Earthly Possessions

Starring:Susan Sarandon, Stephen Dorff, Elisabeth Moss, Jay O. Sanders, Alan Pottinger, John Christopher Jones, William Duell, Alice Drummond, Danielle Ferland, Margo Martindale, William Hill, Deborah Rush, Lex Monson, Robert Prescott, Barbara J. Spence, Terry Serpico, Rick Hardeman, Julyana Soelistyo, Boyd Gaines, Robert Field (II)
Director: James Lapine
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Susan Sarandon is Charlotte Emory, a sexually frustrated unhappy homemaker who longs for her husband to stop taking her for granted. Stephen Dorff is Jake Simms, a bank robber with a vicious temper and the obligatory heart of gold. When Jake attempts a bank robbery, Charlotte becomes his hostage. Together, they go on the lam.

Amazon.com

Susan Sarandon is Charlotte Emory, a sexually frustrated unhappy homemaker who longs for her husband to stop taking her for granted. Stephen Dorff is Jake Simms, a bank robber with a vicious temper and the obligatory heart of gold. When Jake attempts a bank robbery, Charlotte becomes his hostage. Together, they go on the lam.

Thelma and Louise this isn't. This original HBO film, Earthly Possessions, based on the Anne Tyler novel, is a sentimental road movie that requires more than a little suspension of disbelief (that they're able to escape in the first place is a miracle). Yet Sarandon, even in the most disappointing of roles, is a phenomenal actress who will make us believe just about anything. And so she does here; even with the trademark two-dimensionality of Tyler's characters, Charlotte Emory is a woman you can't help but care about. Dorff, with his rough-and-tumble good looks, is fairly believable as the irresponsible hooligan, and despite the unlikelihood of a relationship developing between these two, you are sucked into the romance right with them. Throw in a couple of car chases and a pregnant girlfriend, and you've got an entertaining, lighthearted film. While the ending is a little disappointing, fans of Tyler's novels and her other books on film (Saint Maybe and Breathing Lessons) will surely be swept away. --Jenny Brown

Customer Reviews:

Nice movie, hummor and love story........2007-02-26

See a woman that lives trapped in a life with no excitement until get involved with a younger guy that kidnaped and makes her explore a part of her she didn't know. Recomended to people who likes love story and comedy.

This Movie is Fun.......2007-01-08

I can't remember why I originally watched this film since neither Sarandon nor Dorff is a particular favorite of mine. Nonetheless, I did watch it and I liked it very much. The rather farfetched story of the semi-meek dissatisfied housewife and the considerably younger loser who kidnaps her in a botched bank robbery is actually one of the funniest movies I've seen and it has remained so after several viewings. This unlikely combo has a peculiarly funny and sweet chemistry that is very appealing and their brief, offbeat romance is also entertaining, however nutsy it may be. Both leads are excellent in their parts and the whole crazy saga of their attempts to avoid capture and the final resolution of both their stories is very funny and ultimately very satisfying. If you want a light, essentially upbeat movie to cheer you up for an hour or so, this is for you.

Very good movie with excellent performances.......2004-06-03

This is a good road movie, I really enjoyed it. What makes this movie good is without a doubt the great acting from its two stars. Susan Sarandon and Stephen Dorff are excellent in their roles as kidnapper and hostage. The movie is also funny at times and very serious at times which I really like. Stephen Dorff is a very good actor and if he keeps doing roles like this one he could very easily follow in the steps of Johnny Depp which is one of my favorite actors. Susan Sarandon is always good and this film is really worth the time again the acting is excellent and is the reason to see this movie.

Starts Out With Promise But Quickly Fizzles.......2003-10-09

I watched this film during my " obsession " with Stephen Dorff. I fell in love with him after I saw " Blade " and from that point made it my mission to see every film he'd ever been in or was going to be in. I saw this when it debuted on HBO and I was disappointed. I have nothing against Susan Sarandon and everyone knows she's a very nice person and a fine actress, but she wasn't truly Charlotte. Susan Sarandon comes off as too strong of a person to play such a meek lady. Whenever I looked at her I saw roles from " White Castle " and " Thelma and Louise ". I couldn't buy Susan as a woman who had to run from her husband no matter how many bad dresses they put her in.

The film was based on Anne Tyler's novel. I found the movie better than the novel but that isn't saying much. Alot of things were changed for the screen. I don't remember Charlotte and Jake being romantically involved in the book. Susan and Stephen had no chemistry. Why do filmmakers insist on making a romance when there doesn't need to be one? I appreciated the conversations when she seemed to look out for him like a mother would. But that was ruined when they threw in the lame sex in a cheap motel. This was not fair to the characters. Jake was too hyped up and alarmed about his baby to start having sex with a woman he didn't know. Charlotte was a church going woman who wouldn't have touched Jake with a ten-foot pole. The romance factor wasn't believable and turned the movie from sensible to fluff.

I wished they could have spent more time on the road because that was the most entertaining. Once they picked up Mindy, I was asleep. I tried to give this film a chance but seeing how the book was less than average, I sort of got what was coming to me. Stephen Dorff is always a terrific actor. No one can make a character become their own like him. He and Susan would have been a knock-out duo on another kind of movie. This one came up short. It's a nice little family movie and it has all the usual sappiness of many chick films. But THIS chick felt it could have been a lot better.

A must see.......2002-07-03

I loved this movie! Stephen Dorff does an all around great job in acting the part of jake simms. I am a big fan of his work and hope that he keeps on following up movies that are as great as this one.

Average customer rating:

Nice movie, hummor and love story.
This Movie is Fun
Very good movie with excellent performances
Starts Out With Promise But Quickly Fizzles
A must see

Earthly Possessions [Region 2]
Starring: Susan Sarandon , Stephen Dorff , Elisabeth Moss , Jay O. Sanders , and Alan Pottinger
Director: James Lapine
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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