Elegy

ultimately flawed drama in which Ben Kingsley's ageing college professor falls in lust with Penelope Cruz' stunning and vulnerable student.....The film starts wonderfully....Even this exceptional cast cannot overcome the film's final analysis.....Nichola Meyer's screenplay nicely interweaves the other three key relationships..... ... Full Review

This film is so much better....In its third act, Meyer's adaptation moves away from Roth's story to predictable movie melodrama, which diminishes its power.....Penelope Cruz is an extremely good actress....Both performances are stunning....But Coixet has also drawn out Ben Kingsley's best performance for a very, very long time..... ... Full Review

But what really sets the film's tone is the affection and humour which infuse the love scenes.....There is no heavy-breathing obviousness, no straining for the effects of passion..... ... Full Review

Elegy is based on the novel The Dying Animal by Philip Roth, the enfant terrible known for shocking readers with his frank portrayals of male sexual lust..... ... Full Review

Between her work as Carolyn here, opposite Cruz in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona and finally, an underrated turn in Ira Sachs' Married Life , Clarkson is proof positive....Kingsley brilliantly skewers the type with a bracing performance.....though it would have been fitting to have the director included on the film's commentary track to explain her choices.....The Spanish director brilliantly infuses this singularly American, mostly-male affair with a decided female perspective.... ... Full Review

'Elegy' Features Spectacular Performances From Ben Kingsley, Penelope Cruz....But these are minor complaints for what is truly an actor's piece.....The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with an English 5.1 Dolby Digital track that fits the film well without being particularly remarkable.....Hopper, Clarkson, and Sarsgaard are perfect in the supporting cast and Kingsley and Cruz simply rock..... ... Full Review

There always seems to be a shortage of good, mature movies for adults.....Enriching the story are three fine supporting actors giving first-rate performances.....Patricia Clarkson is perfect as a longtime sexual partner of Kepesh's, someone with whom he might have settled down years earlier but did not.....Dennis Hopper plays brilliantly against type as Kepesh's best friend and colleague, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who repeatedly and unremorsefully cheats on his wife (Deborah Harry)..... ... Full Review

Still, I'll go with two out of five and an average rating for Elegy , it's an interesting take on lust and mortality, but ask yourself first if you have the patience for it. I recommend you wait for the film till it's out on DVD for an uncensored original version which is easier to enjoy than this mutilated version that's in the cinemas now. ... Full Review

Elegy highlights the not-so-uncommon fact....And Elegy is not cheap, but philosophic and sophisticated.....Likable and well acted, Elegy has some powerful performances.....least once in a while, a good storyline would be complimentary.....it's nice to see an adult movie where the woman isn't afraid to stay topless in partly non-sexual scenes!.... ... Full Review

Elegy highlights the not-so-uncommon fact....And Elegy is not cheap, but philosophic and sophisticated.....Likable and well acted, Elegy has some powerful performances.....least once in a while, a good storyline would be complimentary.....And one cannot help but appreciate the movie's acknowledgement of the fact.... ... Full Review