Shine

A splendid cinematic experience combining beautiful acting, beautiful music and visuals. Best performance of G.Rush in my book.

A bit maudlin at times, particularly at the start of the film, but two incredible acting performances from Noah Taylor and Geoffrey Rush make it a rewarding watch. As another reviewer says, the two parts of Helfgott's life do feel somewhat disconnected, but that's always going to be a problem in a biopic. You can't cram a whole life into 100 minutes without there being a few gaps. Ultimately it's a nice, heartwarming story about an inspirational person. The good music is a bonus.

Despite being very well made and having Geoffrey Rush's blistering performance at its heart, "Shine" is a strangely forgettable experience. I have seen it a number of times, and it always impresses, but then without fail this film never lingers in the memory long. Even so, it gets extra points for the brilliant Rush if nothing else.

Stellar Rush saves mediocre script

Disgusting anti-man/anti-family programming disguised in a melodramatic story of a troubled Jewish pianist.

Tremendous role by Rush!!! Mueller-Stahl and Gielgud were also great.

Rush is excellent, however the movie failed to hold my interest after about an hour in. The story took a dive for the worst...it became bland, and there wasn't really anything worth caring about. Extreme amounts of saccharine bullshit concerning mental illness.

A great music-movie about a wonderchild, comparable with the movie Amadeus but a complete other story and in a different time. For me great music and very good acting roles. Such movies I like too much, awesome !

geoffry rush can do anything since this movie in my book, simply amazing

An overrated Australian "classic", this just felt like a pretty pedestrian biopic. Geoffrey Rush sure did own the role, and his scattered dialogue was terrific, but other than that, nothing special here.

Brilliant work by Geoffrey Rush.

Very good acting (G.Rush)

It's just another very conventional "overcoming adversity" biopic, but Mueller-Stahl and Rush are just notable in this.

Brilliant performance by Geoffrey Rush as the piano genius destroyed by mental illness and brutal treatment. The directorial choices made by Scott Hicks were also consistently inventive and daring, which matched the main character perfectly. It's not scored higher only because it had pacing issues in the latter third. I could have enjoyed more minutes of David as a young boy and having found success and happiness later on. The grim times were a bit too lengthy. Could happily rewatch sometime.

A

A marvelous performance by Rush.

Not as life-affirming and uplifting as its makers seem to think it is, but it's a good film

Noah taylor should have gotten an award for this!!!!!!!!!! not just Geoffry Rush

Solid.

he didn't retreat, he threw himself forward, broke, and fell hard. and there were two women vital to his recovery, not one... (i'm criticizing the "summary" of course)

What a nice movie. Musically it was very entertaining, emotionally also. Though the end does not really provide some sort of an emotional closure, it came somewhat too fast. Nonetheless, good casting, good work by writers, actors :)

a very moving tale, well shot movie and all around excellent acting

Excellence.

Baskının ortaya çıkardığı elmas...Baba oğul ilişkisi... psikolojik şiddet...Umut, azim ve göreceli başarı

MAY have been a better idea to make a documentary of Helfgott's life, rather than a movie. I'm not convinced it has the story arc suitable for a film. Really lovely nontheless. Geoffrey Rush is great.

Entertainment: 3 of 4. Spirituality / Opens the Heart: 1.5 of 3. Sustainability / Social Justice: 0.5 of 3..... Not as inspiring as it is marketed as, but it is entertaining; very well-acted.

Absolutely fantastic and inspiring

I saw this film on VHS back when it was a new release, and remembered liking it, but I expected to be less keen on it since I have generally soured on biopics. I was wrong. I thought this film was riveting, mostly due to a trio of really good performances ... Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor and Geoffrey Rush. Rush in particular is kind of amazing since he seems to have emerged as a fully formed film actor in his mid-40's.

Odd thing that telegraphs the melodrama by placing it right after the only visually interesting moments in the movie. Rush is okay, but Noah Taylor had to carry more of the movie and had the arguably more difficult job of portraying Helfgott as his illness was beginning to manifest itself. Such an unconventional story deserves a more interesting telling.

SHINE deifies its subject, and thus lacks psychological complexity--given that much of David Helfgott's life story revolves around his mental troubles, this is a major flaw. Scott Hicks' undistinguished directing doesn't add much. Still generally compelling and always watchable; the acting helps, although Geoffrey Rush didn't really deserve an Oscar; he's overly mannered and has little to work with. Noah Taylor however, is solid as the younger David, as is Armin Mueller-Stahl as his father.

Too sappy for my tastes.

From the description and theme of this movie, I thought this was going to be a great movie. It wasn't.

It's a blessing that this movie is short. It stirs up a lot of passion for the classical music that plays a big part in this story but less passion for the characters. Geoffrey Rush is great and the actor who plays his character's father tells an interesting story. It's alright.

A perfect blend of a gorgeous story and gorgeous visuals. Splendid to watch.

Rush was magnificent but an overrated movie overall.

I started to enjoy it after the first hour. I enjoy thinking about repressed profound feeling, and the way expression manifests itself when there's a block on interpersonal capability. I wouldn't have been arsed without the music, though.