[.ca] Hysterical Blindness

From Amazon.com:
Uma Thurman is painful to watch in Hysterical Blindness--and that's a compliment. Thurman completely gives herself over to her trashy character, a pathetically self-deluding good-time girl who hangs out in a tavern in Bayonne, New Jersey, circa 1987. She occupies the bar stool next to her best bud (a dead-on Juliette Lewis), willing herself to believe that an obviously indifferent pick-up is Mr. Right. Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) directed this familiar but nicely-rendered HBO production; her visual style, full of obscured sightlines and opaque glass, emphasizes the heroine's inability to see clearly. Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara, as Thurman's mom and her gentleman suitor, add an echo of Cassavetes realism. But it's Thurman's tour de force, capturing the kind of lost soul whose idea of first-date chat is to break an awkward silence by boasting about her best sexual skill. She will make you cringe. --Robert Horton

great performances:
5 stars just because the performances in this movie are so good. Uma Thurman especially. She plays it soooo well. Juliette Lewis has a boring part but still she makes it look interesting. The mother character (whoops whats her name?) Is really good too. The story is of two women trying to find love in bars in New Jersey, set in the 80s. Uma is really screwed in the head and has a habit of hurting those who care about her. Shes really high strung. Juliette Lewis is her sweet friend. Uma lives with her mother (?) Who is also sweet and sensible.

acting saves it:
No, its not the most fascinating story, or the best 80s nostalgia movie. But it is well directed, and the acting is fan-freaking-tastic! I think that is why HBO hyped it. Uma's character, you just want to smack, her, hug, her , grab her and shake her! She is AWESOME in this role. Juliette Lewis played her part well. The actress who plays Uma's character's mother (forgive me I dont know her name) is also very very good. If you watch this movie, get by the fact that it is kind of boring, you see just how sweet the stars were in their roles. All totally convincing and perfectly getting the message across. Uma's character has serious issues and no shame. Lewis's character is a sweetheart who has over the years gotten used to her shameless, issue-laden friend. Uma's mother in the film is sweet and smart. I cant get over the acting in this movie, good direction too. Worthy of five stars regardless of the boring plot. DO NOT watch this is you want an 80s nostalgia flick (If you did, you are probably one of the people who gave this movie a bad review). Watch it for bitchin' performances and you will not be disappointed.

Just great:
If you grew up in the 80s and want a little nostalgia this movie is it.The girls in this story makes you feel ashmed to be watching them they are so out of touch with anybody else in this world.We all know people like this and wonder how they keep existing.The acting is excellant.The story gets a little slow at times but you won't be able to stop watching.

BRILLIANT...:
This movie was unsettling and hard to watch...I mean that in the best way. Uma Thurman in particular was so pathetic, so clueless and vulnerable....just desperate for acceptance...it was hearbreaking. Watching her character feign happiness and mold herself and her ideals to whatever man happened to be paying attention to her at the moment had me riveted. I have never been so impressed with Uma Thurman...FABULOUS STORY...watch it.

A Major Bummer:
Hysterical Blindness centers around three New Jersey women's search for love. Deb Miller (Uma Thurman) has major insecurity issues because her father abandoned her and her mother when she was thirteen, which made her really needy, neurotic and loose. Beth (Julliette Lewis) is a high school dropout and became an unwed mother at sixteen. Deb and Beth hang out at Ollies Bar, a seedy meat market where the guys are only out for one thing. They foolishly think that the man of their dreams with walk through its door. Beth's daughter Amber is more adult that she is and clearly the kid cramps her style. Deb's mother Virginia (Gena Rowlands), a waitress at Skyways Restaurant, finally finds love with Nick Piccolo (Ben Gazzara) only to loose it when Nick dies of a heart attack. Director Mira Nair claims that this movie was a dark comedy however I found nothing comedic about it though it certainly was dark and very depressing. It ends with no real climax the characters just go with their lives as before. The best part of the movie was the romance between Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara. I think the actors did a good job in their roles but the director just didn't come across with the story. If you must, rent it don't buy it!