Advantages: a clever and original thriller Disadvantages: none
...no friends. There is however one thing that colours his life, the Yorkin family. In the Yorkin's he sees everything that completes his image of the perfect family, a successful couple, a loving relationship and a young son who is the apple of Sy's eye. Having seen their life evolve over the years through the photographs he develops, he has fallen in love with everything about his imagined surrogate family, but photographs only show the good things ... ...beaten track to begin with, one scene that has Sy committing a seemingly remarkable social trespass begins this quiet re-orientation of the film and by the time we get to the all important reveal scene we find ourselves re-thinking what we thought we knew about the main character. I have had to describe these events in very vague terms as its one of those films that can be ruined by the smallest of information. There is a nice contrast in the settings, ...
steerpyke 19.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Robin Williams is excellent Disadvantages: Not the most exciting film around
...developed an unhealthy obsession with one particular local family, the Yorkins. Nina Yorkin is something of an amateur photographer, and having lived in the neighbourhood for over a decade, she has become one of Sy’s most loyal customers. Sy has observed the family for as long as he can remember, more recently developing an affection for their young son, Jake, whom he has seen grow from a baby. Sy has nothing but affection and admiration for ... ...plot may sound unusual, but One Hour Photo is a genre film through and through. It is the latest in the long line of “Enemy Within” psychological dramas that cinema audiences seem to enjoy with relentless aplomb. And yet strangely enough, there are no conventional heroes and villains in One Hour Photo. This is a simple tale of how a vulnerable child becomes a dangerous man. Whether that makes him evil or not is a question that you are ...
LostWitness 14.04.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: A truly captivating performance from Williams and an overall concept that infuses every aspect of design. Disadvantages: A sequence towards the end which doesn't really appear to have any significance, and a tacked-on motivation.
...are something else - well, one family in particular are. The Yorkin's are a young family who have been having their photos developed by Sy for years, and one who he frequently fantasises about. Through their photographs he sees all their good times - the family occasions where everyone is smiling, and in that he sees what he yearns for but can never have. All this is threatened by a series of events that puts both Sy's job (his only connection with ... ...Nina (Connie Neilson) in jeopardy. What could this meek mannered man do when his life and all of his dreams are threatened?
In a film which is inextricably linked to photographs it is only fitting that images, colour and light play a huge part in the film, and appear to fit with an overall concept. The style of cinematography used often gives images that would make interesting photographs, such as when Williams is seen through the interrogation ...
ickkate 12.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Genuinely creepy, a mesmerising performance from Robin Williams Disadvantages: The family is a bit bland
One Hour Photo is a kind of creepy, disturbing thriller which gets under your skin. It stars Robin Williams in a very sinister role, very much like the character he played in Christopher Nolan's Insomnia, and it would seem he's turned his back on crazy professors and bumbling family guys, in favour of more complex, freaky characters.
Williams plays Sy Parrish, a lonely photo developer working in a dispiritingly bland supermarket, SavMart (obviously ... ...Dragon. The story of One Hour Photo does actually have some elements of that book in it, so if you're a fan of that, you might want to try this film.
Considering it's a film about photography, you might expect it to look very nice, and it definitely doesn't disappoint on that level. The Director, Mark Romanek, used to direct music videos, including for Madonna, and he obviously knows how to manipulate the screen. There's a scene early on in a car ...
l-m-n-o-p 17.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Atmospheric Sound-track, Top Drawer acting Disadvantages: Dream Sequences don't lead anywhere.
...remember not caring about it one bit - you see I have a bit of a dislike for Williams, maybe it was Patch Adams that did it, or perhaps it was those stockings in Mrs.Doubtfire but I just never really cared for the guy as an actor - so when I went shopping with my former house-mate and she recommended this DVD I wasn’t too sure - but listening to my house-mates great roars of approval I ended up buying it just to see what the fuss is about, and now ... ...character and a highly unstable one from scene to scene, yet always there’s a sense of realism in his performance that is greatly appreciated.
Nina Yorkin (played by Connie Neilsen - who was in Gladiator): The mother of the young family of Sy’s affections, she takes on the role of being an innocent quiet woman who lives to spend time with her son, and does it quite well - showing her emotions without over-doing them and never appearing to be over-bearing ...
Angelus 11.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Great perofrmance from Robin Williams, An interesting concept, quite atmospheric Disadvantages: Quite slow, a poor script, not nasty enough
...chose to go and see One Hour Photo simply because the film sounded quite good and as I have already seen The Two Towers and Ghost Ship, there wasn’t much else on that I wanted to see. One Hour Photo:
Plot:
The film starts off inside a police station where Simon Parish (Robin Williams) is talking to a police officer about an as yet unknown crime. Then the film is told as a flashback which Williams narrates and we are taken back a few weeks ... ...a rather special interest in one particular customer Nina Yorkin (Connie Nielson) and her young son Jacob (Dylan Smith) and even Jacob’s father Will (Michael Vartan). As the story pans out, it soon becomes apparent that this interest is in fact an obsession, Simon is not only processing the Yorkin family photographs but he is printing himself copies off as well, which he pins to his living room wall, almost like some kind of godly shrine.
...
deano_76 06.02.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: A brilliant, career chaging role from Williams. Disadvantages: Not as creepy or profound as it would like to be.
...highly praised and the latest, One Hour Photo is another (much needed) success.
One Hour Photo is a massive step away from his old image, gone is his warm smile, gone is his quickfire comedy and instead we have a new, bland Williams and a very creepy persona. Like Robert De Niro in Analyse This, Williams plays on the audiences familiarity with him as a cuddly comedy figure and is therefore scarier than an actor who would normally play the part. ... ...The plot of One Hour Photo is standard stalker fare, and anyone who has seen Cape Fear, The Fan, The King Of Comedy or Fatal Attraction will be all too familiar with the layout. The story is not the highpoint of the film and instead focuses on William's performance which is both a downside and a bonus. It is obvious what happens at the end from the word go and the film follows a bog standard pattern with a few differences chucked in as an afterthought. ...
willgould 10.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Great Performance From Robin Williams, And An Interesting Storyline. Disadvantages: Quite Slow Moving, And Not Very Thrilling.
...the premiere of 'psychological thriller' One Hour Photo, of course. --- Cast. --- Sy Parrish - Robin Williams. (Mrs Doubtfire, Patch Adams, Jumanji.)
Nina Yorkin - Connie Nielsen. (The Devil's Advocate, Gladiator.)
Will Yorkin - Michael Vartan. (Never Been Kissed, The Pallbearer.)
Jake Yorkin - Dylan Smith. (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Maya Burson - Erin Daniels. (Wheelmen, The Outer Limits.)
--- Plot.---
One Hour Photo tells the story of Sy ... ...the counter. She is obviously one of his preferred customers. Our suspiscions first arise when Nina asks for 2 copies of her photos, yet Sy writes 3 on the form. We soon enough learn that he keeps a copy for himself, and returns home every night to his empty little apartment. Except his apartment is not quite that empty. It's full of photographs of one family - the Yorkins.
Sy's wall is covered entirely by photographs of this family, not an inch ...
damncoldnightdotnet 09.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Very scary performance from Williams Disadvantages: The chills may be a little subtle for some
...and The Birdcage, but in One Hour Photo he gives his best and most notable performance as a sinister and lonely man looking for affection. This is a really creepy thriller which director Mark Romanek builds up slowly but cleverly, without the need for blood and murder as a way of moving the story forward. Williams plays Sy Parrish, an extremely lonely and rather warped individual, one of the nameless few who has been pushed out of society and is ... ...then a little obsessed with one family in particular. The slowness of the film helps greatly to give us a sense of what's going on in Sy's mind, with the use of natural lighting and an eye for detail making this film far from boring. Romanek's attention to even the smallest of details gives us a clear window into Sy's world, with his character the one we're meant to care about most even if he is the villain of the piece. There is little characterisation ...
bigmike33 30.10.2006
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Looked at from whichever angle, one might well say this is a rather weird film. Considering its subject alone (the stalking of an innocent family), 'One Hour Photo' (OHP) could be classified somewhere along the lines of the suspense/thriller genre (remember 'Cape Fear'?). Yet, the main character played masterfully by Robin Williams should detract us from such classification and direct us to consider the dark noir genre.
OHP is the story of a loner ... ...local supermarket. He is passionate about it and develops this passion into obsession. He has regular clients; among them a housewife who's brought films for processing for many years. In time, Williams develops a morbid interest in the history of this family as portrayed by the photos, i.e marriage, the birth and growing up of the children, birthday parties, etc. The character imagines himself as the unknown member of this family, the good uncle, ...
C_C_Ryder 22.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Williams at his best Disadvantages: not enough time spent on explaining the Yorkins
...points in the film. At one point you hear him saying that all the family snaps are of happy moments. To compensate his sadness he develops an unhealthy fascination for a suburban family, the Yorkins (your kin’s get it). For years he has been handling their snapshots. Whenever they order a print he makes two copies one for himself and one for them. He talks to Mrs. Yorkin like he knows the family very well but She is too busy with her designer life ... ...to watch.
In One Hour Photo Sy worships the Yorkins, he thinks of them as an ideal middle class family, a similar view held by many of you about the actors who star in these movies. What would you do if you came across Tom cruise or Julia Roberts. One Hour Photo raises some important points like the way we treat service sector workers, and the privacy issue. For all you know there might be a Sy Parish near you, watching every move you make. All ...
razmao 02.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Superb performance from Williams Disadvantages: Slow
...completely papered with photographs of one particular family, the Yorkins. Nina Yorkin and her husband Will have a beautiful house and an adorable son, Jake. Nina documents the happy times in their lives photographically, and Sy develops the pictures, thus witnessing the family as it grows and changes. Unbeknown to the Yorkins, he always develops an extra set to put on his wall.
To Sy, the Yorkins have it all. They represent everything that Sy has ... ...the lives of others, and One Hour Photo is firmly in that genre. It differs, however, in its lack of physical violence and its pace. More of a slow creeper than a thriller, it focuses on Sy's life and mind rather than the fear of his victims. Indeed, for the majority of the movie, the Yorkins have no idea that they are the objects of Sy's obsession and in danger.
Sy's world is portrayed almost surreally. He works in a stark, white, non-human environment, ...
sandrabarber 22.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
...as the chief of a One Hour Photo booth for 11 years. Although, he loves his job he is very unhappy. Every day he sees hundreds of photos of people at their happiest moments, at weddings, parties, and generally families being together. The kids are laughing and smiling, the houses are beautiful and full of happy faces. These are family shots and Sy has no family. In some cases, he sees their most erotic moments. He yearns to be like the people in ... ...beautiful suburban house. One day, Nina drives to department store, to drop a film to be processed, at the One Hour Photo booth. The same booth where Sy works. Sy been developing their family photos for years and begins to imagine himself as a relative of one of their and slowly lets himself into the family. Nina asks for two sets of prints for the film, but Sy writes "3" in the box labelled "NO. OF PRINTS."
When the department store closes, Sy ...
madhatter7880 29.07.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Williams Disadvantages: The rest of the cast
...good at it.
In One Hour Photo, he excels himself as Sy Parrish, the lonely guy who works in the photo development department at his local Savemart store, and who starts to become obsessed with the Yorkin family, although he is none too keen on the man of the family.
He starts to imagine himself to be some sort of family member as he spends most of his days working on the family photos that Nina Yorkin brings in to get developed. His initial fascination ... ...part of their life.
One Hour Photo is an interesting and intriguing thriller, replete with plenty of menace, which is all the more dreadful because of the very mundaneness of the lives of the characters. There’s something chilling about knowing that all of this could easily happen to you and yours and the nice little fell who works down Tesco stacking the shelves might actually be a thoroughly nasty piece of work.
Williams is by far and away the ...
dave27 19.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
Advantages: Something to pass the time Disadvantages: Many holes in the story.
...develops an unhealthy obsession with one of the stores regular customers. The Yorkin family. It tells the story of how his interest turns from a hobby into a dangerous obsession which gets out of hand.
Robin Williams plays Si, the film processor. He is a very lonely character, with no family or loved ones and tries to compensate for that by throwing himself into his job and pretending to himself that he is a relative of the Yorkins. Able to visualise ... ...with seeing these happy images. We never take pictures of bad things and when something goes bad, so does Si.
Robin did do a good job with what he had, but the story he had to work with was lacking. I would have liked to know why he was the way he was. There is the obvious reason of lack of family, friends and social life. It needs more than just that assumption as an explanation though, as Si obviously has some serious mental problems. They have ...
L.Yeomans 14.07.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of One Hour Photo (DVD)
One Hour Photomarks Robin Williams' third film running as the bad guy, following on ... more
fromInsomniaand the straight-to-video (in the UK)Death to Smoochy. It's also his most chilling role to date. Playing "photo guy" Sy Parrish, obsessed by the seemingly p...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
One Hour Photomarks Robin Williams' third film running as the bad guy, following on ... more
fromInsomniaand the straight-to-video (in the UK)Death to Smoochy. It's also his most chilling role to date. Playing "photo guy" Sy Parrish, obsessed by the seemingly p...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
One Hour Photo is a psychological thriller featuring Academy Award winner Robin Williams. ... more
In this intense and chilling story, Williams gives a critically acclaimed performance as a lonely photo technician who becomes deeply obsessed with a young family...
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner