Snapshots (2002)

"Snapshots" is an unsung combination coming-of-age tale and mature love story from Holland which was released directly to video. While it suffers from a certain lack of believability in its key plot points, as well as from not enough depth in character development to tell us how the main characters arrived at where they are, it benefits from an overall air of sweetness and charm that makes it a pleasant way to kill two hours. You could do worse with some of the garbage that did manage to get booked into your local multiplexes.Burt Reynolds has what is for him quite an offbeat role, that of an aging hippie/hermit holed up in his bookstore in Amsterdam, railing at the failings of the modern world, as well as his own personal failings in life. I'm not a huge fan, but he gives one of his least obnoxious performances of late. Carmen Chaplin makes an auspicious impression as the young woman who enters his world, growing up and discovering life in the process. She is a lovely girl, the granddaughter of Charles Chaplin, with dark features, beautiful light eyes and a lithe body which features prominantly in the plot. Julie Christie, as others have pointed out here, is also cast in an offbeat role, that of Ms. Chaplin's mother, a Moroccan woman. Not the first person who springs to mind for such a part, but she is vibrant and charming here, and gives a nice spark to each scene she is in. I thought she pulled off her accent quite as nicely as Meryl Streep could have as well! The distinguished Indian actor, Saeed Jaffrey, for some reason, is not listed in the IMDB cast credits, but plays Chaplin's father and Christie's ex-husband in a few scenes.The whole thing makes for a rather quaint and pleasant diversion with a nice flavor of both Amsterdam and Morocco, and leaves a smile on your face at the end.

Just caught this film on cable. It's always nice to see Julie Christie no matter how strange the casting. It is odd to see her playing a Moroccan woman but she can actually pull it off. Carmen Chaplin is delightful as the young artist but I felt that Burt was out his element. He's just not believable as an old hippie in Amsterdam-even smoking a joint. The story is a little too cliche--coming of age, reunited old loves, even flirting with "older man falls for sweet young thing who may be his daughter", but still something holds my interest.The atmosphere is warm, the city of Amsterdam is very appealing, the shots on board the boat are great. A sweet, sentimental tale worth the time to view.

It's not only an interesting movie because it plays in Amsterdam, it's just a nice lovestory with a pretty good end. It's a bit strange that there is only 1 sentence in the whole movie which is Dutch, but as a Dutch-English co-production that is not very strange. The daughter tries to find out who she is, in making pictures of herself. As she is a beautiful young lady, the pictures are beautiful as well. She's an artist, as well as the man who she works for. Burt Reynolds is this man, the owner of a bookstore. Lovely film and I should advise you nothing but this; watch it!

A nice tale of redemption and love...Burt plays a hermit-like bookseller and former poet who still carries wounds from a past love affair. Oddly enough, his old flame's daughter (out 'discovering' her purpose in life, much like Burt's character did in flashbacks) stumbles onto his shop...and he falls in love again, not realizing his interest in her is because she reminds him of her mother...Julie Christie is an odd casting as his old love, as you're left wondering what this very British lady is doing playing a Moroccan woman--but, then you look at Burt and can't help seeing "The Bandit" in his sixties, old, broken and alone...so it's a wash.A beautiful, subtle little movie. Burt makes you think of how some of his past characters might have aged, and still creates a new character in this haunted old man who has retreated from life, yet is still full of life.