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51 out of 67 people found the following comment useful :- genius, 13 January 2005 Author: stinky-37 from United States
I saw this film at a pre-screening, and apparently it was several minutes longer than the theater release. In any case, it is unquestionably the most intelligent, sensitive and understanding look at the consequences of Sept 11 on the mentality of individuals in the US I have seen.To place myself on the political spectrum, I'm an American and a fervent opponent of the policies of George W Bush.The film looks at the psychological damage inflicted upon a broad spectrum of Americans (from young leftist humanitarian activists to mentally unstable right-wing militia-types) with an understanding and an acceptance which goes far beyond political debates to look at the consequences of 9-11 on Americans as individuals - something done by no other film I have seen with the possible exception of Sean Penn's short film in the anthology "9-11".What astonished me most about the film was that a non-American like Wenders could have such a profound understanding of the American psyche. Wenders looks at America without aggression, without anger, without a shred of intolerance - but with affection, understanding and an appreciation for the damage done by 9-11.Personally I felt a tremendous amount of frustration throughout the first 2/3rds of the film. It wasn't enough of an anti-war statement for my tastes. But by the end, the much greater depth of the message this film carries had penetrated my left-wing reactionary preconceptions and I felt - to put it simply - that Wenders had shown me my own self. The message is universal, powerful, and tolerant in the extreme.If your opinions are strong concerning 9-11, the 2nd gulf war, or the homeland security program and it's consequence - no matter what side of the fence you sit on - you should see this film. If you can watch it with an open mind, you might find the world and America are both a better place for it.Thank you, Mr. Wenders. You're brilliant.
27 out of 36 people found the following comment useful :- Plenty Provoking, 19 January 2005 Author: vickers-1 from Southern California
Somewhere in Trona, a near-ghost town you pass through on the road to Death Valley, the full extent of Uncle Paul's delusions is demonstrated. And at that same moment, I realized he was the personification of post-9/11 America, raging, raving, striking blindly at false targets, and kidding ourselves that we are safer now that we've invaded Iraq without justification and reelected the worst U.S. president in history. The film promises there may be some hope for us. But only if we have the courage to stand on the edge of the abyss. The line that resonated most for me was that the 3,000 innocent people who died in 9/11 could not have wanted their deaths to lead to more dying. This movie was a masterpiece. It finally offered me a way to think about 9/11 and subsequent events without making me crazy and despairing.
24 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :- outside view, 17 October 2004 Author: pflipflopb
A beautiful movie. With both main characters one could relate not to their viewpoints or naïve ways but to the persons themselves. I admit that this movie might just work better with European audiences but I feel that the leading roles were more inspired by an ideal than just by the American cliché. Also I understand that Lena and Paul were initially ideas who now live in that movie. There's more to them than just the missionary and the lunatic patriot. Even though it shows things that go wrong, it's very positive. For an outsider who has seen a bit of this country it's a mixture between reality and the imagination about that country. Maybe this movie is stronger in its pictures and moments of interpersonal relations than in its political dialogs.
26 out of 39 people found the following comment useful :- Why so bad?, 6 November 2004 Author: dadie from Roma, Italy
I really disagree with some American comments here, maybe just because I am European, I don't know, but anyway I liked that movie. It is stupid to think that Wenders wanted to represent into the main character a typical American, obviously it is just an extreme position about the fear of anything (common in USA), but it doesn't reflex the society, it is a product of it. It doesn't take a wonderful picture of USA, but at the same time it doesn't distruct it, it want just show the paradoxes of that land, it want to be watched like the "land of plenty" and it is not, but it doesn't mean to be the hell. I understand when Americans find only cliché inside, but some of them are true, your country has fear mania, not all of you but some. In Italy as well we say that everybody dislike Berlusconi, but he is prime minister. But now it's time to speak about the movie: it is nice, characters' work is well-made and elaborated, Location are incredible, they show another USA, different from other movies. I didn't like Michelle Williams because of dowson's creek, but here she is not bad, her character is understood by people, but I think it is the work of Wim.
19 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :- Paris, France, 4 October 2004 Author: randalx
Superb film. The digital gives the footage a nice effect. There were some great tight shots, and then wide angle landscape. A lot of effort has been put into the paranoia paraphernalia of Paul, and the way Wenders brings this out. I simply adored the way Wenders slotted the characters into a simple plot. I thought the character of Lana was a touch stale, but since she was meant to be the pacifist missionary I'm not sure how else the part could have been played. The social conditions present in the story did tend to be a bit reductionist and instructive, but far from annoying. I will agree with previous comments that it will appeal to European audiences more than American. However, I would disagree that the characters would have been like that before 9/11. It is precisely this tragedy that launches Paul into his hyper-paranoia, the beginnings of which emerged after his experience in the Vietnam war. I did laugh many times at Paul's lunacy. While very different characters, I enjoyed following the film through the eyes of both Lana and Paul. This film is ultimately a Wim Wenders comment on the US, pre and post-9/11. He deserves congrats for tackling the subject, and admiration for the way he went about telling some sides of the story. I will prefer this film to any Moore production, any day.
15 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :- An American allegory, 27 March 2005 Author: dennisr2000 from Las Vegas
This is for me the most coherent of the Wim Wenders films I've seen and it's to-date the best attempt to depict post-9/11 America on film. The not-so-subtle symbolism, the superb acting (especially by Michelle Williams), and moving story line, which concerns an attempt to give a homeless Pakistani man a decent burial after he is gunned down in a drive-by shooting, come together to paint a portrait of an America left stunned and somewhat confused.I was moved by the one scene in which John Diehl's character Paul is informed by his friend that "It's not who we thought," and we see on his face, the hope fading away of ever finding any relief for his vague need for some kind of justice--and this is mirrored by the fading desert sun in the background.I agree with the other reviewer that these completely American characters may make sense mostly to non-Americans--but that's only a result of the films unflinching objectivity. Watch and learn.
22 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :- Something Missing Here, 29 September 2004 Author: jemenfoutisme from Cambridge, MA
Wim Wenders is a great director and a really honest artist. What he lacks though is a real feel for the US....Going back to his early use of Dennis Hopper, woefully miscast as Tom Ripley, in Our American Friend, Wenders has a weakness for clichés about America rather than finding the real thing. This movie doesn't change that fact. What is essentially a tone poem about the loss of innocence (and maybe common sense) in post 9-11 America turns into a melancholy family drama about two lost souls who would probably have been just as lost before 9/11 as after it. Europeans might find the American 'types' portrayed in this film a validation of how they view the U.S. but most thoughtful Americans will probably be irritated by the simple reductions of the characters. I found Michelle Williams particularly annoying for some reason...maybe it was her blind faith or maybe it was just her complete lack of edge...they don't make women like that in America these days and probably never did. I really admire Mr. Wenders for tackling this subject as American filmmakers seem not to have the courage to do so themselves. In the end though, this is more a European film that will appeal to Euro audiences...whereas it would have been a better project if it were directed more this way. (I saw the film in Paris last week.)
10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :- This is just too painful to watch., 27 September 2007 Author: rooprect from New York City
This is a sort of anti-Wenders film. While most of his films are uplifting, beautiful and spiritual, _Land of Plenty_ is a brutal and unpleasant exposé of American paranoia. It's very well done, and it's frighteningly accurate. Still, I can't imagine any Americans will enjoy watching it.If you're in denial, then you will be offended by this movie (like most of the negative reviewers here). So don't bother.If you're familiar with the paranoia and bigotry that has enveloped this country then this movie will upset you, just as if you had a big wart on your nose, and someone made a film about it. So don't bother.I believe the only people who could possibly enjoy this film are objective (non-American) viewers who do not feel the shame that this movie exposes.I'm rating this film an 8 because it was well done, but I can't recommend it to anyone. It was just too excruciating for me (as it should be for all Americans who share the burden of what our country has turned into). Another film which falls into this category is _House of Sand and Fog_ which one critic called "the feel-bad movie of the year".This movie made me feel like crap. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch _Lisbon Story_ 1000 times and try to recover from this.
10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :- An insight into American fears and hopes ..., 8 October 2005 Author: matthew from Poland
A must-see for anyone who is either a Wim Wenders fan or a person interested in the fears and hopes of contemporary America. German director in a brilliant way makes us ponder upon all the issues so essential to understanding American reality after 9/11. Ethnic prejudices, stereotypes, homelessness,terrorism, Vietnam war, pursuit for an identity, search for lost relatives - all these components are omnipresent, smoothly woven. Wenders mastery reveals in the fact that he manages to touch upon serious topics and in the same time introduce elements of humor and even grotesque. "Land of plenty" leaves us with the voice of Leonard Cohen and plenty of thoughts about relation between individual and contemporary world.
6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :- True statement, 9 March 2007 Author: pommesmitsalbe from United States
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
So, what I read here is criticism on one side and admiration on the other. The critics unfortunately hardly have anything to say about the contents of the movie. For them its more about the making of it, that they find to be annoying. For those guys it does not seem to be artistic enough. Those are the same people who joyfully analyze the music of their latest progressive rock album even months after its release.But there are exceptions among the critics, who are certainly just as paranoid as Uncle Paul. There is a complaint about foreigners, who have visited the States a half dozen times, making critical movies about it. I guess that Wim Wenders spend sufficient time over here to be able to figure out the stereotype American. Besides we get a lot of news and facts about America and the world in the media in Europe. So unlike Americans who call "World News" the news about the wars of the world we actually tend to know stuff about other countries.The movie by the way is not only about 9-11, in my opinion, but American foreign politics over decades. Uncle Paul supports this policy, all the useless warfare, from the very depth of his heart. He is afraid, he is brainwashed. But he represents a good deal of US citizens. One could possibly even say, American society. Think about this. Brainwashing starts in Elementary school: Bla, bla, bla, ..., and justice for all! Man, what a lie. It should say: Bla, bla, bla, ..., and justice for all people who can afford justice = Whites.But that is only my opinion. However, Wim Wenders is a believer when it comes to American ideas. He wants America to actually stand for, for what it is "supposed to stand". He is an American patriot longing for a better world, led by the strongest country on earth. But led in a different way, the peaceful and fearless way. Sadly enough, a lot of Americans will not understand that massage because they are too stupid and brainwashed by a government (Democratic and Republican alike), that only longs for more wars to be able to get more tax money out of the sales of the weapon industry.I do not even share Wim Wenders' view. If it were up to me the US may blow up in its entirety and I would even give my poor little temporary-American life for that. However, I enjoyed the movie a lot because of reasons that were already mentioned by other people. It is worth watching.Thanks Wim!
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