Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Agent10 A Slipping down life was shelved for many years, and the lack of real hipness or accessibility is probably to blame for this. Helmed by two indie stars Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce, this film was held back simply because neither person could conceivably carry this film.But unlike some crappy movies that see a rebirth it didn't deserve, ASL was quietly pushed into the underground cinema and then quickly reborn on cable. And while this doesn't sound good on paper, ASL actually surprises you a little with some of the little nuances within each character's performance (with the exception of Sara Rue and Shawnee Smith---ugh!!). Lili Taylor exhibits yet another introverted woman who is somewhat shunned not just due to her nature but also her looks. Much like previous films Dog Fight and even The Haunting (where her character was visibly overwhelmed by Catherine Zeta-Jone), Taylor makes you believe she is her character rather than an actor. And some people say method acting is dead.Guy Pearce is especially interesting in this film. I especially liked the transgression of him embodying all the things his father hates and then turning into his father near the end. It was a strange transformation but an effective one. And its even more impressive how he can cover up his deep Australian with an effective North Carlina twang.While the plot was pretty random at best, at least these two performances added some life to a film that would have been altogether listless.

blueaugust This film is an absolute gem. It was filmed in and around Austin, and I didn't even know it until I saw the landscape. Not to mention the cameo of our former mayor Kirk Watson! What can be said about Lili Taylor that hasn't been better said by superior raters? She's simply amazing as Evie. I've read other reviews that claim she was too old for the part and I completely disagree. She brings a clear and clean strength to this role that was absolutely required for the part to shine as it did. She just simply glowed through the movie like a firefly. Guy Pearce made this viewer fall in love with him the way Drumstrings made Evie fall in love. Evie's relationship with her father was warm and touching. Her soul is so strong yet so fragile because of it's capacity to love that at one point I caught myself saying to the screen, "Don't break her heart. Please don't break her heart". This movie is a special treasure.

chrisphipps@hotmail.com This film left me with a special feeling. It wasn't that all the elements came together in the way one would normally expect from a film, they didn't. But the mood and feel of this film is special, real, and different. Both LiLi Taylor and Guy Pearce (who happens to be Austrailian with dead-on southern dialect) do a wonderful job with their characters, as well as many of the supporting cast. As I grew up in a small town in the South in the 70s and 80s, the film actually captured the mood and setting surprisingly well. I do remember what a big deal the local paper and radio were. I remember going to clubs not unlike the ones portrayed in the film. I remember the local popular bands. Anyway, I don't expect that all the films I like to build off the same formula for success. There are a lot of things I'm sure one could criticize this film for, but I'm grateful for this film and for the way it was made - to have corrected some of the flaws would have altered the mood.

just2happyhounds "A Slipping Down Life" was originally released at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999, but because of "creative differences" between the producers and the director/actors, it never was released...until now. Lion's Gate Films now owns the distribution rights. The film premieres in NY and LA on May 14th (elsewhere across the United States in late May/early June). I saw the movie last month at the Phoenix Film Festival. Toni Kalem, the director, was present, and she conducted a Q&A session with the audience after the showing. One of the common topics during this discussion was related to the differences between the book and the movie.While I haven't read it, it appeared that the die-hard fans of the book were totally drawn in and satisfied with the movie (and Anne Tyler, herself, gave her "official approval" to Toni Kalem's screen play adaption).Lili Taylor is absolutely brilliant in this movie, and Guy Pearce offers a performance you might not expect. Finally, before heading out to see this, make a point to grab a box of Kleenex - I found myself in tears more than a few times.