Customer Reviews

13 Conversations About One Thing (Widescreen)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This movie is interesting and deep.
I recomend to see it who likes to think about life.

Its a movie about sepereate people whose stories fuse together into one. They all meet or bump into one another along the way. Matthew McConaughey (Frailty, Reign Of Fire), Amy Irving, Alan Arkin (The Jerky Boys Movie, America's Sweethearts), John Turturro (The Man Who Cried, Barton Fink), Clea DuVall (Identity, Ghosts Of Mars), Tia Texada (Spartan, Bait), Frankie Faison and many others form the great line of work that is done here, especially Turturro, Arkin and McConaughey. So if your in for a little drama, this is the ticket.

"13 Conversations About One Thing" is an emotional film that will surely move its audiences. It stars Alan Arkin, Clea DuVall, Matthew McConaughey John Turturro, and Oscar nominee Amy Irving ("Yentl"). It desplicts four separate storylines that have one thing in common: they struggle with happiness. One loses his money shortly after winning the lottery, one struggles to keep herself together after an accident, the guy who ran her over struggles with guilt, one struggles with catching her husband cheating, and one whose envy threatens becomes self-destructible. The powerful theme within the events is present in every scene. Their life struggles have the intensity to keep audiences watching closely. The complex stories detail so deeply that audiences must watch the film multiple times to fully understand them. Though some questions have yet to be answered, they will be glad afterwards. Despite the time frames moving back and forth, the plot doesn't lose its touch with the chain of events. In fact, it keeps everything more interesting. The emotional theme is accented by the actors who perform their roles wonderful and expressively, especially Arkin. Their performances alone are unforgettable. "13 Conversations About One Thing" is a great drama that will surely please audiences. This will be remembered for a long time.

What is happiness? How do we achieve happiness? Do we know what happiness is? Is it by fate, Dame Fortune, or is it something we have to discover for ourselves? That's the thing in 13 Conversations About One Thing. There are various phrases that separate each segment of the movie, such as "fortune smiles on some, fortune laughs on others," which help underline the theme of this movie, as experienced by many characters.

There's an actuary, Gene English (Alan Arkin), whose company is going through hard times, and in order to cut back, lets go of Wade, an employee who's always happy and has a smile on his face. His motive that Wade will find some sort of silver lining. And Wade is at first shocked, as he has a family to support. Through this act, we learn more about Gene. He does have problems of his own, as he has a drug-addicted son, and is no longer married. I kind detected a kind of spite in Gene when he fired Wade, the typical case of an unhappy person who can't stand someone being happy. But given the outcomes of both people, it makes one wonder if karma has a role to play in this.

The physics professor Walker (John Turturro) is a creature of routine, making his entire life a schedule, whether it be his lover or his office hours, as he makes clear to one student who isn't making an effort in his class and whom he has a certain dislike. He's even left his wife to have an affair in the hopes that some kind of novel stimulation will break him away from the cozy rut of his old life. To him, that's happiness. Yet old habits die hard. He also finds solace in certainty, as his teaching physics irreversible. But in one instant, the effects that we have in what we say to one person is demonstrated later on. Or do, in the case of the actuary.

A hotshot prosecutor (Matthew McConaughey) is celebrating a victory in a case, but on his way back, he accidentally hits a young girl and leaves her there, not wanting to undergo legal entanglements--he oughta know, he's a lawyer. Slowly, the guilt he feels affects his life. The girl herself, Beatrice, (Clea DuVall), a housecleaner, initially has a positive outlook on life, yet following her accident, she becomes disillusioned.

There are some techniques used a la He Loves Me He Loves Me Not or Happenstance, where things that are seen in later segments fill in gaps or connect previously seen segments. And the performances are great throughout, even one can't sympathize with some of the characters, i.e. the lawyer. Me, I'll take as Wade as my nominee.

The viewer is indeed limited in the characters' lives via the film, but it does make one wonder, what happened afterward to them? Do or will they ever find that pot at the end of the rainbow? While there are no easy answers in the question of happiness, which seems to elude most like Tantalus and his fruit, I'll leave with song quotes I found apropos to this movie: "when you expect whistles, it's flutes/when you expect flutes, it's whistles." The name of the song: "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book."

Don't you hate it when you come across a film with a really cool title to it only to discover 2 hours later that the movie itself is crap (e.g. - "Things to do in Denver When You're Dead," "Igby Goes Down," etc.)? In this case, I'm pleased to say, '13 Conversation," joins the pantheon of pretentiously titled films that actually lives up to, and surpasses, its frou-frou monikers (ala - "32 Short Films About Glen Gould").

"13 Conversations" is one of those films featuring an extremely disjointed timeline that probably could've been told in typical linear fashion, but instead was thrown into a narrative blender of sorts and mixed around a bit throwing out conventional notions of Act I, II, and III into the post-modern waste basket (Pulp Fiction anyone?). Even with this scattershot approach I was hooked 2 minutes into this film on the basis of the strong performances and wonderfully written characters and was completely enamored with how the tale would ultimately play out till the very end. Definitely a great selection for one of those 'Blockbuster nights.'

And, oh yeah, video transfer is pretty slick on DVD. Thumbs up on that front. Dolby 5.1 (no DTS) is so-so.

Put it this way:this film was so good that i'm taking time out of my day to do my part in letting others know that it is a film worth watching (and reflecting upon). The film takes place in New York City and seemlessly weeves itself through the lives of various people who are loosley connected in as it's put in the film this "small world". There are many aspects which make this film great. The casting, acting, screenplay, direction but most of all what sets this film apart is that it speaks to both the optimist and the pesimist in all of us. What ever your take on life may be your sure to find both enemies and allies in this film, as well as a greater understanding of your assesments on life in general. I,m a true film buff and I,m only writing this article because I've just seen a great film which unfortunately has no recognition. I've done my part, hope you enjoy the film.

In spite of its seemingly depressing nature I tremendously enjoyed this movie. I believe it is the issues discussed that were able to touch deep and the quiet, restrained way in which they were portrayed. Another reason would be the beautiful ending that does not say much but leaves you with some hope for human kind...
"Thirteen conversations about one thing" lead to very coherent statements about the human condition. Each viewer, so I believe, will interpret what he saw in a slightly different manner. For me however the message was: reach out for other human beings - they are as lonely as you are; kindness, optimism and "looking at the bright side of things" have a power in spite of all and a kind word or gesture have an affect on other people - cynical as they may be; and most important: happiness is sometimes a vague term and is always better perceived at a later stage....
The movie starts with a scene whose significance will be understood at a much later stage. John Turturro, playing a physics college professor is having dinner with his wife (Amy Irving) and discusses an act of violence that he suffered, trying to analyze the horror of it all and find significance and meaning in what occured. The act itself and its impact on the professor are not clear to the viewers at this stage but will become clear later on. This is the first hint to what will be one of the movie's major themes - one event is able to shake a person down and cause a change. An irreversible change.
The movie brings us five human episodes that are entangled to one strong story. Matthew McConaughey is a young, confident attorney whose life changes on account of a car accident he causes; Clea Duval an optimistic kind young woman working as a cleaning lady who looses her faith in human kind on account of same accident. John Turturro is a college professor in search of happiness - in search of the "something" more that life has to offer. In pursuit of such happiness he leaves his wife, who is left to deal with same questions and issues, especially with the loneliness of one person in the big city. However, the most impressive acting belongs to Alan Arkin who portrays a lonely, cynical manager who has a very optimistic, good-natured employee. The employee's ability to see good in every thing hits an exposed nerve which the manager can no longer tolerate. Alan Arkin manages to deliver a round figured person including his many sides and faces, thoughts and regrets, thus forming a very realistic humane figure. Arkin is a bitter father, a manager, an ex-husband and above all a person who down beneath is kind and good, after all the masks are stripped down. Clea Duval is another great asset to this movie, able to touch us with her tender quiet portrayal of a girl who undergoes an inner turmoil.
The film is rich with metaphors and symbols that are not always evident on first viewing. One example would be the professor, Turturro writing the word "Irreversible" on the class blackboard while discussing the notion of anthrophy and giving us a hint to life realities as will become evident to him later on. Once you made your choice, consequences are irreversible, as Turturro will soon understand. Another example would be Clea Duval' s doll who always had one closed eye and suddenly appears with her two eyes open after her owner's inner change, as if to symbolize the new look on life she has. These are just two examples of what makes this movie rich and holding several layers of understanding.

This movie is great...it makes you think. Get it now b/c it's not in many stores.

Artsy film with only few memorable one-liners. Difficult to identify with the characters; creates distance between audience and movie.

What a brilliantly conceived and executed film on life, fate and the pursuit of happiness!

If you are wondering about the "one thing" in the title, well it is not simple. In fact it may not actually be one thing at all but several, and the genius of the film is that it makes you and those watching with you want to talk about what it means, thus generating a 14th conversation. The lines may have been mixed around in a visual feast of cinematic poetry but the meaning remains crystal clear. So I'd say that's the "one thing" -- meaning.

What I admire about Sprecher is that she trusts her audience wholeheartedly. She is clearly disinterested in highfalutin messages and doesn't hammer her themes to death. In fact, the best scenes in the movie aren't big revelations, dramatic monologues or directorial set pieces, but subtle character moments: a conversation that hits the right note, a glance that suggests a subtext, a smile.

The movie refused to leave my head for weeks, an impact disproportionate to the movie's quiet sombre tone. A rare film that manages to evoke emotions and provoke thinking. Buy it! Watch it! Talk about it!