Conference bookie::movies

    It's *really* good!  Go see it.
    
    Lorna
    

    Like an often mentioned painting in the movie, it has two sides. One
    side is comical, the other serious. I thought the comedy worked. the
    serious side was less successful. I also saw the play and think the
    movie is much better. Almost all the acting is good, but Stockard
    Channing is excellent.
    
    John

    What is it about?  I don't recall hearing about it.  I may have and
    just don't remember.  Who is in it??

    "Six Degrees of Separtaion" is about a young black man who
    changes the feelings and social climate of New York's upper-
    middle class. 
    
    It stars Will Smith (Fresh Prince of Bel Aire), Stockard Channing
    and Donald Sutherland. 
    
    The film begins in the Sutherland/Channing New York apartment.
    They are husband and wife.  He is an art dealer looking to make
    a tidy profit on a piece of art but needs funding. They will be
    courting a very wealthy friend that evening to secure funding for
    an art deal.  The evening is interrupted by the doorman who is
    standing at the couple's front door with a youn black man (Smith)
    who has been stabbed in the stomach.  
    
    Smith explains that he was attacked in Central park and as he
    recovered from the shock of the attack, he realizes he is in front
    of the apartment complex where the parents of his Harvard roomate/
    best friend lives.  He explains how he went to college with both
    their kids and from what he tells them, he appears to know quite
    a bit about the family.  He gains their trust and he is invited in
    to clean the wound (which is basically superficial).  
    
    Everyone gets wrapped up in the life and future of this facinating
    black kid.  He's polished and smooth.  
    
    It's a movie about two-sided people...and art.
    
    I went in (with my movie partner, John Skelly [see previous reply])
    not knowing anything about this movie.  All I knew at that point
    was that it starred two actors I disliked (Channing and Sutherland)
    and one I'd never seen before (Smith).  I didn't expect to like it.
    It surprised me, I really enjoyed it.  I walked away loving Smith 
    and Sutherland (who has aged nicely and looks great in a beard).  
    And while I could still do without Channing I think she did a great job. 
    
    Jodi-

    The title refers not to angles but to social distance.
    
    You know yourself (zero degrees of separation).
    You know some people directly (one degree)
    They know others (two)
    They know others (three)
    	:
    	:
    
    The claim is that everyone in the US knows every other
    person in the US at the sixth degree of separation.
    
    I've read of studies that say something similiar but less
    dramatic--five to ten moves from aquaintance to aquaintance
    will get a letter from a person chosen by a sociology
    professor to another person chosen by that sociology professor.
    I suspect that some groups are harder to get to than others,
    and the maximum distance is probably well over six.  But
    the educated middle class in general is probably pretty
    close.
    
    In any case, it's a metaphor here.
    
    		-John Bishop

    As the author of .2 pointed out, the movie is based on a play.
    The play is based on real life.
    
    One of the people involved attempted to sue the theatrical production. 
    If you know the plot, you might guess which person.
    
    I can't wait to see this one.  It sounds like a fascinating look into
    people's minds.
    
    -Steve

    The "six degrees of separation" refers to any two people on the
    planet, not just the U.S.

This is the most intelligent comedy I've seen since "Strictly Ballroom".

    I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, but (or because) I found it more
    disturbing than flat-out funny. [I laughed a lot, but much of it was
    nervous laughter.] 
    
    One of the ironies of it was that the rich couple seemed to value the
    stranger's intrusion into their lives because it gave them a "real
    experience" to tell all their friends about - all the while they were
    busily keeping as far away from any real involvement in that experience
    as they possibly could. (And perhaps it's just as well, says the story,
    because look what happened whenever somebody did try to get
    involved...)
    
    A mix of slick drawing-room comedy, a touch of slapstick, and some
    pretty murky undercurrents (no less murky for being based on a true
    incident); hard to classify (not that that's a drawback). I do wish the
    film had had a stronger finish - a fade-out at the police station,
    perhaps?
    
    -b

	Well this out on video now, and was very hard to get a hold
	of because my video store only got two (2) copies because
	I was told it was very expensive compared to most new films
	(they usually get 8-12 copies of each film so this video
	must really of cost alot, any one know why?).

	In any case, this is excellent film as the previous reviews indicate!

	Will Smith's performance was very good (and I'm not a fan of
	his music or TV show), just as good if not better than Stockard
	Channings.

	The flashbacks and the flashbacks within a flashback were very
	well done with out being confusing (I believe this was due to
	the narration during the flashbacks).

	I'm really surprised this film only received on oscar nomination
	(Best Actress for Stockard).

    re: .10
    
	> I was told it was very expensive compared to most new films
	> (they usually get 8-12 copies of each film so this video
	> must really of cost alot, any one know why?).
    
    It must have something to do with anticipated sales volume.  You can
    sell eleven gazillion copies of Home Alone at $19.95 and make a profit. 
    I would imagine that 6DoS will only sell a modest number of copies.
    
    Mike
    

    Some videos are "priced for rental", which means they retail for oh,
    $69.95 or something stupid like that.  I do not know why the companies
    do this -- maybe it's anticipated sales volume like .11 said.  Anyway,
    if you see the "priced for rental", it generally means the video isn't 
    going to show up at Suncoast Video (a place where you *buy* video tapes,
    for those who don't have Suncoast locally), and that if you care to
    purchase the tape, expect to pay a large amount of money for it.  
    
    Most videos are not "priced for rental", and it seems more and more of
    them are being tagged around $20.00.
    
    
    kim

    Caught this over the weekend.....
    
    I truly enjoyed it but I winced everytime the "kids" were on the
    screen.  The acting was stiff - especially when the spoiled rotten brat
    threw a tantrum about his 'pink shirt for his new body' egad if thats
    the new one he should get a refund......
    
    a few spoiler comments/questions behind form feed
    
    
    BTW, which person in the story tried to sue?  Was it the friend who
    let it slip she was having an affair?  Or was it the Donald Sutherland
    character?
    
    The Stockard character knew that "Paul" was being reduced to an
    anecdote - that is why she got so upset at the end and ran out on the
    dinner party.
    
    I did like the way she handled it on the phone with him that last time
    they spoke - she followed her heart and didn't let her husband tell her
    what to do.
    
    
    Joyce

    I believe "Paul" was the one who wanted to sue.