Read User Reviews and Submit your own for Certain Women

0

roninator2Oct 14, 2017

This movie has nothing to actually write about as there was nothing in the movie. A long winded film of women doing their jobs. At the last minute of the film I was still waiting for something to happen to make it an interesting film, butThis movie has nothing to actually write about as there was nothing in the movie. A long winded film of women doing their jobs. At the last minute of the film I was still waiting for something to happen to make it an interesting film, but this did not happen. I recognize one of the actors in the film and was sad to find that this was so bad as I enjoy this actor very much. I would compare this to filming a forest at night for 2 hours, you would get just as much enjoyment with nothing happening.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

cnakhlaJan 21, 2017

It is clear by its mixed reviews that this film is a very acquired taste. This film feels less like a film and more like a painting to me. Every frame has been so thoughtfully put together that time is needed for the viewer to take in whatIt is clear by its mixed reviews that this film is a very acquired taste. This film feels less like a film and more like a painting to me. Every frame has been so thoughtfully put together that time is needed for the viewer to take in what they are watching. Certain Women isn't meant to have a groundbreaking story. The benign nature of the narrative reminds the audience of the subtleties of life. To make a film this beautiful, Reichardt had to make it simple. If there was a complex and intense narrative going on them so much of what the film fights for would be lost. There is nothing to be distracted by in this film, allowing you to be completely present as you watch.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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4

Brent_MarchantOct 21, 2016

Boring, pretentious and unfocused -- what more need be said. Despite a fine cast and skillful performances that make this material look far better than it really is, this drawn-out collection of pregnant pauses, lingering emotive shots andBoring, pretentious and unfocused -- what more need be said. Despite a fine cast and skillful performances that make this material look far better than it really is, this drawn-out collection of pregnant pauses, lingering emotive shots and endless nice-to-look-at-but-ultimately-pointless images is an exercise in tedium and unfulfilled hopes that something will eventually materialize from its underdeveloped, underwritten narrative. Of its three story lines, only one is even modestly interesting, leaving viewers baffled by the point the other two overly vague vignettes are trying to make. Don't buy into the hype surrounding this one -- it's not worthy of it.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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8

fairbrotherJun 19, 2017

This is a love it or hate it film. Very little happens here, and it happens slowly at that, so I'm sure that some viewers will simply tune out. But those who surrender to it's gentle rhythm might just be completely transported: I was. There'sThis is a love it or hate it film. Very little happens here, and it happens slowly at that, so I'm sure that some viewers will simply tune out. But those who surrender to it's gentle rhythm might just be completely transported: I was. There's so little conventional plotting that it's redundant to try summing up the three short tales within. But bear in mind that these are, indeed, tales adapted from short stories. And the film preserves the best, enduring characteristics of a great short story: namely finding the universal through the specific, and rendering it as lightly as possible. Plotting - at least in the "oh no, what's gonna happen next?" sense - isn't the point. It's the MOOD that matters and, Sweet Jesus, does this film get it exactly right. Director Kelly Reicherdt's sense of place, and sense of pace, is exquisite. Her framing is unfussy but always evocative. And she has the uncanny knack for coaxing her actors to a place where they truly know their characters - we can feel that every person here has a whole life story, even though we only see fleeting fragments from it. The cast are all in fine form but special mention must be made of relative unknown Lily Gladstone, who gets some of the film's best moments, and wears them with a heartbreaking sincerity.

All told, it's as beautifully-judged a piece of cinema as anything I saw in 2016.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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3

CMCOct 15, 2016

Very disappointing. I am not pleased to report that Rex Reed nails it pretty well. I like movies that are slow, unusual, and that strive to define personalities and moods. The performances were good and the movie is generally technicallyVery disappointing. I am not pleased to report that Rex Reed nails it pretty well. I like movies that are slow, unusual, and that strive to define personalities and moods. The performances were good and the movie is generally technically adequate, but for all the time allotted to the three women their true personalities don't emerge much and it all seems pointless and unfocussed. I kept wanting it to all come together, and it just does not. Sorry, don't waste your time on this one.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

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2

amboyNov 9, 2016

Apparently, women in Montana lead desperately boring lives and have difficulty communicating. Hence, there's a good deal of silence in the film. I did feel sorry for them and even sorrier that I had chosen to see the fil,/

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

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1

RFStuartOct 24, 2016

I agree nearly word for word with both Brent_Marchant and CMC, right down to my dismay at finding that my least favorite critic wrote the most clear-sighted review. Why then am I bothering to submit my own review? Because I wanted to voice myI agree nearly word for word with both Brent_Marchant and CMC, right down to my dismay at finding that my least favorite critic wrote the most clear-sighted review. Why then am I bothering to submit my own review? Because I wanted to voice my irritation and bafflement at so many generally incisive critics getting it so, so wrong. How does that happen? Is it the hidden game of attention and persuasion from people connected with the film? Fear of embarrassment at missing something, and so crediting the empty and too thinly drawn for being "deeply felt"? Fantasy identification with lifestyles? I could go on speculating, but it occurs to me that maybe this is not really an appropriate place for addressing these things. I wonder, though, how many others feel as I do--like a victim of critical malpractice, after having been persuaded by so much rich praise to see something so singularly vapid and incoherent.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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1

bostoncriticNov 21, 2016

An indie film of short stories about women, set in the state of Montana, intrigued me as it would many, just because I've never been there, but also because it has three famous and accomplished actresses. I wanted to like this movie. TheAn indie film of short stories about women, set in the state of Montana, intrigued me as it would many, just because I've never been there, but also because it has three famous and accomplished actresses. I wanted to like this movie. The three main actresses, and the additional unknown actress who played a ranch hand, can hardly be faulted for their performances, given the pathetically vapid, boring script. The director wants to tell stories about how women have it so hard in a man's world. It is supposed to be a serious movie with serious points about subtle indignities faced by women. Instead it is all style over substance. And the style is a slow, lingering, pseudo-intellectual gaze at inconsequential, mundane lives of lonely women in a lonely Montana landscape. Remarkable in that the acting was great, and it was actually beautifully shot, yet I never want to see another movie by Kelly Reichardt ever again. And Montana is now at the bottom of my list of yet-unvisited states to see. Do not waste your time or your money. Stay away, unless you want to see perhaps the world's most stupid, pretentious, pseudo-intellectual "feminist" film ever made.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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7

amheretojudgeFeb 16, 2018

what's wrong with me..

Certain Women The problem that itches throughout the course of these kind of movies is that it focuses on separate characters individually and the audience might not have the reason to hold on to it all the way to thewhat's wrong with me..

Certain Women

The problem that itches throughout the course of these kind of movies is that it focuses on separate characters individually and the audience might not have the reason to hold on to it all the way to the end if there is nothing binding them all but still the writer-director Kelly Reichardt's attempt is plausible as the first hour runs by smoothly. Laura Dern's part which is the first act is smartly written with gripping screenplay whilst Michelle William's has a mild tone to it at which point the film may lose the audience only to pick up onto its final act which is intriguing enough to invest in it. All the actors are at their best, offering stellar performances on screen with great supporting cast (one would hope that they all better share a screen). Certain Women has a great concept, excellent execution, stellar performances with a bit slow but gripping screenplay but lacks a genuine soul in it.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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9

Christopher_G2Oct 31, 2020

Kelly Reichardt, who has had a strong directorial track record of small, high-acclaimed, understated, character-driven films—for me a notable standout being a terrific little western from 2010 called Meek’s Cutoff—added to her career resumeKelly Reichardt, who has had a strong directorial track record of small, high-acclaimed, understated, character-driven films—for me a notable standout being a terrific little western from 2010 called Meek’s Cutoff—added to her career resume in 2015 with another impressive feat: Certain Women. With this film she has solidified herself as one of the best American, female directors—or maybe of either gender—of independent films out there right now. The plotline involves three loosely-interconnected stories of women depicting their struggles within their work, their life goals, their romances etc. High-class female talent in Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, and the always fantastic Michelle Williams are put to wonderful use, not really with huge dramatic scenes (though some characters around them provide us that element) but with solid, realistic, and non-showy portrayals of women in life’s twists and turns. If you haven’t yet seen a Reichardt movie, this would be an excellent first experience. Along with Meek’s Cutoff, I’d also recommend her Old Joy; and I look forward to seeing her most recent release First Cow, just released earlier this year.… Expand