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This PG-13 rated rom-dram was released in May of 1992, starring husband and wife couple
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, which more than doubled its 60-million dollar budget. Ron
Howard directs the lengthy 140-minute adventure story about two Irish immigrants trying to
make it in America, and eventually secure themselves a parcel of land during the famous
Oklahoma land run of 1893. Attempting their best Irish accents throughout, the two attractive
leads are stubbornly attempting to hide their true feelings for each other, while simultaneously
trying to make an impression. Their chemistry is obviously undeniable: these two were happily
married and in love during filming, and the strength of their on-screen relationship is
easily this film's strongest aspect. A fun scene where they disrobe on opposite sides
of a thin curtain, with both parties sneaking peeks at one another is particularly cute.
TV veterans Thomas Gibson, from "Dharma & Greg", and Colm Meaney from "Deep Space Nine" both
do a good job in their limited antagonist supporting roles... clearly enjoying the opportunity
to explore the authentic 19th century American-sets. But lets not forget a contrived appearance
by Ron's favorite actor... his younger brother Clint: playing a misogynistic factory boss.
Howard is able to capture the charm and personality of these characters brilliantly, but the pacing
is extremely hampered by very overt plot turns: with each act of the film taking place in
a radically new location: first Ireland, then Boston, then the wild west. It honestly feels
like three separate films by the end, with the final portion being the weakest; even
thought it does contain the hugely impressive land rush scene. A large sub-plot revolves
around Cruise's advancement in an underground fighting ring, who literally does circles
around the larger men's slower, more traditional style: it's an enjoyable sequence for sure,
but this is romance picture, not Rocky - and it mostly feels forced and out of place. The
slow and steady visual style is supported by a majestic, but an ultimately lesser effort
from famed composer John Williams. Unsure of its identity though, this picture is never
truly effective, as it seems afraid to take itself seriously. When one character dies
early, he immediately returns to life, simply to deliver a joke, before shuffling off the
mortal coil again. Bouncing from serious drama to quirky comedy, to adventure epic: it's
these tonal shifts that hurt the picture the most, even if many of the individual elements
seemingly work well. "Far And Away", feels like "Separate, decent elements mashed together."
Those were my thoughts, now lets check out of some yours.
The rate-o-matic for "Far And Away" -- a double FIVE. The usually talented group of people
involved didn't necessarily do a bad job here, but the film never quite gels, and is rarely
memorable or truly entertaining. It's for this reason we both scored it an ALRIGHT.