Sunday, January 4, 2009

The Reader - Movie Review

The Reader (R) 123 minutes A-
Reading is sexy!

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, David Kross, Lena Olin, Bruno Gan, and Alexandra Maria Lara

"Technically", I know it's wrong for a woman in her mid 30's to seduce a 15 year old boy, and I know it's especially wrong if that woman turns out to be a Nazi. But The Reader is the best love story I have seen all year (2008)!

Michael Berg was only 15 (David Kross) but I found myself jealous of his pure and innocent love (even if it was one-sided), and it's hard to fault Hanna (Kate Winslet), the quiet seductress whose eyes are cold as steel and whose lips are as inviting as ice cream on a summer's day.

I don't know who is more naive here, the boy or the woman? But it doesn't matter, all that matters is the two of them and how they feel when their together. So when we fast-forward to 1995 and Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes) is now a successful Berlin attorney, it's no surprise that Hanna (who has been out of his life for a very very long time) is still in his head and in his heart.

Who knows if love like this truly exists, but David Cross (young Michael) and Ralph Fiennes (older Michael) made me believe for 123 minutes.

The film is based on the Bernhard Schlink's bestselling novel (an Oprah book club pick).

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