GREAT EXPECTATIONS 1998 Reviewed by Pierce Dalton 2 stars (out of 4)
What the hell happened to Great Expectations from the way of Charles Dickenson to the Hollywood screenplay?
This was not what I was forced to read in 9th grade.
This version is about two twits falling in and out of love from their childhood in Florida, to their adult lives in New York City.
The only resemblence, aside from the young love, is the escaped convict who befriends a boy in Florida. The con is played by Robert De Niro, who, in his total of four scenes, steals the entire picture under Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow's feets.
In the `60s, a boy is forced to do housework for an aging drama queen at her old, decaying mansion. There he meets her niece, I believe, and they fall in love, I believe.
They go in and out of lust as teens, til they both bump into each other in NYC later on, he a rising artist, her, a business women.
This film is under Paltrow's talents, while, it is basically just right for Hawke. De Niro, on the other hand, is great, but, the film is also below his surface.
A `90s, speeded up version of Dickenson, Great Expectations dashed all my expectations of the film out the window.
It is a nice fashion show, though
1999 (c) Quick Flick Pix Pierce80@aol.com
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