumes. Furthermore, there was a top-notch cast (Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson, Viola Davis) and they all gave some really solid performances. The only issue I had was that the story didn't really blow me away. I mean, it was interesting, that's for sure, but still not quite fascinating. I don't know, maybe I was a little bit annoyed by the fact that, somehow, it seems rather easy to make such a movie 50 years later and I thought it was rather arrogant to show how messed up those characters were compared to how much more 'evolved' we have become. It may have had a huge impact if it would have been released 50 or 60 years ago but what was the revelance in our modern world? However, after rewatching the damned thing, I was actually much more able to appreciate it though. Basically, it is a good reminder that not everything used to be better in the past, as some people seems to believe and I was more touched by what the characters were going though this time around. Furthermore, I was finally able to see the brilliance of making a traditional 50's melodrama but dealing with homosexuality and interracial romances. Anyway, to conclude, it is a very good flick after all and it is definitely worth a look.