Since You've Been Gone (1998)

This movie struck my adolescent home... and hard! The story line is rather brief in the drama department, mostly consisting of characterization "sketches" held together by the 10th reunion event. But I must declare, these vignettes were very much as I remember the angst of high school socializations. Every now and then I desire to watch this movie and usually end up watching it 2 or 3 times in one session. I think a good many people who have seen this movie dislike it because of the accurate recollections of those painful, "glory lost" or awkward years in high school. David Schwimmer's character as the class president reminds me of the social strata that necessitated the need to endure extreme torment. The trivial yet paradoxically significant feud between doctors McEldowney and Prince poignantly points out those events which act as a great social forge in our personal developments. There are so many personalities represented in this movie, and these personalities are highly representative of my friend's and my own high school years. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who can look back into their personal past and laugh at those formative semi-adult years in life.

I taped this from TV, so didn't have to pay a penny to see it. I thought it worked as a series of scenes, held together really only by the fact that everyone was there for the reunion, and alternating scenes with the main characters with little vignettes focusing on minor ones and quirks of character. So it was a bit sit-com'ish: who cares? It wasn't intended to be some major drama. There were many amusing moments, and one couldn't help feeling pleased that the doctor reconciled with his wife, the woman desperate to find someone did meet up with the man who wanted to see her, the unemployed man got offered a job after almost inadvertently putting a lot of people in touch with each other and also began a relationship, that the singer got to sing his song (apparently taken over and turned into a hit for someone else by a music company that ripped him off) the way he wanted and was applauded for it, also that the obnoxious class president, who seemed to be using the whole reunion to get work for his family's businesses, got his. But not "heartwarming" all the way, no: the tricks of Lara Flynn Boyle's character were sometimes unpleasantly vicious, and the last was a discordant note in the otherwise fairly upbeat ending (though it could probably have been sorted out eventually). We were evidently meant to see her as an unpleasant practical joker from way back (references to class outings in which some disaster had happened), but never shown why. Romy and Michelle's High School reunion was better, yes - but this wasn't so bad.

OK, first thing to clear up. Schwimmer's name is top billing for the simple reason that he is the most famous in the movie. Just like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now, and Richard Harris in Harry Potter.OK, now the good stuff. I dunno how else to say it, but this movie is amazing. You just smile all the way through, except when you are laughing your head off. Its such a warm movie, ya cant help but get so involved with every other character. It is more like an Alan Bennet play than a made for TV film. You see things in the background that carry the story along, every single character is involved with every other character. Everything is just, perfect. Thats all i can say. If you want to spend two hours feeling great, watch this movie. I cant understand why everyone slates this movie, coz it really is a damn fine movie, and one worth seeing, even if its just for the soundtrack!

this film was lame, it was a TV movie stretched out to long...it was not the actor's fault, all of them were good, i just didn't have a chance to care about any of the characters, there was no motivation, nothing, it was just "here they are, aren't they clever?" i only rented it cause it had molly ringwald, tomei, jennifer grey in it and yes, all of 5 minutes...am suprised they didn't add peter sellers on the credits... pass on this one, not worth your time or money cause for all the money and skill and talent involved, they could have made something a bit more imaginative... Q