User Reviews

Although an ordinary story, a story which in normal circumstances won't even have been worth being told but the way it has been presented has made its worth. It tells how some times people who have almost the similar problems can some times come close to each other and understand each other. Its a story of two individuals who come to know each other simply by chance while attending their respective court cases. Walter who is a wrestler and physically strong but emotionally sensitive displays a good control over his emotions and upholds the principles of decency.

Good movie to watch.

I have to admit, I started with a prejudice against Ashton Kutcher. I should have learned from my initial unsubstantiated dislike of Brad Pitt. He is one of those handsome young men whose movie credentials haven't been impressive. I wonder if perhaps that stems from lack of opportunity. I see a film like this as a transitional one where we can see his acting ability. He does a nice job with the angst and anger brought about by the utter unfairness of life. Bad things happen and justice isn't done and we shouldn't pass judgment on a life if we don't have some real knowledge of that person. I liked the chemistry between the two leads. The relationship with the deaf son was a bit of a reach. There's no reason they communicated so badly. There is written speech, lip reading, and other forms of communication; even the most basic elements of sign language. It makes Kutcher's character seem rather shallow to think that he would spend so much time with this boy and still not literally understand him. Things do get a bit contrived at the end (I won't spoil it), but if you want to take away a single thing from this film. realize the pain that is life and the possibilities that those painful things can hand you.

Hollander's 'Personal Effects' reminded me of 'In The Bedroom' and 'Monster's Ball'. It deals with similar themes of coping with the loss of a loved one. The story is treated with equal restraint. The character development is gradual and in accordance with how the layers unfold. The visuals are very detailed and photogenic. It has a certain poetic feel which is further substantiated by the amazing score. I'm actually in search of the soundtrack.

Ashton Kutcher may be an odd choice for the role but I appreciate his attempt to break away from the typecast goofball roles he's known for. Where his acting is concerned, it appears very formulaic. It lacks spontaneity but one can see the actor's effort. It may not be among the best examples of acting but he gets better in the latter scenes and overall turns in an adequate performance. Michelle Pfeiffer easily delivers a natural performance that just seems like a piece of cake for her. The actress knows her craft too well. Ditto for Kathy Bates who stands out in a supporting role. Spencer Hudson is a sincere actor.

The only thing that bothered me about this movie is its lethargic pace which is very slow in the first half. The director focuses too much on the closeups when much of it could have easily been trimmed. Moreover, I didn't understand the need to 'maintain the element of suspense' in the end when the viewer easily knew the outcome (hence no surprise)? There are a few plot holes like why Walter didn't empty the gun before returning it to Linda. These flaws are but a few and thankfully they don't dilute the film (as long as one has some patience to get through the first half)

Stars ashton kutcher and and michelle pfeiffer. Younger man, older cougar. And the cougar's deaf son. They have both recently lost family members, so they at least have that in common. They are both still pretty messed up emotionally, so they lean on each other. Co-stars kathy bates and spencer hudson. It feels like someone's actual life story, but it's pretty good. Gets quite serious. Directed by david hollander. Appears to be his first full length director debut. Based on a short story by rick moody. One of his two projects turned into film.

Decent movie, but I found myself lost in several areas. I was not impressed with synopsis surrounding Ashton Kutcher and Michelle Pfeiffer's characters. It was weak in many areas, personal relationship, where the characters drew their strength and weaknesses from. I found myself being bored in many parts, and had to come back to the storyline several times to keep my interest intact. Kathy Bates did very well with the limited material provided, and understood some of the areas where humor was included and needed. I was more impressed with Aleks Paunovic and Spencer Hudson, and would like to have seen their characters expanded much more in the movie. It's a shame, and I would have rated it higher were this the case. Paunovic and Hudson appear to be excellent actors!

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Walter (Ashton Kutcher) is training to become a champion wrestler but the tragic murder of his sister throws his life into disarray. Linda (Michelle Phyiffer) is a wedding ceremony arranger whose husband was murdered by one of his friends, leaving her alone to look after her severely deaf son, Clay (Spencer Hudson.) These two people are drawn together by murder and, as each of them finds closure and torment respectively, their lives and the outcomes of their ordeals take unexpected turns that will change both their lives even more.

Personal Effects is not as straight forward a film as the plot description makes it sound. Reading like a straight forward revenge driven sort of film, it ends up playing more like a human drama and an examination of the course grief takes on the human psyche. All the same, writer/director David Hollander's film emerges as an unfulfilling experience, cheaply shot and with lead star Kutcher coming off as rather wooden at times. Though it explores it's themes with a certain sensitivity and subtle observation, the narrative flow fails to really hold together and the outcome is an uneven and unsatisfying film that leaves you more underwhelmed than emotionally drained. **

I usually don't watch Lifetime movies but it was a rare Saturday Night that i was home.. nothing else was on...the tube... Turned to Lifetime and saw an original TV film with Michelle Pfeifer was about to begin.."Personal Effects" The minute it stated I was hoooked... Love Michelle Pfeifer and she was excellent in the role of a somewhat older woman who falls for (through various circumstances) a younger man, played by Aston Kutcher ..now I've heard of him but had never (i thought seen him act ) Not only is he good looking and a"hunk" but he can really act he played the part of a confused somewhat depressed young man so well..I felt so sympathetic towards him ..Excellent performance know now, thanks to IMDb.that he's married to Demi Moore, and I did see him in "Bobby" and possibly the "70's Show". He was wonderful as was Michelle and the entire cast including Kathy Bates in another unbelievably good performance as "Kutcher's mom . Very adult quite graphic ,a bit violent but very well done and well acted.. The plot has a few implausabilities and was a bit confusing but stick with it... One of the best made for TV films I've seen in awhile Shown on the Lifetime Network

I've never written a review for a movie before. But after seeing such negative reviews for this movie I had to step up and say something. I thought this movie was great! The acting was superb and the plot was realistic. Some people seemed to think that the relationship between Michelle Pfeiffer and Ashton Kutcher was weird or creepy because of the age difference. This is absurd. There is nothing wrong with an older women falling in love with a younger man. Another problem people seemed to have with this movie was it's pace. Not me, I was enveloped into this movie from start to finish, and that's saying something since most of the time I watch DVDs I pause to take a break and do something else for a bit. I thought the story was engaging and the relationship between Michelle and Ashton believable.

If you're someone that's into movies involving regular people dealing with the stress and depression that life can cause then this movie is for you. But if your looking for the typical fake Hollywood stuff then you might want to pass this up.

On a side note, the only reason I gave this a 9 out of 10 was because I thought the ending could have been a tad bit better. Otherwise this movie is flawless.

Where to start?

The storyline is creepy. The pace of the movie is uneven and painfully slow. Kutcher needs to stick to light comedy. To top it off, the undertone of 25 year-old-boy-with-older-woman is downright distracting. The sex scenes (while not explicit) are so gratuitous the only explanation is they were put there to qualify for a chance at the Sundance award.

Michele Michelle Pfeiffer was apparently so uninterested, she did not bother to learn sign language, which as the mother of a deaf son; you would expect her to know.

There are HUGE gaps in the storyline line leaving you scratching your head. Kutcher is out of his league in the midst of Pfeiffer & Kathleen Bates he ought to be embarrassed.

Thank God we only paid $1.00 at a Red Box Rental. I think the studios still owe me $2.00 in gas money for the trip to and fro....

In short, awful way an understatement….

Oh, and did I mention its predictability?

The film started off very unassuming. Before you know it tho, I was hopelessly engaged in a poignant story told bona fide. The cast was unison in being their characters, and a sense of balance threaded through the entire film. Everyone humbly served the plot. That was truly inspiring, in this age saturated with blockbusters and stars, where we're used to having our senses bombarded with glamour.

Being a sucker for photography, I have to say: brilliant. It reminds me of Darius Khonji's (DOP) Before the Rain...I loved the look of the entire movie, especially the warmth that surrounded Tom's house opposite the rest of the gloom. To me it was metaphor for Tom's heart: honest and good. Beautifully done!

I thought Ashton was amazing. I though the young deaf man was great. Aleks Paunovic=Tom: heart rendering...visceral. I've seen Paunovic in various roles, and every time I get lost in the character! Wow! I hope we get to see lots more of this actor. Tom was as sweet and attention grabbing as John Coffey in The Green Mile.

As for the film as a whole, a sense of oneness of all it's elements, very coherent and intentional. I felt strung by the development of the events. I like Hollander's style. This is a great representation of American film. I hope it does festivals in Europe as well. It contradicts Hollywood and it's a very truthful representation of the majority of American people. Not the BIG people's lives only. I really like that. Thank you, to the director.

What I absolutely LOVED about the movie, is that even though it was about difficult situations, I didn't 'drown' at the end. I survived, not in the big kind of 'SAVE THE WORLD DAY' but in the 'it's possible that things will turn out good' kinda way. To me, this was a story about HOPE. Just what we need these days. Congarats!

Personal Effects has Ashton Kutcher leaving a promising athletic wrestling scholarship to abruptly go home after his sister is murdered. He wants to be with his mother Kathy Bates during their mourning period. Something that both are not dealing with in the best manner possible.

Kutcher also meets the older Michelle Pfeiffer who has a teenage son Spencer Hudson whom she is trying to mainstream in the public school. He's a handful and it is Hudson's character whom we are seeing the film through his eyes as he narrates.

Pfeiffer's husband was killed in a drunken stupid barroom incident that got taken outside and became fatal. Kutcher's sister might not have been the idealized person he makes her out to be in death. The one accused of her murder is one of her many boyfriends.

From promising college wrestler Kutcher in order to make ends meet dons a chicken outfit and passes out handbills for a Kentucky Fried Chicken like place. It's where Pfeiffer first meets him.

The inevitable happens, the two have common ground and that's the basis for a lot of romances. Kutcher also develops a relationship with Hudson and interests and coaches him in wrestling where he proves to be good.

The film ends on a nebulous note and you can decide for yourself whether Pfeiffer and Kutcher have a future. Personal Effects is about real people dealing with grief. We all have to at some point and for as many people as there are on planet earth there's another method for dealing with grief.

See if these two strike a familiar note in your life.

This has to be the worst movie ever! Who thought this up? You took wonderful actors that had not a single stitch of chemistry and threw them into a poorly written script! What were you thinking? I think the actors in this movie must had owed someone a favor to do this movie. Kathy Bates....what were you thinking! I will ask the same of Michelle Pfeiffer.....WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!!!! I have loved every movie that Michelle has ever been in. White Oleander, Frankie and Johny, Dangerous Minds.... This makes me wish that I never turned the TV on to lifetime that day. I was waiting all day to see that movie, I even asked a friend to come over and watch it. At the end, we were happy it was over. Save yourself, DON'T WATCH IT!!!!

I suppose Ashton Kutcher is a shoo-in for his role here. Given a romantic relationship between a young man and a much older woman, Kutcher's real life experiences would have probably given him a head start in the auditions (if there was one), since he has walked the talk, and this aspect of the story would come off as no surprise. Then again, for writer-director David Hollander, this could have been getting this talked-about area out of the way, because the story here is richer than what the synopsis had painted, offering an engaging tale about the connections found between lost, broken souls.

The entire film is shrouded and draped in deep melancholy, and even the art direction and sets are nary bright and dandy, despite having weddings, an occasion for happiness, interspersed throughout the narrative. Hollander had crafted a series of multi-faceted characters and they got fleshed out brilliantly through the wonderful individual nuances to bring out the uniqueness of each one, with a common thread between them in having to be found holding onto things from the past, or plagued by the unhappy nightmares that life had dished out to them. For those who have lost someone dear, you'd probably feel just about the same way as the characters here, and especially in that seeking of justice when a crime has been committed against a loved one.

For those who equate Ashton Kutcher with his popular P'unked gag series, you'd probably already know about his flair for comedy, having his fair share of films like What Happened In Vegas and Just Married providing that showcase for his comic timing. For me, there's always this much under-exploited aspect of Kutcher's talent for dramatic flair. Glimpses of it are seen in The Butterfly Effect, one of my favourite films in recent times, and that same angst, despair and sheer quiet determination become more prominent here.

As for Michelle Pfeiffer, who wouldn't welcome her luminous presence? Last seen in Stardust after an extremely long hiatus from the silver screen, her role as the widow Linda brings about a certain sense of regal frailty, being the single parent to bring up a mute son Clay (Spencer Hudson) against difficult odds. Attracted to Kutcher's Walter, their relationship is actually nothing to scoff about, what being a cradle snatcher and all, but because of that instant connection that they share in the pain of having lost someone dear, and having to sit through agonizing court cases that could swing in anyone's favour.

And of course rounding up the star-studded cast is Kathy Bates as Walter's mom, attending therapy sessions to cope with the pain of loss, and learning to let go. Special mention too goes to Spencer Hudson's performance as the gentle giant Clay, who gets to show that he's no pushover when he gets cornered. While that led to some predictable elements toward the end, it wrapped up pretty nicely (though some may say cop-out), in having a rather confusing start iron itself out properly. Hollander managed to bookend the film going full circle, and I thought it was a neat spark of interest at the front in keeping things very fluid to engage the audience's attention.

Personal Effects is quiet, effectively emotive film that got blessed by a great cast highlighting that in moments of grief, there are always those whom we can turn to for comforting solace. It has potential to make it to my end of year shortlist of favourite films, and without a doubt, recommended!

I am so happy I did not have to pay hard earned money for this terrible piece of crap. What were they thinking. Pulling Ashton out of his comedy comfort zone and thrusting him in to a drama, he is not qualified for. He simply doesn't have the acting chops. Poor Michelle. What in the name of God was she doing in this movie. She tries but the dialogue is beyond hope. People don't don't talk that way.

Furthermore blank stares are a not subplot. There is so little to this movie to begin with I am shocked it was green lighted at all. A wafer-thin idea performed by a model turned actor directed by a writer with two TV writing credits to his name. Bad idea from the start.

Originally this movie was to be released at Christmas time 2009. Okay. Instead it is going straight to DVD this coming May (next month) Folks there are good reasons, most of the time, that films go that route. Because they stink.

Kathy Bates is on board too but the only actor that does not suffer is Spencer Hudson who is the brightest spot on the screen.

PERSONAL EFFECTS is a solid little film written by director David Hollander and the fine novelist Rick Moody. The premise is a study of how the traumatic deaths of people affect those left behind. The story is well told, allows the audience to explore the group therapy approach offered to families of violently killed people - the various means of responding to loss, the differing reactions from those who cannot let go of the hate they have for losing a loved one, and introduces an interesting concept of having one of the characters who narrates the film be a deaf mute young man!

Gloria (Kathy Bates) is the mother of twins - the girl was been brutalized and murdered and the boy Andrew (Ashton Kuchter) has left his career as a wrestler to return to the scene of the crime to mourn his sister and to demand the perpetrator be convicted and imprisoned: his career has been put on hold and he ekes out a living dressed as a chicken for a fast food chicken restaurant. During the ongoing twin's trial, Andrew meets Linda (Michelle Pfeiffer) whose alcoholic husband has been killed and she is left to support her teenage deaf mute son Clay (Spencer Hudson). Through series of grieving meetings and periods of isolation on the part of each of the characters, each finds ways to support the other and a love affair develops between the older Linda and the younger Andrew as he agrees to accompany her to her various weddings for which she serves a planner. How these characters comes to grips with resolution of their losses is well tied together by film's end.

This is not a great movie, but the performances by the leads are quite fine. This is a movie with a message, one that delves into territory with which many are not familiar, and for that reason alone it is well worth watching. Grady Harp

I expected this film to be awful and it turned out to be decent. This is not the best film I've seen last several months, but I have certainly seen worse. It is a bit more pretentious that it can deliver. But all in all I think it deserves rating between 5 and 7, depending on a taste of a viewer. It is nice to watch and though sometimes it is too predictable and dialog sucks, it still touches you. I wish it was done better, it could've been. i liked grey color. Music was sickly sometimes. acting was good. Who would've thought that pretty boy Ashton could act? I would recommend this movie if you like drama, slow-pace, better-than- mediocre photography and don't have anything to do.