Hook, Line and Sinker (II) (2011) User Reviews

All wound up and nowhere to go

[selffamily · 2 November 2011]

I thought that this started well, with dramatic impact that anyone who is not the person they once were could identify with. The whole world has turned upside down, others are doing well and we are on the scrap heap. Some interesting vignettes of Wellington/New Zealand life and lovely views on those unmistakable roads. The drama increased and the family grows on us, we get drawn into the web. Highs and lows and then another low and then it's over. Wrapped up and abruptly finished. Disappointing - did they run out of money? The characters are strong, and beautifully portrayed, the story is very relevant, and the viewer feels the pain. The Irish singing lent another delightful dimension to the story. I just wish it had continued for another half hour and tapered away gradually. I felt cheated.

Better than IMDb's current 4.7 user rating.

[pb-20 · 10/10 · 1 June 2013]

Currently, this film has a score under 5. That's the kind of rating which would turn me off trying it, and I think it deserves better than that.

This is a well-observed working class drama with fine performances across the board. There aren't many films treating this kind of subject matter and this one doesn't shy away from making some unconventional story choices. Not perfect, but I saw it about two years ago and it has somehow stuck in my mind

Probably suits an older audience but certainly not the stinker the IMDb user rating suggests. The New Zealand Herald gave it 3.5/5, and that seems fairer. There are no links to external reviews here but you can find a few if you care to look, and they will do more justice than my limited powers of description.

I've scored it the maximum just to lift the average a little.

Good movie, exceptional acting

[HBrun · 8/10 · 19 June 2013]

Really enjoyed this movie and difficult to see why it rates so low. Although the plot is perhaps a little light, the acting is tremendous. Digging deeper and researching the movie, it is clear that it was made on a shoestring which makes the level of the acting even more remarkable. It gives a very accurate portrayal of an increasingly common eye disease and shows how debilitating the disease can be and the impact that can have on family life. To a previous reviewer who gave the movie 10/10 to try to boost the films scoring - I understand your reasoning but IMDb have procedures in place to rule out such scoring so your score perhaps didn't count.