Uma Thurman in Les Misérables (1998)

Pics

Review

I am afraid this is really not my kind of film, and, at 159 minutes, is a very long watch, but it is not without some rewards. The film looks great, and has some excellent performances, and is, after all, based on a famous novel by Victor Hugo. The theme of the downtrodden fighting the establishment resonates with my 60's hippy heart. This book has been made into at least 20 film versions, which must be close to a record, and this is a good effort. It certainly looks great, is true to the themes of the novel, and boasts some good performances. Even though it will never make my top 100 list, I suppose the proper score is B-.

Nudity Report: There is no actual nudity, but Uma Thurman, does in fact, look sexy as hell in this sick bed scene, when the landlord is about to evict her, and all she has to offer for payment is her body.

Critics Vote: Ebert, in awarding 2 1/2 stars, hit the nail squarely on the head. "It's hard to make a period picture come alive, but when it happens (Restoration, Dangerous Beauty, Amistad) we feel transported back in time. Les Misérables only made me feel transported back to high school history class." Berardinelli enjoyed it more, praising the depiction of the "redemption theme," and fleshed out characters. Rotten Tomatoes has 79% positive, with 75% positive from the top critics.

IMDb Summary: IMDB readers say 7.1 of 10.

Box Office: It did $13.87M in its US release.


Written by: Tuna …courtesy of Scoopy.net