Underwhelming...

There is something very strange about a film that features four renowned actors (Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Sinise & Ed Harris), but whose best performances comes from rather unknown thespians named Jacinda Barrett & Wentworth Miller.

Based on a best selling novel by Philip Roth, "The Human Stain" is an intriguing film about a New England literary classics professor named Coleman Silk (Hopkins) who is forced to resign over a misinterpreted racial slur. The irony is that he is a light-skinned black man who has been hiding his heritage for most of his life. The story also focuses on his friendship with a reclusive writer (Sinise) and his love affair with a tragedy stricken cleaning woman named Faunia (Kidman).

We also get flashbacks to Coleman's youth, as he leaves home, joins the navy and climbs the junior boxing ranks. The young Coleman is played rather well by Wentworth Miller and his love interest is delivered in a emotional turn by newcomer, Jacinda Barrett.

What is also extremely odd about this film is that although the story is consistently interesting and involving, the script is awkwardly melodramatic in parts and the acting is surprisingly heavy-handed and forced. I have to admit that I have not read the acclaimed novel, but I can't imagine that this film does it justice. I think this is the kind of story that would play better on the page than it does on screen.

I also want to stress that Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman are two of my favorite actors of all time. I think of them both as masters of the craft. But Nicole is given a character whose lines are so awkward that they sound like musical scales being played with one wrong note. Sometimes it is enough to make you cringe. I am not sure that any actress could have pulled this role off, but Nicole tries so hard to make it work that I am forced to lay most of the blame on her.

The other extreme distraction is the dreadful miscasting of Hopkins in the lead role. I was not able to buy him as a black man, nor was I able to accept the sexual relationship between he and Nicole Kidman. This film feels like a grand symphony played with out-of-tune instruments.

And yet, with all that said, I never found myself bored or irritated enough to consider this a bad movie. It held my interest from credits to credits.

I am going to give this film the most minor of recommendations but I doubt that I am ever going to want to see this film again.

© Written by TC Candler

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - B- Richard Propes - B- Jacob Hall -

Richard Propes' Comment

This film, based on the novel by Phillip Roth and directed by Robert Benton ("Kramer vs. Kramer") is an oddly unappealing yet somewhat effective drama starring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman with strong support by Ed Harris.

Hopkins portrays Coleman Silk, a college professor...who resigns after finding trouble for using a word "interpreted" as a racial slur, "spooks." The film has multiple side stories, most of the smaller ones interesting, but the relationship between Hopkins and Kidman is decidedly lifeless despite strong performances by both Hopkins and Kidman...it's together that simply doesn't work well...individually, they are fine and this is one of my favorite Kidman performances.

The script contains none of Roth's trademark wit, and is a bit jumbled throughout the film trying to balance multiple storylines. Additionally, a performance by Gary Sinise is remarkably wooden and boring.

This film should have been great, but ends up being only slightly above average with nothing special or unique to offer. Fans of Kidman and Hopkins may be pleased just seeing the individual performances, but Roth fans are sure to be disappointed

Jacob Hall's Comment

n/a