“In the bedroom” centers around Matt and Ruth Fowler’s  (Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson) concern about a romance between their son Frank, a college boy (Nick Stahl), and a woman who is about 10 years older (Marisa Tomei as Natalie Strout).  Natalie also has two small children, and, oh yeah, she’s married.  Well sort of married.  She is separated from her husband Richard (William Mapother ).  

      Frank, the college boy, is gentle, bright and is clearly a good influence on the children, while the actual father, Richard, is a spoiled, creepy  rich boy with a temper – you’ve seen both types a thousand times in previous family-in-conflict films.  And of course the evil Richard is a large hulking brutal kind of person, while Frank is small and very weak looking.  Oh and Richard,  the real father, wants to move back into the house with his wife and kids.  With that knowledge, I am sure you can easily guess several of the scenes in the movie.  There are a few twists later in the film, but not really surprises, it is just you would not be sure if they will pick hackneyed plot line A, D, C or D from the Screen Plays for Dummies book.

      This film is on many best-picture-of-the-year lists, and for the first half of the film I was falling in line.  Near the middle of the film there was an uncomfortable lull that fit very well in the story.  But then it lasted a little too long.  Then it lasted way too long.  Then I scratched it off the best picture list because the lull pretty much lasted the rest of the film.  Yes, there was a final sequence of scenes to wrap it all up, but they were surprisingly without suspense.

      The first 25% of the movie is fine, as it sets up the situation and the characters well.  The acting is great, Sissy Spacek is such a good actress it is too bad she does not do more films.  The story is OK, but far from great and certainly not the least bit clever.  The pacing is terrible and had me looking at my watch.  I kept wishing I was in my bedroom snoozing.

     -- Pappy ( 2 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

      Mike ( 3 out of 4 pops )

      "In the Bedroom" is a good drama with very good acting all around.  The film's theme is basically how a tragedy can effect even the best of relationships and bring out deep rooted feelings between the people involved.  The movie also has some great cinematography and some haunting scenes.  Tom Wilkenson is especially good here, it wouldn't surprise me to see him get an Oscar nomination for best actor.  Marisa Tomei and Sissy Spacek give very good performances as well.  I recommend this film but I would have to say that it's been over-praised somewhat by the critics.  It didn't have quite the powerful impact to me like the family-drama "Affliction" did a few years ago.

      Billy Ray ( 4 out of 4 pops )

      If I had watched "In the Bedroom" sooner, I can guarantee it would have been on my Top 10 list.  However, having seen it so late, I felt bad placing it on there and just gave it an honorable mention.  But, it will be on my list for next year--I guarantee it.  I simply loved this movie.  It features four of the best performances I have seen in months and has one of the most electrifying, original, and entertaining plotlines of any film recently.  Tom Wilkinson and Nick Stahl are amazing.  Sissy Spacek and Marisa Tomei are unbelievably flawless and perfect.  Some of the best moments in the film are shared between Wilkinson and Spacek and those moments are usually silent ones, with zero dialogue and mere gestures and facial expressions.  This is as close as a film can get to being without a flaw.  If you haven't seen this film yet--you are really missing out. 

      Matt ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

      Three words:  brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.  This is a quietly powerful motion picture with memorable performances all around.  Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek and Marisa Tomei all deserve Oscars.  I loved the way Todd Field used silence as a way of generating emotion, whereas most dramas tend to depend too much on music.  "In the Bedroom" tells a great story without dialogue or music.  The film is character-driven, and the characters are realistic and engaging.  Some may criticize the film's slow pace--and it only occasionally drags--but the film doesn't rush itself and I appreciate that.  Field allows the character arcs to develop before we finally arrive at the intense conclusion.  If you're expecting heavy-handed melodrama--in the sense of a "Lifetime" Movie of the Week--you will be disappointed.  If you're expecting a "real" movie with "real" drama, then this is a definite must-see!