Roommates (1995)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

As Good As It Gets

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I find it hard to believe that there are only 16 reviews of this film & that of those 16 all but one is positive, yet this film has such a low rating. I like a lot of Peter Falk's work. I truly LOVE Columbo. It was a great show that is still watchable due to the acting of Falk & the stories. I think the reason I love this film so much is that the character of Rocky somehow reminds me of my own father (who is old enough to be my grandfather) Like Rocky, my father is gruff, stubborn, snores incessantly, & loves his family albeit rarely says it. He shows his love with his actions not his words. Now that I have a son of my own & have my father living with me I hope that one day my son will be able to appreciate this film as I do.

I thought that this was a decent movie, although the title was a bit misleading. I thought the movie was going to be about college roommates or those that met shortly after. I did notice that after seeing the movie that there were many similarities between how family members and standard roommates get along.I noted the trivial entourage of characters. I somewhat disagree with the above users outlook on Julian Moore. In comparison to other films, I found her performance to be somewhat lacking.I did however believe that the storyline was quite interesting. I have watched this movie and find it analogous to my roommates online network experience. I mean, did you know that there were places to find people like this. Not to knock these services and believe me, I had a genuinely good experience at www.roommatesonline.net. But I did notice that other places where you could find this type of roommate were lacking in selectivity.They always say that you can pick and choose your friends/acquaintances, but getting a roommate is often just the same as in this move - you can't quite pick them. And although you might not like them, it seems that the interesting ones keep coming back. I give this movie a 7/10 for effort and a decent storyline.

I am not much of a sappy movie kind of guy, but I for one LOVED this film. Peter Faulk performs splendidly. Although slow in a few parts, the storyline more than makes up for it as it shows the trials and tribulations of family separated and joined together by generational gaps. Julian Moore give a great performance and looks absolutely beautiful in this film, even though her character is not as in depth as the main characters. And DB Sweeny shows that he can have a softer side, as well as a wise cracking smooth talking side. It was a little bit of a stretch from what he is normally known for doing, but he pulled it off very well. Roommates is definitely going into my collection. I give this one 8/10. Bravo guys.

Spoilers herein.Peter Yates is a competent director, very serious about delivering on the theatrical values. He only does well when the script is precise. And what we have here is a lesson in precision.This could only have been written by someone who teaches writing for a living; it relies on so many tricks of the popular pen that like Waller (`Bridges of Madison County') and Sparks (`Message in a Bottle') that you feel dirty and guilty afterward for having actually enjoyed that hot dog.Grandpa here is not the main character, instead the center is a big hole left by people who have died: first Dad, then Mom, then Wife. Swirling around that hole are vignettes whose only purpose is to sharpen the focus on its emptiness.The thing that works here is the amazing Julianne Moore, who enters and carries herself in a manner calculated to exit memorably. The previous year she reinvented layered acting with `Vanya' and then dove into five films in a year. These five are all over the place, each one a perfect sonnet of acting; all are trivial projects. All are raised by what she does.The only string this film doesn't pull is the dog. There isn't one.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.