quintet is virtually unheard of, yet it's an altman and a newman movie--but this is for good reason. this movie is quite forgettable and the story is simply uninteresting, almost going nowhere with it's sci-fi roots. the directing isn't particularly good, and during the entire duration there's a fog on the parameter of the screen--which may have been a good idea to convey cold, but it is REALLY annoying.

If the film is an allegory for something, and the way its told strongly suggests it is, I have no idea what it's an allegory for. The photography is distracting --the frames are tinged with fog to suggest condensation, but instead of being atmospheric it just feels like an affectation. The score is annoying as hell. The actors look like they don't want to be there (which may be accurate to the scenario, now that I think about it).

Not one of Altman's best efforts. I really wanted to like it too. The concept about this boardgame is intriguing, but Altman leaves the audience in the dark about how it is played, which makes the whole thing a bit useless. The plot itself isn't confusing, but it is a bit boring at times. And yeah, it doesn't seem like any of the actors really want to be here. But whatever. I will see this again. I don't know if it's really all that bad, but I say that about all of Altman's weakest so whatever.

An ambitious mess. The characters are strangely underdeveloped for an Altman movie, and the supposed big revelation at the film's climax is one you'll see coming.