Wicker Park

A coherently and spectacularly shot retrospective narrative that in the first half tantalises with a flurry of artfully skewered plot information on several temporal fronts, while in the end it brings together its four protagonists in an emotionally exacerbated and cinematically sophisticated relationship tapestry. It's really rare to see a film with such a romantic charge that doesn't cease to surprise and entertain, and that finishes the usual final scene in such style that makes it worthy of the position of the most beautiful genre ending far and wide, just considering the previous gripping action. There are some unoriginal cinematic bits, like the number of random encounters of the characters that pile up rather disproportionately, or the characters ignoring each other, although they are only a few meters away, that prevent me from giving the highest rating, however much my infinite sympathy for the feelings and actions of the lovelorn Josh Hartnett was invoked... 85% (27/11/2015)

Diane Kruger isn’t yet a mature dramatic actress here, but she is really beautiful and with the aid of Josh Hartnett, Matthew Lillard and Rose Byrne, she gets by with her beauty, fragility and likability. Don’t be put off by the first boring hour, which only subtly lays out the cards on the table. In the second hour, Paul McGuigan mixed an excellent cocktail composed of a full range of the feelings of happy and unhappy love and emotionally escalated them to the maximum possible extent. And since he pulled that off not only by guiding the actors, but mainly through sophisticated editing and camerawork, he gets a gold medal from me. Don’t compare this film to the more accomplished works of Briana De Palma or Alfred Hitchcock – here we are in the shallower waters of entertainment for young people who either still believe in the great love of their lives or have already experienced it and are indelibly haunted by it. The ending, which with less care could have ruined the whole film, is ultimately the most beautiful in years. I cried like a baby and was transported to the clouds. P.S.: There are loads of films like this, but they have never worked so perfectly. (20/01/2005)

Beautiful cinematography, the brilliant atmosphere of Chicago in winter, and an exceptionally original screenplay. Those are the three biggest strengths of this accomplished romantic film, which unfortunately seems incredibly muddled in the first half. Given the context of the second half, it is relatively okay, but they could have put more effort into the construction of the opening scenes to make it easier for the audience to follow along. The female cast caught my attention, unlike Josh Hartnett. The romance is sincere and does not disrupt the often ambient atmosphere, and several scenes became very personal for me. A pleasant treat for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Not a very well-known film, but still above average in the romantic genre. (31/08/2006)

A not very typical romantic story (anyone who says this is a classic romantic story is lying) woven into a thriller and made with a generous dose of directorial talent. The structure of the script is quite weak, but never falls apart because you can understand the characters – everything works the way it should. To be honest, I was almost shocked at how good it is. (01/09/2010)

It's a fact that there are a lot of romantic films like this – so definitely a big plus for being unconventional and for the rather distinctive (and for me personally, very likeable) concept. With more "serious" romantic films I usually have a problem with the characters – their emotions, journeys, and "hardships" usually strike me as not very believable (like Avary's The Rules of Attraction). With Wicker Park, it's exactly the opposite. The brilliant central trio imbued their characters with so much feeling and emotion that I shed a tear now and then.)) The interesting direction and sensitively chosen music ultimately bring my final rating to 90-95% and I'll see what the second viewing brings.)) (06/04/2010)