Customer Reviews

Six Deg./Seperation

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A wonderful movie with many hidden truths about life. All characters in the movie have done an excellent job in portraying the superficial lifestyles that is common in the West.
As the families in this movie get taken advantage off, by the young Paul Poitier, they begin to learn more about themselves. The reality of life we accept may not be the reality that we once hoped for. Ouisa, Paul's star student finally understands herself and how her life has been a complete lie, serving her husbands needs and neglecting her own. The pursuit of money is a driving principle in the Western culture and we often neglect other aspects in life that deserve more of our energy. Paul is the catalyst in showing Ouisa the truth about life and removing her social mask. A person of mystery who demonstrates that anything is possible in life.
Overall, an amazing movie that should be watched more than once to capture the brilliance it portrays.

You can read other reviews for the plot but in conclusion I found this adaptation of the play not to work as well as it could. While the individually performances by title cast are exceptionally strong, the unbalanced parody of the stereotypes diminishes the piece: The shallow, smug socialite is not shallow enough, the disaffected, spoilt child is too shrill, the poor prospective conman too composed - its as though the film cannot decide whether to be more farcical or more serious. Direction aside, the main themes of the story reach conclusion midway through from which point it begins to wander and in the end, the continuing relationship between the Kittredges and Paul, in particular Ouisa Kittredge's revelation about her perceived connection, feel too contrived.
In part a self-proclaimed social commentary, the film adaptation also overlooks the opportunity to properly contrast the existing class division's between Paul and the Kittredge party, concentrating instead on the pseudo intellectualizing conversations - which Paul adeptly mimics/takes on - of the Manhattan social elite (i.e. the clever part). Having said that, it was a worthy attempt and it certainly *is* worth watching: there is a lot to take away from the film which by the way also has some great cinematic pans of New York City.

I recall reading a press report on the Columbine School shootings and the lifestyle of the two protaganists - apparently they were friends who
spent many many undisturbed hours in the basement of one of their parent's home making bombs etc as is the want of modern middle class teenagers. The point of the report was how dissociated or at least unaware the parents were of what their adolescent children were up to.
This wonderful film is about in part spoilt children and the huge gap that exists between them and their parents - or at the least the horror the parents experience when the children mirror their values. There is a wonderful scene when the wealthy Kitteredges (played by the SUPERB Mr Sutherland and Ms Stockard Channing) are abused for giving away their son's pink shirt to a wounded stranger. Or the horror they experience when the children DON'T mirror theirb values. Another scene features a telephone call from a student who tells her parents that she is getting married and going to Afghanistan to help the peasants in revenge against her parents for her highly privileged upbringing.
In this fine film, Paul (Will Smith was BORN to play this role) brings joy to the people her interacts with and actually changes the life of some, especially Mrs Kitteridge. Playing a ... black who is talented but poor, Mr Smith makes being an outsider in a materialistic hypocritical society a glamorous and attractive thing. Good or bad? It is also ravishingly photographed which fits one of its major themes - Western societies obsession with appearances - as well as fitted with excellent soundtrack. A thoroughly ENJOYABLE cinematic experience. After a dozen viewings, my intial impressions have been resoundingly confirmed. Worth owning.

Without copying what others have already written about this beautifully crafted and cast movie.... I feel I need to add an important point. For some unknown reason, the DVD version of this movie does not come with English subtitles. This makes some of the dialogue hard to catch, especially if your hearing isn't what it used to be. Nevertheless, a magnificient movie!

We are all connected in this world. It is strange to think that not only in big cities where people are anonymous or across rural hinterlands but all across the globe, thanks to internet and ease of travel, we are all far more intimately connected than ever before. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. The perils and glories of this interconnectedness form the plots of the film Six Degrees of Separation.

The Plots
The primary plot turns around a couple who are upper-middle-class New Yorkers, John Flanders 'Flan' and Ouisa Kittridge. They are upper-middle-class, but really live a very fragile existence. As one character puts it, 'they live hand-to-mouth, just on a higher plateau'. We experience some of the opulence and the tenuousness of their Upper East Side existence. Flan is an art dealer dealing in the gray market of shuffling unknown pieces between anonymous buyers and sellers, a human ebay portal for expensive works of art.

One evening as Flan and Ouisa were planning to seduce a wealthy foreign friend into an investment scheme, the doorbell rings and an injured young man of colour wanders in. In the melee of getting him cleaned and bandaged, the conversation takes wild turns toward art, philosophy, literature, and culture. The couple and their guest are mesmerised by the talented young Harvard-educated son of Sydney Poitier. The evening is a success, the art deal is closed successfully, and all go their separate ways to sleep for the night, but not before extracting promised from the young Paul Poitier to be extras in the filming of 'Cats'.

The next morning, however, the couple are surprised by another houseguest - a male prostitute picked up by the dapper young man from the night before. They are shocked, astonished, and throw the pair out of the house.

Not long after this, Flan and Ouisa encounter more and more people who have 'entertained' the son of Poitier, who, as it turns out later, in fact has no sons, only daughters. As the growing band of the duped search out the mystery, they finally discover that Paul is in fact the gay pick-up of one of their children's misfit friends; he has been coached in the ways of society and most of the personalities so that he can slide in without giving a hint of his true origins, and his charm propels him the rest of the way, until finally his deceptions cost a young man his life. Paul, or whatever his name is, is arrested and sucked into the system, and the Kittridges cannot find him, because they cannot tell the police his name. He disappears as completely as before he came into their lives, destined to be for most, but not all, a story to dine out upon.

Meanwhile, a line from early in the film, 'Chaos, control; chaos, control: you like? you like?' uttered by Ouisa as they foursome look at a Kandinsky painting becomes a motif for the entire film, as it alternates between chaos and control, much like life. Also much like life, one never knows where the chaos stops and the control begins, and vice versa.

The Casting
Again, the casting was inspired. Will Smith, prior to this film best known for being the Fresh Prince of Bel Air or a rap artist, carries the male-hustler-turned-society-gallant role off to near perfection. Donald Sutherland is a perfect Flan, with a nervousness and not-so-subtle ambition well done in his usual manner. Ian McKellan gives a great cameo as the South African businessman who is in America briefly, who opines that he is merely serving his role in history to educate and raise up the black Africans, 'and we'll know we've done our jobs when they kill us.' A nice supporting cast carry the various encounters with other families caught in the web of deception, including the required brat-pack reference of Anthony Michael Hall, proclaimed the Henry Higgins of their day. But the true gem of this film is Stockard Channing, who played the role on stage. Her facial expressions, subtle and emotional reactions to the world around her as she reacts to the growing sense of reality that overtakes Ouisa as she realises the limitations of her own world, are almost flawlessly executed on screen. Her energy and physical presence is truly perfect for this role.

Overall Impressions
I always feel a bit of a chill when watching this film. Can my life be construed as equally phony? Not phony like Paul's, mind you, but phony like the Kittridges and all the other upper-middle-class pretenders? Aren't we all living hand-to-mouth in some respects? Don't we all long for escape. And indeed, the idea of six degrees of separation is very true to me. I have no degrees of separation between heads of state Europe and African tribesmen, corporate lawyers in America and Marine Corps riflemen in Saudi Arabia, missionaries and clerics in South America and near the North Pole, Japanese educators and Pakistani students. Of course the whole world is connected to me. But what good comes of this as I sink into bankruptcy? Have I been living the Kittridge's life, and am now to experience Paul's pre-Poitier existence?

This is a film to make you think. You will be astonished at the sheer elegance and style, done with economy and opulence simultaneously. The same is true for the full menu of food for thought. Bring your appetite.

I has plesantly surprised with this wonderful movie. I have been a Will Smith fan since "Parents just don't understand". I knew he was truly blessed as an entertainer. I happened to see his biography on MTV and they mentioned this movie. I couldn't believe as a fan, I had actually missed this movie. Granted I liked all his other movies as strictly for entertainment purposes except of course, The Legend of Bagger Vance and Ali which establishes him as Serious Actor. However; "Six Degrees of Separation by far is cultivating at the very least and he does an excellent job in his first serious movie role. I must 100% agree with [another reviewer]. Every word is very much my own thoughts and impression about this great movie. All the actors should have walked away with many awards and the movie deserved more media attention. Excellent movie!!!!

As Ouisa Kittredge points out, Paul (Will Smith) infiltrates their lives with no other intention than to feel he had a respectible identity and to get a glimpse into their lives; indeed, he even stabs himself for it! And they, eager to have access to Paul's supposed father, Sidney Portier, are all too willing to welcome him.

The message I think this movie conveys that that societal standing does not guarantee happiness: Paul has none, and the Kittredges have a lot, and they are both equally empty. Neither group is content with their current reality, and both opt for an illusion instead. As Ouisa points out, Paul shows them more appreciation in one evening than their children had in an entire lifetime.

I am very fond of this film. The script is fantastic and the cast just blew me away. Chaos chaos chaos! Donald Sutherland and Stockard Channing play a married couple who meet a young mysterious black man when he shows up to their swanky apartment bleeding claiming to have been mugged. The young black man, played by Will Smith soon after meeting the couple seduces them with his views on the world and such.( I myself was seduced by the whole conversation they shared)
That's when things take an unusual twist. No one is who they seem to be, and everyone is so intoxicated by the mystery of who this young black man is that no one will rest until they find out the truth. Chaos Chaos Chaos!
I was very impressed with the casting. Everyone is this film did a great job conveying the confusion that the characters felt. A great performance by Anthony Michael Hall playing Trent Conway. Even though he is only in the film for about 15 - 20 minutes, his contribution to the story is just astounding.
" It was a rainy night in Boston..he was standing in a doorway.." He was just fantastic! "..you give them a pot of jam.." and.. "..bottle..of..beer.."
This film will definitely be one of your favorites. Chaos chaos chaos!

At my local blockbuster, I stopped to look at this movie becuase I saw Will on the cover, I then read the back of the box, where the story was, and knew I had to rent it. This is one of the best films I have seen. It belongs to my favorite "category" of movies. I'm talking about movies where the dialouge IS the story. No special effects or great scenery is needed. Usually these types of films come from plays, for obvious reasons. If you still dont know what I mean by the dialouge does the work, check out a movie like "12 Angry Men".

I have to say that the casting director for this movie did a wonderful job. The acting was suburb. My one complaint on the acting was Will Smith's lack of believeability as a homosexual man. He plays it well enough for the movie, but I assume the play presented this aspect of his character much better. I still can not believe that this film wasn't showered with Oscars, but at least the statues were saved for a movie that needs them to have people still renting the movies that won.

Also, to the people like me who like to read all the bad reviews, before the good, let me tell you about the 3bad reviews somewhat. The one that was posted twice was written by a person who called both this is "The Great Gatsby"(the book) boring. So, that may give you a clue that this movie is aimed for a more intellectual crowd. Another bad reviewer siad they enjoyed Smith only is such movies as "Men in Black", and "Independence Day". This again should show you the movie requires you to think. The other 1 star review I give a bit more credit. They didn't just say the movie was boring. They did not understand it. I think you should watch the movie at least twice (trust me, you'll want to watch it more) to understand it completely. Anyways, my point in that was showing you that was to let you know that this movie definately requires thought, and you WILL be dissappointed if you rent it expecting regular Will Smith movie.

All and all, I loved this movie, and highly reccomend it. My only other complaint has to do with the DVD. The only "Special Feature" as they call it now on DVDs was the original trailer. I hope they eventually come out with another DVD with cast interviews, or something. Maybe talking with actors from the play. It would help a lot. Also note, this plot was taken from a true story, so try to think about that as you watch.

One night in a posh Manhattan apartment a young black man (Will Smith), appearing to be mugged enters the home of Flan (Donald Sutherland) and Ouisa Kittredge (Stockard Channing). The man who says his name is Paul, claims to be friends of the Kittredge children. Over the evening Paul flatters the couple and a buisness guest they are hosting with his exotic tales and fascinating life stories. However, things aren't always what they seem to be. Like the painting in the movie, what is chaotic on one side, may be controlled on the other and vice versa.

This was the first major film breakthrough for Will Smith, proving that he isn't just the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and is a serious actor. Donald Sutherland does a superb job as the stuck-up art dealer who makes millions of dollars but spends more than he can make. However, the real star of the movie is Stockard Channing. Her performance is perfect and her portrayal of Ouisa's self-disovery, realization, and spiritual redemption could not have been better.

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION has become a part of the American pop conscience (thanks largely to the Kevin Bacon game). However, the movie is much more than a pop cultural reference. It is a movie for the critical movie viewer. It explores questions of great magnitude and in the end, concludes on a comic, rather than tragic, note. It is a small world after all, just six degrees of separation.