SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

LilyDaleLady I caught this on late night TV, having missed it in the theaters originally. I wasn't expecting brilliance, but just HOW bad this was - given all the talent involved (Keaton, Ryan, Kudrow, Ephron sisters) it was pretty shockingly poor.One thing that stood out to me (in 2014) is that filmmakers need to be more careful about centering pictures on things like phones or computers. The technology changes SO fast, and it dates the film just horribly. Think about movies from the 40s-60s; they often seem ageless. But nobody today can see those big clunky cellphones from 1999 without falling over laughing...my god! the giant antennas! lol!What we DO forget though -- and this is endemic throughout the entire film -- is how costly a cellphone was in 1999. It was something only a person of wealth and privilege would own, or if you did own it, could use it round the clock, with no concern over every expensive minute (unlimited chat was unknown then). Simply that the Mozell clan can afford to yak constantly on expensive phones was a clear, elitist signal that these folks are staggering rich -- BEFORE you notice that they all live in giant Hollywood mansions, drive huge SUVs and can travel about on a whim.Screenwriters Delia and Nora Ephron based this on their own lives, as wealthy Hollywoodistas, but it just displays their cluelessness about how ordinary Americans live or deal with the universal problem of aging parents, illness and death. It trivializes a whole serious and very human subject. In his last film, Walter Matthau is touching if for no other reason than he was actually very ill and just hanging on; he died a few months later.Diane Keaton directs this mess very awkwardly, though she was given a script that I think had to have been close to unfilmable. For starters, it is heavily autobiographical -- the Ephrons are a sister clan of successful writers, whose parents WERE successful Hollywood screenwriters. That means everyone involved was way too close to the subject or milieu to be objective.Meg Ryan is attractive here, pre-facelift, though she is playing the same role as in many other films (goofy overwhelmed chick). Keaton should have known better than to cast herself; she is 16-18 years older than the other actresses and far too old to be their sister (we see them all playing together as as similar-age siblings in flashbacks!).The main star here is....the lavish sets, the art direction of which totally distracts from the plot. Ryan's character lives in a Tuscan mansion of vast proportions and decor, despite no visible means of income. Matthau is shown in an unbelievably posh Modernist mansion you enter on a bridge over a pool (and it's been seen in FAR too many other movies and commercials to work here as a believable family home).The final straw: at the excruciating end (the film is 95 minutes but feels like 3 hours), the sisters come together after Dad's sudden death for Thanksgiving dinner. They get in a cutesy, phony food fight throwing flour on each other's posh black Donna Karan outfits (*plugged by NAME!)....now, who without a maid or cleaning service, would throw FLOUR all over themselves and the kitchen floor, just before Thanksgiving dinner? Nobody. Only someone rich, and with servants, would remotely consider it.Conclusion: just painful to watch, unfunny and snobbishly elitist. Avoid.

moviemeister-272-935168 My English professors always taught me to get to the point when making a point. So here's the point: this movie sucks very large donkey huevos. Never have I seen such a contrived plot with such contrived and whiny women. "Squak! Squak! Squak!" "Wah! Wah! Wah!" It's no wonder the father in the film goes into a coma and dies. He got off easy. And what's with Diane Keaton. Talk about abuse of director privileges and miscasting herself as the sibling of women who are almost 20 years her junior. There was not enough Oil of Olay and panty hose on the lens of the camera to soft focus her way out of that age difference. Bad directing, lousy script, and over-acting. A boring movie, period. From this man's perspective, there are good chick flicks out there, but this is not one of them. Movies like "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "The Princess Bride" are chick flicks that a guy can watch and enjoy, huevos intact. I want my time and my huevos back. This movie took both of them.

Catherine_Grace_Zeh HANGING UP, in my opinion, is an excellent comedy that will make you laugh, cry, and feel good. Despite the fact that he was a little crazy, I believe that Lou (Walter Matthau) was a funny guy. I especially loved him in the flashback to (Jesse James) fifth birthday party. If you want to know why, you'll have to see the movie for yourself. As far as I can see, due to the usage of the "f" word two or three times, this should have been rated R. Other than that, this was a great film. Seeing Eve (Meg Ryan), Georgia (Diane Keaton), and Maddy (Lisa Kudrow) was very touching. In conclusion, I highly recommend this excellent comedy that will make you laugh, cry, and feel good to any Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton, Lisa Kudrow, or Walter Matthau fan who hasn't seen it. You're in for a smashing good time, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it.

Jane52 The first time I saw this movie, in the theater, I was too caught up in the unexpected awfulness of Eve's situation to be rational about my reaction. Only someone who has lived through an experience like this could possibly understand her feelings about her father, her selfish sisters, her truly horrible mother, while trying (unsuccessfully, but sincerely trying!!) to maintain some kind of family life with her husband and son. I loved the frequent flashbacks. I think this is a movie for the over-forty audience, because I'm not sure anybody else could understand it. The second time I watched it, I was able to concentrate more on the story, and the story is a good one. Sure, it's no knee-slapping comedy, but it never presented itself as such. It's almost too realistic in parts, if you've ever had a parent in this situation, you would understand. If you haven't yet reached that part of your life, there is no way you could possibly understand. The doctor's mother was a love of a person. I'd like to see her again. I wish I knew her in real life. And, the soundtrack is absolutely awesome. Jay McShann's "Once Upon A Time" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. And when it was sung over the flashback of Eve's mother and father dancing, I cried through the whole scene. If you are seeking a comedy, seek elsewhere.If you are at that stage of your life where you are seeking a great mixture of comedy, tragedy, irony, and frustration (just like our real lives!) then go rent this movie tonight. Have some Kleenex handy.