Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

tprspan This film was put together very well for the most part, but at the same time it is very uneven. The biggest knock on it is the main character, Lisa, who is very unlikeable. She is the main cause for the accident at the beginning, yet she goes on a crusade thru most of the film, trying to get the bus driver, who ran over the woman, fired. But she caused the guy to get distracted in the first place, so the audience is supposed to jump on board her quest for justice? I wasn't buying that. Again, she caused the accident. And you can't buy into her developing friendship with the woman who's good friend was the one one who was killed, as they get together to sue the city of New York over the accident. The film was shot and directed well though, it holds your interest. But again, to me, the character of Lisa, comes across as a snot-nosed, manipulative, spoiled, teenager, which damaged what could have been a great film.

Michael Ledo There is no one named Margaret in the movie. It comes from a poem that is read. But that's okay I grew up watching Captain Kangaroo who is nether a captain nor a kangaroo. In fact there may have been a lot of stuff I didn't grasp in this film, but here goes.The film opens in slow motion to illustrate how life moves slowly along until one moment suddenly changes and defines it. Lisa (Anna Paquin) distracts a bus driver who runs a red light and kills a women. She wants to do the right thing, but what is it? The grief and moral dilemma disrupts her life and her relationships.The film is well made. The acting was excellent as was the writing...I think. I just didn't enjoy the film, but I didn't dislike it either. The main problem I have with the overall theme is that Lisa wants justice for the dead woman. She has grief which we see, but we don't see her publicly confess her role in the death. She doesn't seem to have any guilt...or perhaps that is the point of the film is that we quickly forgive our own guilt...except we don't. I kept waiting for Lisa to take blame for what had happened.This is a film about grief, but it is not really sad. Matt Damon plays a geometry teacher who is a love interest of Lisa. Matthew Broderick plays a literature teacher whose classes provide the film with multiple confusing deeper themes for you to pick from in case you don't like the aspect of simply dealing with grief. After watching the film, I felt like I needed a hug.PARENTAL GUIDE: F-bomb, sex, nudity (J. Smith-Cameron, Ann Paquin silhouette)

zezidud This is an extraordinary psychological story that explores the strange way in which guilt turns into anger, a process that is not necessarily straightforward and is therefore beyond the comprehension of just about everyone who hasn't been through a similar experience. Such understanding even tends to be inaccessible for those who have actually been there unless they're very honest and perceptive or very lucky. I am deeply impressed with both the conception and the execution of this film, especially the writing, but all other aspects are beautifully done: the direction, the acting, the music, the cinematography, every element is worthy of the depth of the story. I'm tempted to call it a perfect movie. What else can I say? Here is what else I can say: If you like movies that feature action stars driving orange pickup trucks backwards at ninety miles an hour, this movie is not your cup of tea.

happymedium I caught this on HBO. I thought it would be a great study in handling grief. Whoa, was I mistaken!* Spoilers*1st. To the Reviewer who said he'd "rather be run over by a bus"—No you don't. I have been & _Nothing_ warrants that reprehensible idiomatic phrase.2nd. Re: The Film. While the Lisa Cohen character is usually hysterical for most of the movie (can't imagine how Ms. Paquin kept that up), the gist of the movie is: —In seeing a bus driver's cowboy hat (which she's in the market to buy), she catches the driver's attention while he's going through a Red Light. Because of this, a woman named Margaret is killed & dies in Lisa Cohen's arms. Lisa then gives a false police report so as to not incriminate either herself, or the bus driver. Lisa spends the rest of the film trying to settle her guilty conscience with all the involved characters; as well as mature in her broken world (child of divorce & mother is a self-absorbed actress-so Lisa thinks-but her mother is also finding love again with Jean Reno.What does Lisa really accomplish? Alienating or Antagonising the audience.(In all my years of reading/using IMDb, I have never seen so many User Reviews. Amazing!)Lisa's guilt (& class w/Broderick) re: Shakespeare—the screenwriter falls for the Lady MacBeth—can't wash the blood off my hands cliché (in a nightmare).Lisa thinks she can call or just show up w/out notice into the lives of Margaret's relatives, the Police (Hey Kids, Lisa thinks she can pull rank by being a bigot & insulting the officer who thinks it's fine to release next-of-kin telephone #s to her. Lets try that at home—Not!); & she tracks down the bus driver—again "reasoning while hysterical" & tries to get him to admit he ran a Red Light directly Into Margaret to the police.—Yes, Lisa's the definition of naive until she becomes belligerent—then she becomes Litigious. At least one moment of reality arises when Ruffalo says who's going to pay for my family's needs if I'm found guilty? But no way in real life would Cohen be allowed to visit him, or would a bus driver agree to talk with her.To Summarize: 1. This film is a giant waste of time. 2. There is no form of actual healing; although she's surrounded by people who could provide counseling. 3. Completely unrealistic police procedural. 4. It's actually emotionally frustrating to watch. 5. Just b/c her parents are divorced doesn't mean they don't love her, or don't have time for her. 6. This film needs either a major re-write; a vast edit; or I wouldn't have released it anyway.& finally …7. I think the discrepancy b/n very low ratings & high ratings is based on thestar quality packed into this film vs. the final edit that I saw where there was no way to suspend disbelief. Frankly, it felt like a very bad Law & Order knock-off.