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One of my all time favorites.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

A distinguished, divorced, 60-something professor and cultural critic, David Karesh (Ben Kinsgley), who seems to have all his ducks in a row, does something dangerous; he falls in love with a beautiful student 35-years his junior.I didn't know what to expect from this film but there are twists here, which eventually touch deep truths. I must admit "Elegy" had me on the edge of my seat as Ben Kingsley's David Karesh mismanages his affair with the stunning Consuela Castillo (Penelope Cruz), believing it too good to be true and that it won't last; almost unconsciously doing things to make sure it doesn't. All this as she demonstrates her love for him, even wanting him to meet the parents.Ben Kingsley's David Karesh is polished and confident, his celebrity as a critic combined with a cultivated style and a passion for art adds to his charisma.At one point in his seduction of Consuela he shows her a picture of Goya's "The Clothed Maja" (La maja vestida) telling her it looks like her, Of course Goya also did a nude version (La maja desnuda) and by the end of the film Consuela mimics that pose for Karesh in circumstances you don't see coming.Karesh is also having a long running affair with another woman who avoids commitment as much as he does. His friend, George (Dennis Hopper), who he turns to for advice is definitely of the do as I say, not as I do school, and he is estranged from his tightly-buttoned son, Kenneth (Peter Sarsgaard).By the end though, the student becomes the teacher as Consuela imparts important life lessons to the professor, mainly about himself.David Karesh's narration throughout the film is full of painfully gained insights and wisdom, especially on what it means to get old "Old age sneaks up on you, and the next thing you know you are asking yourself why can't an old man act his real age? How is it possible for me to still be involved in the carnal aspects of the human comedy? Because, in my head, nothing's changed"."Elegy" feels a little like we've entered Woody Allen territory with a dash of "Last Tango in Paris", but without the anger. The film builds to a powerful ending where the characters face tough decisions, however we are pretty sure we know what they will do.

David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) is a New York cultural critic. He is a dedicated bachelor with only non-committal carnal relationships. George O'Hearn (Dennis Hopper) is his best friend and Carolyn (Patricia Clarkson) is his sexual hookup. As a criticism professor, he becomes attracted to his student Consuela Castillo (Penélope Cruz). He develops a deeper relationship than he initially expected.These are great actors and I really want to love this. David is a head-scratcher character. I can't really get over his May-December romance and he's the reluctant one. It's not only that I don't empathize with him. I don't like him either. The tension depends on how much one wants them to get together. I simply don't care if he figures it out. If he doesn't, he doesn't deserve her.

American writer Philip Roth's 'They Dying Animal' is brilliantly adapted for the screen by Nicholas Meyer. However, a great script can be undone if execution is poor. Thanks to director Isabel Coixet and performers Sir Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz a truly superb, engrossing and thoughtful drama emerges. A thoughtful story is brought brilliantly to life by stylish but subtle direction by Coixet, and is helped by excellent technical contributions from Jean Claude Larrieu's excellent photography and Amy Duddleston's first rate editing. Coixet also eschews a conventional soundtrack for existing music, notably of Erik Satie, Beethoven and Vivaldi. Coixet's musical choices work brilliantly in conveying the appropriate mood for the story. The film has a deftness of touch that allows the performances to shine, but in a way that is subtle and thoughtful and by no means showy. The dynamic between Kingsley and Cruz works really well, and is erotic at times without ever being gratuitous, as the compelling story has you invested in the characters, and that is the journey that these characters go on that is the key interest throughout the film. Kingsley's character is also well served by excellent supporting turns by actress Patricia Clarkson (as a successful businesswoman who is Kingsley's long time sex partner), and Dennis Hopper is a personal if hedonistic friend. The journey these characters go on, most notably Kingsley's are fascinatingly well observed, and the grounded performances make the whole experience even more enjoyable. There is clearly a fabulous collaboration at work between performers and director and the story works in several clever twists that help drive the film to a thoughtful and slightly ambiguous, but no less enjoyable climax.A little patience from the viewer will lead to a hugely rewarding cinematic experience.

Penelope Cruz is 10 years too old for the role, but she's plausible as a 22-year-old and surpassingly beautiful. Ben Kingsley is a formidable actor. And both Dennis Hopper and Patricia Clarkson are excellent. Although it may be difficult to understand why a gorgeous young girl like Consuela Castillo (Cruz) would fall in love with a professor 30 years her senior, Kingsley makes it believable. And with the presence of Patricia Clarkson as the professor's sometimes lover of many years and Dennis Hopper as a sage (?) old poet and friend, the eventual cooling of the passionate relationship seems quite natural. But when it turns out that Consuela has breast cancer and reinserts herself into the professor's life, we are in maudlin Love Story territory and the movie simply cannot carry the weight. Why? Because, while she is a or maybe the major character, the story is really not about Consuela but about the professor coming to terms with his advancing age. So the focus is less on the likelihood that this beautiful young girl will die without having lived than on the certainty that the older man may have to face a burden and endure a grief he hadn't bargained for. It's a good movie, well acted but an impossible mix to swallow without gagging.