a lot of the film i have make probably could have work just as well 50 year ago and and that just because i have a lot of old fashion value . steven spielbergsome point . 1. though this film be a loose remake of a guy name joe and it also borrow heavily from a matter of life and death and wing of desire . 2. this be spielberg second attempt at be frank capra . 3. spielberg have often say that he wish to make a frank capra movie in the vein of it a wonderful life and mr smith go to washington . judge from his recent attempt to get a harvey remake off the ground and it seem a though spielberg still hold this dream and the director rightfully not satisfy with his last 3 venture into capracorn . 4. critic at the time bash always and state that the elaborate action sequence distract from the film romance and but that really not the problem at all . the problem be that always need a lot more special effect to distract u from the fact that spielberg can not film any line of dialogue that doesn not end in an exclamation point . 5. the film be fill with comedy that just doesn not work . spielberg comedic taste aren not very sophisticated and and seem to be rip right out of 1950 screwball and looney tune cartoon . these exaggerated antic may work in a cartoon universe and but in a film it just seem like an odd marriage . 6. the film lead couple come across a brother and sister and not lover . spielberg film have always be apprehensive toward sex and intimacy and but this film go to extreme lengths represent she a wisecrack tomboy and he a wisecrack old man . theyre more irritating than endear . 7. the film contain one good scene and in which john goodman argue with holly hunter and but for the most part the film character be too annoy . there no subtlety and every emotion overplay and every joke over design and every sequence fill with unnecessary busyness . 8. always and hook taught spielberg how to con audience . after their failure ( and the twin financial failure of the color purple and empire of the sun ) spielberg dump the goofy colour cinematography of color purple and empire of the sun in favour for the more desaturated black and white world of schindler list and munich and minority report and save private ryan . from here on and less light and dark cinematography become equate with serious topic . 9. after the financial success of each dark film spielberg revert back to his colour cinematography and and fall flat on his face once again . amistad follow schindler list and ai follow ryan and lincoln will follow munich . these colour film be always bash for be too tacky and sentimental and corny and hokey and but the truth be and if you remove the desaturation and all these serious film would feel the same way . 10. since the 70 and spielberg have try to differentiate himself from the other brat pack director ( scorsese and de palma and coppola etc ) and by pretend to be an optimist and humanist . he would himself state this repeatedly during many interview in the late 70 . the reality and though and be that he be probably the big sadist of all these director and the very form of his film often undermine their content and their very box office performance always proportionate to their dazzling display of carnage . 11. the failure of spielberg to connect with any of the character in always and and the relish he show and instead and for film forest fire and air plane crash etc and perfectly encapsulate the rest of his filmography . people run from dinosaur and shark and nazi and tripod and rock etc . this be what spielberg delight in . the moment his character stop to speak and however and everything self destructs . a film like amistad fail and in other word and because not enough black die and too many white talk . 12. the film fly scene aren not up to the standard set several year earlier in the mega hit top gun . of course and when your enemy be a forest fire and it hard to make thing cinematic . 13. failure like 1941 and hook and always etc be often more illuminating that spielberg more successful film . they reveal the steel skeleton beneath the technique . they show what the amusement park ride look like when it not work and reveal the vacuum beneath the broken machinery . 5/10 there one good sequence here ( two actor in a room and simply improvise ) and but this be mostly an annoying picture with a predictable script . worth one viewing .