Truth be told, I was quite disappointed by this movie. While I usually watch the same movie twenty times all over again, I watched this one just around three times, and I would still maintain that Griffin and Phoenix could have used some major polishing off. I have to admit that I completely loved the essence and the basic idea behind the film but it is my personal opinion that the movie is quite badly-done in terms of directing and intensity. I am usually a huge fan of Dermot Mulroney but I must also admit that his acting was somewhat lacking, especially with such a storyline.
The plot of the movie is pretty basic. Griffin is a divorced man who just learned that he has only around a year to live before succumbing to cancer. While auditing a psychology class, he meets a woman who introduces herself by her family name- Phoenix. The two of them strike up an instant connection, despite Phoenix's reluctance to draw closer. One day, she discovers that Griffin is dying and this is where the plot thickens...their budding relationship work out with the imminent threat of death hanging over them?
Like I mentioned above, the basic idea is nice but I also believe that very few movies could pull such a plot off. I will not, however say that this movie is a complete flop, because there are quite a few touching scenes with great dialogues. In fact, I would say that the dialogues largely contributed towards my rating this movie as three stars instead of two! In fact, there are quite a few tear-jerking moments with some genuine realistic elements thrown in. I would say that my favorite part of the movie is the way that love is depicted in quite an unexpected manner, where two couples are determined to make the most of a relationship that has no future from the very start. There are certainly a couple of intense scenes with deep feelings and there really are times when Dermot Mulroney and Amanda Peet (Phoenix) seem to connect with each other, but only in terms of dialogue and acted body language.
In fact, another disappointing element in the movie is the blatant lack of chemistry between the two actors. The rare scenes where they seem to connect, like I just said, seem forced and the acting is quite obvious. In fact, like many others, I hate it when I see the characters acting their personalities out in a movie- according to me, acting means that one should not see or feel the process of delivering line delivery. It should be natural and smooth, which is certainly not depicted in the movie.
I could not help but compare this to "A Walk to Remember" that I watched along the same time. This movie also contains cancer and death as the main thematic elements but in comparison to A Walk to Remember, Griffin and Phoenix will not be classified as a "memorable movie" in my list. While love was present throughout, there was a gloomy aura of depression that hung through- quite understandable considering the plot, but since this a Romantic Drama, I would have expected it to be a little more sweet and sad in a nice way, like "A Walk to Remember"
DVD Extras include:
Interactive menu
Scene Selection
There was obviously nothing impressive about the extras, which was quite a shame to me because this is something that I really look forward to in any movies!
Overall, I would say that if you are an intense person who enjoys deep dramas with little humor, this is the movie for you. In fact, a lot of my friends loved it. However, for those who, like me, are looking for something lighter, then I would not recommend Griffin and Phoenix to you!
Thanks for reading!
also posted on dooyoo
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2000 - Drama - Director: Giuseppe Tornatore - Original Language: Italian - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
![Griffin&Phoenix [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/83332888.jpg "Griffin&Phoenix [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
![Griffin and Phoenix [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/71069423.jpg "Griffin and Phoenix [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
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