Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Inmechon The movie's only flaw is also a virtue: It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

mistabobdobolina There was the potential here for a triumphant, epic, sweeping tribute to Allende's classic magic realist dynastic drama. As I sat watching it, I most found myself wondering just what the heck happened. It's a misfire so total that aside from the lush production values, it could almost bring Ed Wood to mind. I don't think I've ever seen this much high-powered acting talent go to waste as conspicuously as in this movie. Close, Streep, Irons, Banderas, Ryder, Alonso, Muller-Stahl... the cast is a who's who of performers who should never, ever look this stilted or be asked to recite dialogue this lifeless. For the love of God, even Gallo is better than this material. Just tragic.It does look nice, I'll give it that much.

Sherine Yousery This is a very strange movie that is hard to be categorized .. A tale about almost everything: 1- True love, and how it can turn over the whole game, how it can change souls, save lives and redeem some people.2- Poverty, oppression and politics .. how most of the time events get so related without us noticing or taking the time to look closer.3- Fate, with all the themes you can imagine, taking place in one movie .. I bet even if you're young, you will feel old by the end of this powerful movie ..4- What really matters in life, the kind of imprint you will want to leave someday, sometimes it's not about being tough or seemingly strong, but rather about knowing love and being gentle ..5- I've never been afraid of death itself, as I have from an unlived life. However, the line said by Clara, "You must not wish for death, that's not important, death will come no matter" is one of the most powerful I've ever heard in my life, and a scene anyone should watch if they ever get hurt enough to want their life to end ..6- And most importantly, it has taught me a lot about unconditional love .. You'll see an oppressor -who has raped a girl and denied a child, almost killed the only man his daughter has ever loved and got rid of his lonely sad sister- loved by a woman that's as beautiful as an angel .. Because that's unconditional love most of us have no knowledge of, because we have a compromised understanding of "common sense", because you love someone as they are with all the demons inside and because, if you look too carefully, you'll know that none of us are angels or demons. We're grey. And we can find ourselves in places we've never dreamt we would put ourselves in, or wake up to find ourselves diverted a lot from the path we've originally chosen.This is a very powerful movie that's highly entertaining and deep, and its depth is measured by how much "you" can get out of it. Regards to all the makers of this beautiful movie which should be one of the top movies ever, especially the amazingly graceful Meryl Streep. Thank you.

filmalamosa First this movie is a biased interpretation of the history of Chile (based on a book by Isadora Allende---yes related to the communist president who was assassinated).The Allende government like all far left governments quickly shut down the productive economy impoverishing everyone in the process (it had nothing to do with a plot by United Fruit or the evil market economies as suggested in the movie).The movie---I am finally getting there--is lavishly filmed and entertaining I got some amusement by seeing the bad guys win. The novel has some more entertaining subplots like the one involving the "aristocratic" Frenchman who marries the daughter in the book.Look all in all it is entertaining has wonderful actors and if you love Chile you will enjoy it--just ignore the pounding political correctness.

sl-pierce To capture the rich complexity and the intensity of a novel by Isabel Allende is not an easy task; however, it is one that Bille August attempts to do with the film version of Allende's "The House of Spirits." Jam-packed with a stunning cast, including Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, and Winona Ryder, the film covers a span of around 70 years, giving us a glimpse of the different aspects of the family's life that shapes who they become as the film progresses. Although the acting is well done and the storyline enticing, I sometimes felt lost between the large jumps in time, as well as the various side stories that were only surfaced upon, such as that with the other son. I feel that in order to truly capture the complexity of Allende's novel, the film would have to be long enough to delve into each character and their respective stories with much more detail.