Six Degrees of Separation

Starring:Stockard Channing, Will Smith, Donald Sutherland, Ian McKellen, Mary Beth Hurt, Bruce Davison, Richard Masur, Anthony Michael Hall, Heather Graham, Eric Thal, Anthony Rapp, Oz Perkins, Catherine Kellner, J.J. Abrams, Joe Pentangelo, Lou Milione, Brooke Hayward, Peter Duchin, Sam Stoneburner, Maeve McGuire
Director: Fred Schepisi
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

John Guare's hit Broadway play--about an Upper East Side couple who gets bilked by a young black man claiming to be Sidney Poitier's son--receives a terrific screen translation in this film by Fred Schepisi. Though the play was discursive and episodic, Schepisi, working from Guare's adaptation, makes it all flow like a fascinating evening listening to friends recount something that happened to them. But the story itself is also intriguing for the disparity it reveals between the wealthy, the would-be wealthy, and the have-nots yearning to be rich. Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland are exceptional as the couple who open their home to a young man they believe is a friend of their children (to whom they barely speak); Will Smith is fascinatingly glib as the young man, who claims that his famous father is casting a film version of Cats and offers his hosts roles as extras in the film. Smith finds the heartbreaking core of this character and Channing is haunting as a woman looking to make a connection, even with a confused young con artist. --Marshall Fine

Description

'the ultimate movie about the New York cult of class (Glamour), this rich and challenging cinematic treat (Playboy) is both a laugh-out-loud comedy and a biting social commentary about the separation between the 'haves and the 'have-nots. Will Smith gives a mightily impressive debut, Donald Sutherland is perfection and OscarÂ(r)-nominated* Stockard Channing moves from brilliance to somewhere above and beyond brilliance (CBS-TV) in a story that's all the more amazing because it's true! Posing as the son of Sidney Poitier, Paul (Smith) deftly penetrates the world of art-dealing urbanites Ouisa and Flan Kittredge (Channing and Sutherland). But as Paul's web of dropped names and near fame begins to unravel, he provides his hosts with much more than just theultimate cocktail party anecdotehe sets in motion a series of events that will alter the course of their lives forever. *1993: Actress

Customer Reviews:

Will Smith Refused to Kiss Man On Screen.......2007-04-08

This is a great movie despite the fact that homophobic Will Smith refused to kiss a male co-actor on screen. The shot had to be done from the back of Smith's head and it looks totally forced and fake.

If Will Smith is so uptight about his masculine credentials, he should have been a real man and bowed out of the flick before they started filming.

I hope he never wins an Oscar.

A mixture of a nightmare and dream, great stardom and charisma by actors.......2007-02-05

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, produced by Fred Schepisi, brilliantly
squeezed every bit of acting talent, and stardom out of actors
Stockard Channing, Will Smith and Donald Sutherland, who are
captured at their peak, bringing in enormous charisma, energy and
presence througout the 90 mins of this picture.

I especially enjoyed the wide-screen release, and the music that
accompanies very well the underlying story.

For most viewers, this movie will be a mixture of a nightmare and
a dream, being that, in the first instance, they witness the
protagonists interacting with and becoming a target of a
schizophenic freeloader of some sorts, played with great dignity
by Smith, and in the second instance, for watching this comical,
absurd, and preposterous story of an art dealer closing
multi-million deals in rare paintings.

It might actually, give a migraine to a number of people,
considering a few offensive moments, which were clearly
unnecessary in the picture, but maintained.

The filming is outstanding, showing the best aspects of New York,
and from beginning to end, luxurious dwellings, decorations,
clothing styles, and we are led to believe, the lifetyle of the
top 5% wealthiest in the USA, played by Sutherland, and Channing.
The DVD release has very crisp images, throughout.

Finally, perhaps the movie would have received greater acclaim,
had a few offensive elements been removed, and the grifting side
to the imposter been underlined, and penalized, in this movie, to
a greater degree.

Obviously, this being a Hollywood production, the comical side,
and entertainment value won out over realism, and morality over
the behavior done by Smith's character, which this movie seems
to condone.

At Last - Intelligent Conversation!.......2006-07-05

This movie invites you into the conversation of New York's literati. In particular, we are invited into the living room of a couple who make their money by flipping paintings. Instead of flipping real estate properties, they flip valuable works of arts - buying what they can and reselling to higher bidders. This occupation may not seem to contribute much to society, but these aren't shallow, leeching people. They are fascinating to be around.

It is very rare in modern movies to hear any sustained, interesting exchange of ideas. But this script made the transition from John Guare's stage play to the screen without being dumbed down. And viewers are treated to an intellectually and emotionally engaging drama as a result.

But it is also just sheer enjoyment to inhabit the world of these characters. These are good, heartening people to hang out with. They truly listen to each other, and learn, and are sparked - by hearing each other's ideas and experiences. Most of all, they are sparked by the opinions of the young man who seems to land so fortuitously, so mysteriously in their midst, claiming to be Sidney Poitier's son.

That's what sets this movie apart from virtually all others I've seen that feature the rich and favored. Instead of being miserable, depressed villains, these wealthy people are actually happy. Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland have wonderful chemistry together. They are delightful and delighted, almost innocently joyous. Most remarkable of all, they appreciate their wealth and do no harm with it. Where have you ever seen that before?!

They have created a gracious, convivial life with their good fortune. So I can't really agree with Stockard Channing's concluding concern about turning the presumptive young Poitier into "simply another anecdote." She and her set may actually have turned the anecdote into a valuable art form, making it their unique contribution to the world. And perhaps the people who become the grist for these anecdotes, including the troubled young man, could aspire to nothing better than to live and be relived in perpetuity in the dinner table conversation of these celebratory people.

You will walk away from this movie feeling better about humanity. And you will feel more hopeful about the possibilities for leading a happy life - even if you are rich.

Irony..........2006-05-01

Interesting bit of trivia: During his conversation with Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland at the beginning of the movie, Will Smith mentions the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, among other works, while discussing the concept of imagination. And who played the dinner guest to whom Sutherland was trying to sell a painting when Will Smith interrupted their evening? Ian McKellen.

One degree of separation.

Six Degrees of Separation.......2006-03-08

I had heard about this movie for a long time before finally ordering it. I really enjoyed it and found the movie to be surprisingly more complex than I imagined. There were many thought provoking levels of relationships between characters, with each major character being subtly but well developed throughout the movie. It left me thinking about it for several days. I would recommend the movie.

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