Commandments | | Cast : | Aidan Quinn, Courteney Cox | | Director : | Daniel Taplitz | | Studio : | Universal Studios | | Format : | Widescreen, Color, Dolby | | Released Date : | May 02, 1997 | | DVD Released Date : | November 23, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON | Customer Reviews
| Rating |      | | Date | November 21, 2004 | | Summary | finally on dvd! | Content
 | I have been waiting for this movie to be released on dvd for years! Sad but not depressing -- and the ending is pitch-perfect. |
| Rating |     | | Date | August 01, 2002 | | Summary | this is an ancient story. . . | Content
 | This is a retelling of the Job story from the Old Testament. And the genius of the film is that (even though the movie includes another biblical story to wind up Seth's story) it ends much like the book of Job; there is no answer to why all these things happen to humans, but still there is the overwhelming sense that you just have to know more about this God. I'm sure this film doesn't sit well with conservative Jews or Christians--too much sex. That's okay--not much sits well with conservative viewers. It is a nice counterpoint to the notion on our culture that if you love God, nothing bad will ever happen to you. Here, Seth perseveres in this relationship even though he is terribly angry with God. |
| Rating |    | | Date | March 03, 2002 | | Summary | Unusual and interesting | Content
 | Seth (Aidan Quinn) is in a bad way. His pregnant wife drowned a year ago, his house has been demolished in a tornado, and he's lost his job. "Why, God?" he asks. God responds with a carefully aimed lightning bolt which not only hits Seth, but also manages to maim his pet dog. Homeless and jobless, Seth goes to stay with his late wife's sister, Rachel (Courteney Cox) and her no-good husband, Harry (Anthony LaPaglia). And Harry's collection of priceless guitars. We know that Harry is no good because the first time we see him, he's cheating on Rachel with gusto. Seth is lost and confused - why has God chosen to punish him, a good, loyal, hard-working religious man, rather than someone like, say, Harry? Not only is he confused, he's getting pretty angry. So he makes up his mind to break each of the Ten Commandments, one by one. "Commandments" raises some interesting questions - very few of which it actually manages to answer. Most of the time, it doesn't even make an attempt at this. Rather than trying to figure out exactly *why* God is punishing Seth, it turns into a comedy as Seth wife-covets, ignores the Sabbath and blasphemes his way across the screen. More interesting than Seth is Harry, who is nasty in a refreshingly human way, while Courteney Cox as Rachel is lovely, but more than a little distant. The characters and their dilemmas are somewhat inaccessible; we end up not caring about them as much as we should, I guess. A lot of the scenes seem illogical, and the cold blue sets do their part in cutting off the audience. However it's a lot more quirky and off-beat than most of the comedies in circulation at the moment. Keep an eye out for it. |
| Rating |     | | Date | March 30, 2000 | | Summary | Not recommended for religious people with no sense of humor | Content
 | But still good for the open-minded! I guess I should say you shouldn't see this movie unless you are a big fan of one of the cast members. The characters could have been developed better and the movie could have been longer (it is about an hour and a half). But still, it's a good movie to see if you like dark comedy, and I mean really, really dark. I myself liked it a lot; however, it is pretty strange and the ending could have been much, much better. Harry is a rather static character that you will probably hate, unless you love Anthony LaPaglia, and Sparky the dog is an added bonus. Rent this movie - you may regret it, but you probably won't. |
| Rating |      | | Date | December 14, 1999 | | Summary | My fave | Content
 | Even if this movie didn't have Courteney Cox Arquette, it'd still be my favourite. I love the movie so much, especially the darkness of it. The acting is superb! |
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