Review of Great Expectations (1998) by Barbara O — 07 Apr 2008

I didn't get to see the last five minutes because of a phone call, but, even as a fan of the novel, I found myself enjoying seeing this modern-ish twist on the Dickens classic. While I can't say I went for everything they did (changing Pip's name, little Estella's penchant for sexual exploitation) it brought a new styling to the story that left a lot of the heart and sentiment in tact.

Unfortunately, for every time they succeeded with something, there was something that they cast further away from the original, especially with the character of Estella, who traded in a sort of mechanical approach to "love," delivered by Havisham, to something very manipulative but more conflicted.

Still, it was perfectly enjoyable and it did a good job of running with a great novel, even if it wasn't perfectly executed. Also, the movie's worth seeing just for Chris Cooper, who does a great job as a character who's NOT eminently hateable like every other character he plays.

He plays Joe with a delicate sympathy, and I was impressed to see he can do it.