robert altman be my favorite american director . i must admit that i have enjoy the film that be usually scorn represent quintet and if only for give me the pleasure of see a grow up and beautiful brigitte fossey and who be unforgettable a the little girl in forbidden game while health and for have lauren bacall and carol burnett and alfre woodard and glenda jackson and all in the same cast while popeye and for that splendid and surreal world and shelley duvall olive oyl and the wonderful malta location while o. c. and stiggs and for it proposal of an anti adolescent flick while beyond therapy and for all it lunacy and for the presence of genèvieve page and who for all her effort to look parisian chic be take for a travestite . i have even enjoy his one act tv movie and like the dumb waiter and the laundromat . when there be not much plot to develop in his film and you have wonderful performance and from burnett and john travolta and kim basinger or jane curtin . i perceive and enjoy the different approach and description he make of the many different culture of the united state . it be a pity that his genius be seldom appreciate and and that he be always forget when the time come for give out american prize and award . he be not your typical mainstream purveyor of fantasy . he be more of a maverick . so it be not surprising for me to find so many bad comment post here about the gingerbread man and his most amainstream effort to date and to my knowledge . i do not know there be so many people who think like leonard maltin and who do not like altman at all . in this case and one may dislike the gingerbread man and but for me the reason have more to do with grisham than with the director screenwriter . some of altman trademark be here represent improvised dialogue and great performance and a funny lawyer office with typical irreverent receptionist and secretary . while some people find it boring and i find the first act fascinating and thanks also for the great cinematography by changwei gu and the man who shoot red sorghum and ju dou and farewell my concubine . he have a way of show u the same thing we see in other american movie and but under a different light . through his foreigner gaze and almost everything seem new and different . in this first act and thing be so logical and true . wait until you get old . you may get in trouble if you fall under the spell of someone younger and beautiful a embeth davidtz . i know for myself what i have do fascinate by someone who be young than i be . then you have robert duvall repellent and menacing and mysterious character and while that geraldo storm be threaten savannah . the second act get a little phony and even funny and because altman may have conduct it with a grin . i remember laugh aloud in several instance with his ironic remark . i think he be apply a bit of brecht and distance u and prepare u for the third act and which be plain hollywood pastiche . altman do it with expertise . be a wise man and and an intelligent director and luckily he do not fall into the trap of today action movie . he be direct a tale of lust and greed and death . i be not disappoint a bit with the movie . if i give it a nine instead of 10 and it be because of grisham . the american reader have turn him into a best selling author . so why complain . maybe we should thank altman for show u the seam in his story and the dullness and the flatness and the silliness of them all . however and he do it with so much gusto and humor and that i can not but disagree with the negative comment . for me and these person saw another movie . and vice versa .