Featured Audience Ratings

• Tired of P

  
  Directed (and written) by Baillie Walsh, Left Turn Films, 2008, Starring Daniel Craig, Harry Eden, Eve, Mark Strong and Olivia Williams. Genre: Drama Question: Do you receive recommendations to see a movie and most of the time you wonder what people saw in the movie that made… More
  Directed (and written) by Baillie Walsh, Left Turn Films, 2008, Starring Daniel Craig, Harry Eden, Eve, Mark Strong and Olivia Williams. Genre: Drama Question: Do you receive recommendations to see a movie and most of the time you wonder what people saw in the movie that made them like it? Yes, I know I review and recommend movies all the time so maybe just ignore this question. I am still flustered over a movie I just finished viewing on Netflix: Flashbacks of a Fool. Anyway, I wasn't going to review this movie because it hit me hard. I am still trying to figure out exactly why. A friend recommended this movie and their opinion is one that I always take into consideration. But as I like to always say: DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING about the movie so they did not. I am still undecided if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The movie stars Daniel Craig (a.k.a. Bond, James Bond) as a self-indulgent, alcoholic, narcissist who is a very emotionally bruised man. He is obviously trying, desperately, to forget about his past and winds up alone, beaten and at the end of his rope emotionally. He receives some news one morning after a night of debauchery. It's probably the first connection to the past that he has had in years, decades. This just finally pushes him over the emotional edge. The first 20 minutes or so you see the life he has chosen for himself and why he comes to the beach to reflect back on his life after receiving this news. That is when the flashbacks come - it's the late '70's somewhere in England on the coast. We see him as a youth - perhaps 15 or 16 years old with his friend. The story then lends itself towards a sexual coming-of-age story or so I thought. I really don't want to reveal anymore because what happens over the course of the next hour should be viewed with little prior knowledge. But I will say something happened that made me an emotional wreck. Then something happened at the end that ripped me apart. Maybe you won't see it but for whatever reason I lost it and had difficulty containing myself for the next hour or so. This is a profound movie. This is a film about choices and the consequences of those choices especially when it is a selfish one. Daniel Craig was brilliant in this movie. I always knew he could act and I can watch that blue-eyed actor in almost anything. He may even be my favorite James Bond (Yes!). But the first 20 minutes of watching him spiral down the emotional valley was something that everyone should see. I am not sure why this didn't get anymore PR or press when it was out a few years back. It baffles me some days - movies like Flashbacks of a Fool or other wonderful small indie films that don't get more notice. Well, hopefully, with my small little blog I can help people discover these wonderful gems. I also have to give credit to the young man who played the younger version of Daniel Craig's character: Harry Eden. He really did a fantastic job as did all the actors in this small film. My favorite thing: Well, Daniel Craig, of course! My least favorite thing: I can't say... Rating: R Length: 100 minutes Review: 8 out of 10

• Elvira B

  
  Meh. Not a dismal film but not very interesting. Daniel Craig does his darned best to save it, but he isn't allowed much room. Olivia Wiliams is always a pleasure to watch... in fact, the performances are quite the only thing I'd give any credit to. The rest is just… More
  Meh. Not a dismal film but not very interesting. Daniel Craig does his darned best to save it, but he isn't allowed much room. Olivia Wiliams is always a pleasure to watch... in fact, the performances are quite the only thing I'd give any credit to. The rest is just acceptable: decent cinematography, decent score. Still, the structure is disastrous and the story is aimless in a bad way. Only watchable for a few minutes of Roxy Music lipsynching!! And/or if you want to take a good, good look at Daniel Craig's butt from several angles. Suit yourself.

• Dean M

  
  This drama film manages its details well, but can't control a much bigger problem - the titular conceit - and is crippled by the fact that I never believe they're the same character. Solid performance by Daniel Craig as a man on the brink and Jodhi May is so hot in the sex… More
  This drama film manages its details well, but can't control a much bigger problem - the titular conceit - and is crippled by the fact that I never believe they're the same character. Solid performance by Daniel Craig as a man on the brink and Jodhi May is so hot in the sex scenes of the 1972 flashback.

• Gordon A

  
  Fairly routine drama enlivened by a strong cast who brought the tale to life.

• Curtis L

  
  Kind of pointless, but I still enjoyed it. It made me go and listen to a bunch of David Bowie afterwards and think of the past. Highlights include a little girl screaming "It's Mine!" as she steps on a giant WW2 water mine that blows up.

• Walter M

  
  In "Flashbacks of a Fool," Joe Scott(Daniel Craig) is a movie star whose life is in free fall due to vast substance abuse. His agent(Mark Strong) has told him not to call him anymore after losing yet another role. To make matters worse, he gets a call from his… More
  In "Flashbacks of a Fool," Joe Scott(Daniel Craig) is a movie star whose life is in free fall due to vast substance abuse. His agent(Mark Strong) has told him not to call him anymore after losing yet another role. To make matters worse, he gets a call from his mother(Olivia Williams) that Boots(Max Deacon), his childhood best friend, has died, sending him off the deep end into the Pacific Ocean, resurfacing in memories from 25 years before in an English seaside village. Even with Daniel's Craig customary fearlessness(although it's not really his movie) and a very good supporting cast, "Flashbacks of a Fool" still turns out to be an unoriginal and predictable movie that fails to prove that nothing good can come from two people having sex. In this case, it derives from an event so shameless and incredible, that it is absolutely mindboggling.(Admittedly, it is a little symbolic...) Then, the movie tries to turn around and use that incident to explain all of Joe's problems when simply being interrupted during sex would have done the job well enough. And why obsess over the past, anyway? I thought at one point that Joe might be gay and that his constant pretending to be someone he is not, is taking an enormous toll on him.

• Christopher H

  
  "Flashbacks of a Fool" is simple and thoughtful, with Daniel Craig bringing a sophistication to his role. Despite being immersed in a rather basic coming-of-age plot, Harry Eden is catapulted into a much more dramatic role with help from Olivia Williams, Felicity Jones, and… More
  "Flashbacks of a Fool" is simple and thoughtful, with Daniel Craig bringing a sophistication to his role. Despite being immersed in a rather basic coming-of-age plot, Harry Eden is catapulted into a much more dramatic role with help from Olivia Williams, Felicity Jones, and Jodhi May, who all deliver memorable performances, making Eden come off as a stronger actor. With its raw nature and fine-tuned story, this drama delivers more than expected.

• Andrew F

  
  In <i>Flashbacks of a Fool</i>, Daniel Craig plays a selfish actor that must revisit his past. The flashbacks (or more appropriately, flashback because it is one continuous flashback) are interesting and were the scenes I found most interesting, but the problem is that… More
  In <i>Flashbacks of a Fool</i>, Daniel Craig plays a selfish actor that must revisit his past. The flashbacks (or more appropriately, flashback because it is one continuous flashback) are interesting and were the scenes I found most interesting, but the problem is that they don't really give the audience much perspective into what is happening in the present. And, plus, I found Daniel Craig quite annoying in this movie.

• Jonny C

  
  Good drama starring Daniel Craig. Flashbacks of a Fool is about a fading Hollywood star who looks back at the days of his youth as he returns home from his best friend's funeral. The story carefully constructed, with the story cleverly split into three part's… More
  Good drama starring Daniel Craig. Flashbacks of a Fool is about a fading Hollywood star who looks back at the days of his youth as he returns home from his best friend's funeral. The story carefully constructed, with the story cleverly split into three part's (present/past/present) and there were solid performances throughout the cast.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings