Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

MrGKB ...that seems more of a vanity project for director/star, Alan "X2" Cumming than anything else, and what a vanity project it is, or isn't, depending on your perspective. The script is from a noob screenwriter, and it's a step above many, though not nearly as clever as it might otherwise wish. It takes way too long to get down to business (Syd Field would not be pleased), and has a tendency to spoil its own mysteries. In a nutshell, Cumming overacts a martinet of a private music teacher with a weakness for "nurturing" various young talents, in this case a ladies man of a writer who ends up grifting him to the point of histrionic vengeance. It's not a pretty sight (in fact, it's laden with homosexual clichés, beginning with their love of opera, and not yet ending with a macho man in bra and panties), and does nothing to advance the situation or audience appreciation of its protagonist or anyone else within earshot. As mentioned, the acting (and this is mostly all Cumming's baby) verges on hysterically overdone (or in the case of the antagonist (David "Angel" Boreanaz), crushingly underplayed to the point of apparent boredom), although (for the most part) the various production elements are fairly well done, given the relative low budget. Minimal appearances by the likes of Henry "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" Thomas, Carrie "Star Wars" Fisher, Anne "Psycho" Heche (looking exceedingly pinched and drawn), and Karen "Easy Rider" Black (who utterly steals her scene as a foul-mouthed slut) cannot rescue this potboiler no matter the best of intentions.Strictly for Cumming fans, and even they will be, at best, bemused.

aussiefilmlover Saw this at the SF LGBT film festival and while Alan Cumming is wonderful and truly talented actor, he seems to be best with a director other than himself. This is a truly over the top movie and performance and it is entertaining but I felt there wasn't enough build up and character development before the insane behavior begins. Also the ending seemed tacked on and not really well connected to the main part of the film. the interaction between David and Alan are wonderful and the highlight of the film.Henry Thomas was a surprise in this scene and Karen Black stole her scene. I wish there had been more restraint in the editing, the performances and the script. It made me want to see Alan Cumming as a lead in film with a different director.

sftiger This movie is pure grand guignol with obvious references to "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" and "Sunset Boulevard." If you enjoy shrill, histrionic, over the top, morbid, nasty, vicious humor you'll love Alan Cumming's directorial debut.Purely on the technical merits, this film would deserve no more than 7 out of ten stars, maybe even a mere 4, but it has the madness, the idiosyncratic verve to become a camp cult classic. Cumming's performance is a bit of PeeWee Herman as Norma Desmond, but when you think he's pulled out all the stops, Karen Black takes it to the next level, and then.... well, it just gets madder and madder.While it is clearly not for everyone, "Suffering Man's Charity" is an absolute treat for the right -- or perhaps a very wrong -- mindset.

memfree This film needed some combination of the following : a separate director that was NOT starring in the film, sympathetic characters, multi-dimensional characters, less overacting, a bigger budget, more people involved in the creation, and/or FILM source with good image quality. Any of the listed items could be overcome in different circumstances, but here they are all piled on.I appreciate that the main character was meant to be someone who acts out his own life in overblown, dramatic excess. I appreciate that this character is intentionally not a likable person. Such things are valid and interesting choices to try, but they are challenges that require a LOT of feedback and careful planning to make a film that works. That seemed absent.Instead, what we have here is a piece which leaves the impression that the actor (and director), Alan Cumming, does not know how to tone it down.We only see one side of each character, and none seem to progress or change in any meaningful way. And no, changing address or circumstance does not count -- the characters never seem to learn anything.All the audience gets is nasty people who never get better as they do things we can not care much about, and doing them in a somewhat absurdist way. Yes, there are some amusing scenarios, but all the negatives overwhelm occasional positives.