The fall of a yuppie.

This movie wasn't nearly as terrible as the ratings would suggest, at least for my tastes. I'm not saying it was amazing or anything, and I certainly don't exactly embrace the message it sends, but the cast was solid, the plot was cheesy fun and while it may have been lacking energy for lack of a better word, it was still just enjoyable to consume it on a boring afternoon. For the most part I just wanted to watch some 90s flick and this had the right cast to satisfy that itch, and it was subtly funny and entertaining in spite of it's flaws.

A solid 7-8 out of 10 for me, just on the merits of enjoyability to watch, clearly not oscar worthy but not every movie needs to be.

Self-absorbed, ridiculously carried-away trash that thinks it's way more edgy and pertinent than it actually is. An adaptation of a popular novel, it's clearly the victim of a studio mandate to swing hard, if not particularly accurately. It's loaded with starpower, with Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith and Morgan Freeman sharing the spotlight, but none can help their sailing astronomically over the top with the material. Each character is more selfish and despicable than the last, even Freeman's grandstanding judge and Hanks's over-his-head bond trader on trial as political fodder.

Lofty hunks of social commentary are swung around with all the subtlety of a war hammer, belaboring the point until we all lay bruised, bloodied and beaten on the floor. Potentially-pointed stereotypes get played like aces, but fail to register as more than a long series of cartoon characters with a big vocabulary. It's confused, sneering and wretched; no surprise it could only attract flies at the box office.

In 2022, this film still holds up with its all-star cast and strong story line. But, even more reason to watch it today is to measure how our society hasn't held up as well with all its political name-calling and online bullying that has pushed personal honor and integrity to one side. Just saying.

Perhaps it can be a shiny mirror to help us decide how and where we want to make shifts in our lives to "regain our soul"-- pulling from the last lines of the film--once again.

M’y score 7/10.