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Simply Perfect

Don't Believe the Hype

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

I loved the movie. I don't claim that it's perfect or even that it's great art. I don't care. I feel that it conveyed the longing for love better than almost anything I've seen.Vincent Spano's ethnic looks and convincing innocence are a winning combination in this one. Corey Haim was one of the only other people of that era who could convey fresh innocence, ableit in a younger form. But here, Spano does it as a graduate student.Virginia Madsen is stunningly fresh-faced and seems to have no makeup on.Most of these reviews have been about Peter O'toole. OK, first off, we should be aware that those of us who are not English are intrigued by his English accent, because to us it seems charming. To a Brit, it may seem rather normal and not affect their impression at all.But for me it wasn't his accent that exuded charm. It was his facial expressions when he was listening to someone else talk. His portrayal of the character's empathy and loneliness was brilliant.I also enjoyed the woodsy college setting of U.C. Santa Cruz, the classical music, the portrayal of a professor's lifestyle, and the beach setting.People are complaining about the soundtrack, but I liked it. It fit the time period and added to the wonderment of fresh love.I did feel like there were some awkward acting moments for both Spano and Hemingway, but I got through them. I think they should have made the Mariel Hemingway character a bit older and sweeter, so that perhaps O'toole really could have taken her seriously and it wouldn't have creeped us out.The message that we are much more than our bodily form came across with feeling,without slamming home the point.What I also noticed, that no one else has mentioned, is the cycle of life. O'toole had his chance for young love and now it was someone else's chance. You can't go backward. There will always be a new young person in front of you, living out what you once had, or perhaps what you never had and wish you could have another chance at. Such is life.

The only reason I give it as low as mark as 8 is because some of the interplay between Spano and Madsen threatens to get sugary enough to put a diabetic into a coma. Some of their dialog causes involuntary shudders also, but O'Toole is spectacular in it, as is most of the cast. A film about what truly makes up the substance of life, and does it with style, wit, and charm.Hemmingway is also pretty good, particularly considering her age and level of experience at the time, in bringing the impetuous and vivacious "Melli" to life. But this is O'Toole's film. If you find yourself disliking his character, be concerned. Highly recommended.

Have you ever seen a movie that made a quiet yet profound impact on your view of life? Have you ever seen a powerful performance from one of the world's best actors go so completely unnoticed in the process? Have you ever looked back on a film nearly 20 years later and think, "I hope I can find this on DVD?" Creator is one such movie. Peter O'Toole's performance is one of his better efforts (Come to think of it, even a BAD effort by O'Toole would be head and shoulders above some of today's stars). As Harry, you quickly learn (and, more importantly, FEEL) his pain and loss of his beloved wife Lucy, years after her loss. But he has what he feels is a perfect plan to clone her and recreate the love of his life. Mariel Hemingway's character (Meli) is the LAST person you would expect a scholar such as Harry would choose to be the host to carry the new Lucy to term. Hemingway's performance was a hoot. The story takes some twists and turns that include a side story that nearly supersedes the principal one. But the beauty, ultimately, is how the two complement each other. Getting through this movie is an emotional roller-coaster, the kind where when the ride is over you go, "WHEW!" But then again, you don't want it to end. The gift of this film is that when the lights came up at the end, it sent me back to reality with a different perspective that truly IS a gift.Did the movie "change my life?" Perhaps not, but it gave me a message that enabled me to change it myself. I think one of the reasons the movie came off so well (in addition, of course, to a brilliant performance by the cast) was that the script was written by the "creator" of the novel... so it stayed as true to the story as any adaptation can.Kudos to O'Toole, and the entire cast. But Kudos too, to writer Jeremy Leven, "Creator's" creator and director Ivan Passer who brought the story to the screen so lovingly... and entertainingly. Yes, this is one I want on my DVD shelf! If you've not seen it, do yourself a favor: Rent it and watch it with someone special. To paraphrase Leven, "Movies Can Be Wonderful..." and "Creator" shows you how.

peter o'toole is never an ordinary man in film. i just don't think he can be...and that's not a criticism. there's always something too luminous, too twinkling, too smart and witty. he's at his best in roles like this that let him play someone a little smarter, brighter, more attractive than anyone else. as a nonconformist "mad scientist" so obsessed with recreating his long-dead wife in his backyard lab, o'toole practically dances through the film, his generosity of spirit and warmth making the other characters come alive and his similar generosity of talent allowing room for younger actors to catch that spirit and run with it, if only for a little while. okay, so vincent spano has never been good in anything but a john sayles film, and the wife plot seems to peter out, and mariel hemingway, while delightfully trampy from time to time, seems to be trying too hard...but just watch the scenes where o'toole, chewing on his oversized cigar, playfully undermines his stuffy colleague (a funny, menacing david ogden stiers) or the scenes when tragedy strikes his young apprentice (spano) and he reaches out with the most effective looking comfort i've seen. when the boy emerges from a hospital door and looks to him and o'toole just opens his arms as wide as a church door. creator's not a great movie by any means...but you've probably not seen it and an unseen o'toole performance, especially one this warm and winning, is like a gift.