Grand Canyon

Very shallow and stupid in its depiction of race relations. What makes it even worse is how seriously the movie takes itself, it's almost as if Kasdan thought he was making the ultimate masterpiece or something. The actors are good, but they can't save this dreck.

Kasdan's writing is sometimes good, but it's pretentious and pushy in this movie. It's almost as if he's staring at the camera, repeating "I have figured out life and you haven't" over and over again in monotone. Martin has a fun performance here, but he can't save the fact that a lot of the plot is downright stupid. In all, this movie's a mess and Kasdan thinks the Grand Canyon has mystical powers. It surprises me, all the crap he's produced ever since he co-wrote my favorite movie.

Some good things happen then some bad things happen, then some good things happen then some bad things happen, then some good things happen then everyone goes to The Grand Canyon.

Packed with famous stars, this delivers a high volume of interesting contrasts and different viewpoints. Acting is mostly good, but everything is presented in short segments. Not particularly memorable, but entertaining to watch.

Reminds me of Crash. Kasdan's best work.

Intriguing drama is far too scattershot in construction, and makes too many ungainly leaps from character to character, to be entirely successful, but the seed of a great movie is there, in the performances of a top-notch cast (though Martin's role feels truncated), and a well-written screenplay which traverses similar material to CRASH (2005) but does it in a far more honest, intelligent way.

Ridiculously melodramatic and silly.

A sort of lamer, tamer precursor of Magnolia. It was OK though, Steve Martin's character was great.

The movie that Crash wanted to be.

A snotty, pretentious film that's full of itself. But I like it anyway.

I suspect that a lot of the love for the film is that a lot of it feels really profound and important. I really don't think it is though.

All over the place

Top badass moment? Proof that tow-truck drivers are so much more important than lawyers; (see Covid-19 key workers for more examples). It was touch and go for a while, but this movie just failed to set off the Pretentious Twaddle Alarm, although babies in bushes and flying men did come close. It's a film that seems to last forever, just to prove that nothing in life has a reason. Also, I've been to the Grand Canyon for real and it really is awe inspiring. No cats, chainsaws or decapitations.

Like 1991's Boyz 'n the Hood, this picture is a great time capsule of the cultural conflicts of Bush-era Los Angeles. Yet while Singleton showed the '92 riots as the language of the unheard, this film went elsewhere. Tonally, it resembles Kasden's The Empire Strikes Back in showing how spread out characters battle the same obstacles. It loses points as the metaphysical moments don't gel with the grounded scenes like Kline explaining to Glover how he's never had black friends. Still, recommended.

69.500

Self-satisfied wholesome white liberal tale of racial tolerance partially redeemed by fine performances all-around.

Mainstream as all get out, but entertaining

cliche

A brilliant dream scene with Mary-Louis Parker.

One of those movies you have seen, but remember almost nothing about.

Meh.

A great exhistential meditation on L.A. and humanity! And some great performances. Here's to Lawrence Kasdan!

Lawrence Kasdan tells you how much more meaningful and compassionate he is than you.