Letters to the Editor
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I feel no pride in agreeing with Ms. Stephanie...
...so often have I found myself opposing her critical opinions. But here I think she's right both about the film and the performance: viewers seem bowled over by the appearance of greatness rather than the actual thing. The last time I felt this way was when everybody was flinging hosannas at Million Dollar Baby, and when was the last time anybody cracked open that movie's DVD case? There Will Be Blood is a much finer film in comparison - much of it is truly riveting - but it's a callow, immature work that evades drama, character and nuance in favor of bombast. Anderson lets Lewis run away with the movie, destroying any chance that anyone can even mount a credible performance opposite him.
These are the feelings of someone who was eager to like the movie, who was looking forward to it; I'm voicing disappointment, not snarkiness. But I'll be surprised if in a couple years people aren't surprised by the boundless enthusiasm they felt for what will seem, I believe, so empty an exercise.