The asshole advertises for WalMart.

In November and December, Zacharek began to wear me down with one flat review after another. What a joy it is to read her this week. I haven't seen the movie, nor did I want to, but I love Queen Latifah as much as Zacharek does and she's now not only persuaded me to see it, but to argue against those old "plausibles." Right on, sister. It's been maddening the last few years to see this trend and lack of imagination (or uninhibited passion) in so many moviegoers. Point for point, Zacharek wins tons of goodwill from this reader with her essay on "Last Holiday." Keep it up.

On the other hand, the ability to spot such silliness doesn't exactly make you a discerning viewer. We take such pride in our sophistication as moviegoers, in our ability to call out every single marionette string in the moviemaking process, that sometimes we can barely bring ourselves to enter the universe of a movie -- the last thing we want is to seem silly or gullible.

Bravo! I used to be a movie snob, but I learned to let it go; movies are a lot more fun if you accept them for what they are and allow yourself to be entertained every once in a while.

And I have no doubt that this Dana Elaine Owens vehicle is any exception. And what's up with "Queen Latifah"? That's just accepted, for some reason? Bizarre.

I don't care if she advertises for Bush. The only worthwhile standard for judging an artist as an artist is their art. If it came out that Shakespeare diddled 13 year old boys would you boycott King Lear?

Some of the greatest artists in history have been asshats. It may diminish them as human beings, but it doesn't keep me from enjoying what they've produced. Sometimes it even makes the experience deeper--as in "how could such a jerk come up with something like THAT?"

What's wrong with "Queen Latifah"? She can't have a stage name? Do you object to "Cary Grant" (Archibald Leach) or "Lauren Bacall" (Betty Perske)? Those are just off the top of my head--I am sure there are more recent examples. For that matter, Jack White of the White Stripes wasn't born "White"--he took Meg White's last name when they got married, and kept it when they divorced.

As for the Wal-Mart thing, yeah, I wish she wouldn't shill for them, because I really like her as an actress and personality, and the Wal-Mart association doesn't help.

Queen Latifah can call herself whatever she wishes. It does not change the fact that she is talented. Indeed, she gave the only decent performance in CHICAGO as far as I am concerned, and unlike her two co-stars, she could actually sing.

Fuck Queen Latifah. -- pool6123

I'd love to! But I'm afraid she'd be too much woman for me. She's got an absolutely radiant smile. And I, too, hope that she'll find a "vehicle" worthy of her obvious talents. I think the closest she came was her supporting role in Living Out Loud.

"Taxi" was on cable during the holiday season, and when I was home for Christmas and the New Year, I watched it at least 6 times. I know, it's a silly movie. But it made me laugh quite a lot, and I was simply impressed with and enthralled by Queen Latifah. She absolutely ran away with so many scenes, I just wanted to watch her over and over again. While she didn't have much challenging material to work with, she made the most out of trite dialogue and cliches, securing a spot on my list of my favorite actresses. If you give in and decide to watch "Taxi," for average entertainment, pay close attention to Queen Latifah in the "He winked at me" scene: she's perfect.

I haven't seen this film yet, of course, but upon reading yours and other reviews it dawned on me that the "live to the hilt now because you're going to die soon" theme may be equally inspired by the 1980s Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan "Joe vs. the Volcano." Of course, I imagine that this film doesn't end the way that one did.

You mean Queen Latifah misprounces "pupp" as "poop"? Wow. That is comedy. To think that I would pay ten dollars for that goldmine of wit. This film looks amazing. I know I would go skiing in the Czech alps if I was going to die. Stephanie should know this wacky feel-good flick must be based on Kurosawa's "Ikiru" about a tiny man who decides to leave his mark after finding out he's only got a short time to live. But Queen Latifah falling on the slopes? Kurosawa clearly missed the boat. After the magic of "Taxi" and "Bringing Down The House" I eagerly await more of Latifah's incredible ouvre--ready for the ten dollar bargain bin at Wal-Mart.

Queen Latifah truly is one of the great on-screen people, perhaps of all time. The better scripts will come, and she'll go down in history as one of the all-time greats.

And, uh, she wasn't advertising for Wal-mart. Walmart was advertising for her. The money flowed the other direction, ya mope.

Am I the only curmudgeon who is thoroughly disgusted and dismayed that so many of the movies with female stars involve the main character DYING? Is this a Hollywood phenomenon or does the whole country think that the only good women is a dead woman? Hillary Swank, for example, is in danger of being typecast.

It all reminds me of a line in Time Magazine lo, those many years ago, saying that Love Story was the most romantic movie ever made. Yeah, if romance means a happy ending between father and son.

Grumble, grumble.

Yet another letter from a reader who hasn't even seen the movie...There should be regulations against such things. I was really moved by SZ's review - both because I appreciate her fan-girl enthusiasm over Queen Latifah's beauty, charisma, and talent, and because I am sick to death of movie-goers who insist on being the "smartest person in the theater." Get over yourselves. You're not going to like EVERY movie, but why not at least allow yourself the possibility?