Great cast and directing.

Wendy & Paul Hood (Christina Ricci, Tobey MacGuire) keep calling each other "Charles". Evidently, this is supposed to be an in-joke about '70s TV personality Charles Nelson Reilly, though the parents are supposed to think they mean Charles Manson.

It was like being a bystander to sexual perverseness of every age, from pre-teens to seasoned forty and fifty-somethings. You watch the corruption and are appalled. If this was what the 70's was like for this segment of society, I can only hope they looked outward beyond themselves for the humanity they so desperately needed. I would not watch it again.

A bit slow-paced (Ang Lee directs, so is it any surprise? He's the master of monotony though it always LOOKS gorgeous.) but a well-acted drama with a great cast of veterans and soon-to-be-stars. Of the veterans, Kevin Kline and especially Joan Allen bring an innate melancholy and aggression to their characters' crumbling marriage. I was especially taken with Christina Ricci's performance in the film, proving herself a force of nature as a rebellious teenage daughter exploring her sexuality. The rambling existential nature of the story perhaps echos the atmosphere of the early 70s when the radical 60s gave way to a world without rules. If you're looking for a definitive conclusion, don't bother; the film's final scene is just as open-ended as the decade itself. Solid, beautifully shot movie.

Oct/12 Watched alone. Not a happy movie by any means. This was the 'cut' or censored version. Don't watch again.

Not much air-clearing in this movie: it is an effective indictment of the selfish 70s, and has some great acting of rotten characters, but leaves no feeling of redemption at all.

Just a Sunday afternoon made for TV movie- but not for the little kiddies. LOTS of B movie actors- maybe even B+. A very mature theme with a little suspense to boot

Ah, life and angst in the 'burbs in the 70s. The kids are unhappy and experimenting -- and so are their parents! // Some good/excellent performances by a terrific ensemble cast, including the veterans (Allen, Kline, Sheridan and Weaver as the primary adults; Czerny and Janney in supporting roles) and the young up-and-comers (Holmes, Krumholtz, Maguire, Ricci, and Wood). // Very nice direction and cinematography (particularly during the ice storm). // Definitely an unexpected end for one of the characters and for the film itself.

The ultimate family drama. Set against the turmoils of the decade that was the seventies, the film shows one family, which looks fine on the outside, but on the inside is anything but. The direction by Ang Lee is stunning and the performances by Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood are perfect. Definitely one great movie, worth watching for anyone who likes a taut drama.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good drama. It is one of those movies I would call a must see, but whether you like it or not will depend on you. However I enjoyed this movie very much, it is well scripted, well directed, and wonderfully acted.