The Man with Rain in His Shoes (1998) Reviews

• A Charming Romantic Drama

  chron2001-04-22

  This is a charming romantic drama about a guy who has an affair on his girlfriend, confesses and is faced with the misery of being alone. He gets a chance to try again when he is sent back in time. The acting is very well done. The plot is interesting - similar to Sliding Doors. I like the story of redemption and discovering one's self in the process. This plot plays that story out quite well. While there's nothing terribly original here, I found the movie to be quite entertaining. All of the characters were endearing and three dimensional. There was no "bad guy"; just people going through life as best they can. I rated this movie an 8 out of 10.

• IF

  kattah2000-08-26

  Twice upon a yesterday, also known as The man with rain in his shoes, is a charming movie about various relationships in sweet chaos during the beginning of autumn in London. In this movie the classic theme of given a second chance looks at all relationships with such universally unbiased attitude, that one can't help but feel good. And Penelope Cruz is completely captivating. (I first saw her in High-Low Country where she played a jilted girlfriend, and all you could think was " maan that guy is STOO PID"). Although the movie leans towards the possibility of destiny and determination, it really seems to want to tell something more essential: relationships, no matter how perfect they seem and how much you think you love, are still incidental and never unparalleled or even unique. So it's just the way one looks at things: the attitude, the joy and responsibility of loving someone, and the strength to let go when it's time.

• Compelling romantic fantasy...

  dwpollar2001-10-09

  1st watched 10/9/2001 - 8 out of 10(Dir-Maria Ripoll): Compelling romantic fantasy which keeps you interested all the way to the end. Believable characters played by little known British actors with Penelope Cruz playing the love interest near the end of the Movie. The story is basically about love gone bad, but is given a second chance by some interesting characters at a junkyard similar to the theme of the TV show `Twice in a Lifetime.' What is different in this movie is that we are never quite sure who to cheer for. It starts out being a weeper where we are routing for the dumped male character played by Douglas Henshall, then by the end were routing for the forgotten female character played by Lena Heady. It seems to be about how life gives us many chances to redeem ourselves despite our mistakes, with the two characters from the junkyard representing that `entity' that gives us the second chance. Definitely not a Hollywood-made romantic comedy because of the way that we are twisted from one character to the other in our loyalty and we are made to think about real life rather than just smiling about the played out fantasy-type life that never really happens(Aka - American made romantic comedies). These are the kinds of movies that made me a movie buff but they seem to be hard to find these days in our predictable Hollywood-glamorized video stores(look for this one in the comedy racks despite it's multi-faceted themes and multi-genred experience.)

• An entertaining and mind provoking movie

  napeleon2001-03-24

  Twice Upon a Yesterday is a truly unique movie. It is not your typical romantic comedy - rather it is a truly mind provoking exercise. While it may not appeal to all, it certainly has a certain charm that even the most vocal critics of the genre will find appealing.

• A Fateful Romantic Encounter

  mgm_kitten2002-06-11

  I watched this movie not really expecting very much and was pleasantly suprised! Realising too late that he has thrown away his life, Victor gets a second chance to change things. Although Mr. Fate sticks his oar in and things don't quite go to plan, you go with Victor as he realises his mistakes and appears to grow up in front of our eyes. If you like 'Sliding Doors' or 'Vanilla Sky' you'll appreciate this romantic 'If Only' film.