Claudine's Return (1998) Reviews

• Christina does a great job, in an otherwise lackluster film.

  Adrian-251999-02-28

  Christina Applegate put in a great performance in her interpretation of the role of Claudine. The rest of the movie did not support her performance, however. The plot was weak, with the only substantive storyline occurring in the first 15 mins., and the last 15 mins. The rest of the movie could have been cut, and the audience would not have missed much. Tibaldi's direction used a lot of close shots, and free camera work, that actually detracted from the story. In scenes where the audience might have wanted to pay attention, we were getting distracted by the edgy camera motions. There were a number of subplots that never played into the story, and ended up like flotsam on a beach, with no purpose.

• INCREDIBLE! A MUST SEE!

  geekguy912004-09-02

  I picked up this movie one day, thinking it would be lousy and horrible because of its stupid-looking cover, but my friend had strong convictions in his admiration of not only the movie but also the actors (and actresses) and also the director, etc. So, thinking this would be a boring experience, I reluctantly watched this, but as the movie progressed, I was captivated by the performances, the direction, and the incredible plot line. The cinematography is deserving of an Oscar nomination, and so was Christina Applegate. But I must applaud Antonio Tibaldi for his excellent direction, and also his wonderful script! Applegate's Claudine is just right, perfect, from the makeup to the acting. I applaud this movie also because it is not perverse like other movies, and Applegate does not have to show skin to make this movie wonderful. Also, might I add that after reading these atrocious comments others wrote, I must say that most of these other commenter's are perverted losers who just want to see 'a breast' or two. They do not care about real quality film-making. I would recommend this movie to anybody who would wants to be emotionally moved.

• Understanding her character

  hcoursen2010-03-31

  I agree with the negative reviews. The film drifted aimlessly -- an unfortunate effort to simulate the aimlessness of the lives depicted. And, come on, no state would permit anyone to drive a windshield-less car after it has rolled over. That is, even assuming the car were drivable. The cops would not have released it. The last few minutes strained credulity in other ways as well. The little blonde girl! But so say more would be to utter a spoiler. The only reason I respond is to suggest that so far the reviewers have missed the subtext for Applegate's character. She was in love with a boy once. "We were just kids." Obviously, that was her brother, who committed suicide once their incestuous relationship was (apparently) found out. She fled. Her return to Charleston was motivated by that memory, as was her screwed-up persona. To be fair to the film, it did sketch in that background -- including her holding on to her brother's photo. It wasn't clear, of course, and, indeed, the film muddied things up in all kinds of ways. But -- the back story does answer some questions.

• Much better than expected

  BLKahuna2001-05-02

  This is a surprisingly great movie. Christina Applegate's performance as well as that of Stephano are extremely well done and offer great depth. The characters are interesting and the many ancillary characters help to create a slightly bizarre atmosphere. I thought the screenplay, direction, cinematography and sound were all top notch and added a lot to the overall feeling of the movie. The camera work, especially, was very creative and interesting. This is not a feel good movie and it dances at the edge of the darkside of humanity. If you feel like an interesting, off-the-beaten-path, moody flick - this is a good choice.

• An Erotic Journey Of Desire... NOT!

  videoport2000-06-13

  This film has been repackaged as an erotic picture [retitled Kiss Of Fire] with a very racy cover that implies one will get more than a brief exposure to Miss Applegate's talents. Well forget it. This is an idiotic "drama" with no point, little plot, and amateurish camera work. Disney has added the tagline "An Erotic Journey Of Desire!" to a movie that is really just a crappy chick-flick!