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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Screen Media
Salesrank: 60294
Released: February 5, 2008 |
| Our Price: $3.74 |
| Used Price: $0.24 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
When a lonely housewife (Emmy winner Sharon Stone) faces the reality of her dying marriage to Gary (Timothy Hutton), she seeks comfort in highly unlawful and forbidden activities. While Gary takes to drinking away his troubles, he doesn't realize that things are falling apart around him— until it's too late. When a Man Falls is a gripping psychological thriller sure to keep you guessing until the end!
Description of When a Man Falls:
Though marketed as a Sharon Stone thriller, this solemn chamber piece revolves around three men. One evening at work, Gary (Timothy Hutton in ever-present baseball cap) runs into night janitor Bill (Dylan Baker in oversized spectacles). Gary and Travis (Pruitt Taylor Vince) used to tease Bill, a classical-music enthusiast, in high school. The encounter spurs Gary to reconnect with Travis, with whom he lost touch after the latter was involved in an automobile accident (for which he blames himself). Together, they drink and commiserate over their lonely lives; meanwhile, Gary's neglected wife, Karen (an uncharacteristically disheveled Stone), takes to sulking and shoplifting. Bill becomes preoccupied with his pretty neighbor, Sadie (Stacie Bono), and her abusive relationship (in his dreams, Bill saves Sadie from her attacker). A senseless tragedy forces these isolated individuals to face their fears once and for all. Originally known as When a Man Falls in the Forest, then When a Man Falls, the follow-up to Ryan Eslinger’s Madness and Genius moves too slowly to generate suspense, while the characters lack sufficient development for their catharsis to have the desired impact. (An absence of personal touches, like portraits and mementos, contributes an air of artifice.) Despite their efforts, this leaves the actors stranded at times, particularly Baker, whose Bill is too bizarre to inspire much sympathy. Of the leads, Vince makes the best impression--would that Eslinger had concentrated more of the story on his character. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
When a Man Falls Reviews:
A Thought Provoking Dramatic Work 
2009-01-07 - This DVD is horribly misadvertised as a Psychological Thriller. This was obviously a pathetic ploy by the DVD distributor to get the DVD off the shelves by any means necessary with no thought to doing the consumer, nor the film any justice. The result is that people are watching this film with entirely the wrong mindset.
This film is a dramatic look at the lives and relationships (or lack of relationships) of the four main characters. It is a thought provoking look into what can happen when we allow ourselves to dwell within our personal misery to the point that we can no longer connect to those around us. The acting, writing, cinematography and direction are excellent, and the film is riddled with beautifully captured momments of life to which so many people can relate. If you are looking for a shallow sexy thriller, see Basic Instinct or Sliver. But if you are someone who appreciates the simplistic intracacies of what makes up the soul of a person...this movie is an excellent choice for you.
Hopeless 
2008-08-07 - I see that a couple of reviewers were kind enough to award some extra stars for the potential of a film like this one. Sorry, but every movie has the potential to be a good one; but when it is poorly scripted, poorly plotted and poorly acted, it will be a horrible film. This is a horrible, horrible film, which wanders as aimlessly as its characters. I seem to be beating a dead horse, but I felt compelled to add my voice to the chorus of those who literally felt cheated by the misrepresentation of what this film aimed to be. Or, is that the point? Is all of life a misrepresentation; perhaps a sort of waking dream? What if . . . nah, don't bother -- the message is hopeless.
When A Movie Viewer Falls 
2008-07-20 - God-awful movie. I was first attrated to the movie at a popular video store because of the actors and the description on the movie sleeve. However, the description is a complete misrepresentation: "When a lonely housewife (Sharon Stone) faces the reality of her dying marriage to Gary (Timothy Hutton), she seeks comfort in unlawful and forbidden activities." Her role was minor and we see her shoplifting twice. On the front of the sleeve: "WHEN A MAN FALLS in the end . . . she got what she wanted." Well, I didn't see it coming and I never saw it coming because we don't really know what she wanted. Then, the final paragraph, "WHEN A MAN FALLS is a gripping psychological thriller sure to keep you mesmerized right up until the shocking end!" The only thing I wanted to grip was my own throat for putting myself through this unthrilling unpsychological bore of an incoherent mess.
Really boring 
2008-06-23 - Don't your time and save your money, for sure, one of the most boring you can look at. I can't imagine someone would buy it.
When a man falls 
2008-04-22 - This was the worst movie I have seen, the star make, it almost makes us not want to purchase any more of her movies.