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Afterglow (1997) More at IMDbPro »

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45 comments in total

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14 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
A flawed work but definately worth a look., 1 December 2002

Author: (barbarella70@yahoo.com) from middleton, wi

There's no doubt Julie Christie was one of the most unique personalities of the late sixties and early seventies. A remote beauty who was sexy and charming in Billy Liar and Darling, haunting and enigmatic in Don't Look Now and McCabe and Mrs. Miller and one of the few things worth remembering about Doctor Zhivago. Her notorious pickiness when it comes to choosing roles has served her well and she is one of the few stars from that time who has moved quite gracefully through a film career. Her resources as an actress allow the character of Phyllis Mann to come alive in a way that few could accomplish and the magic she creates is unforgetable. Laid back hipster Alan Rudolph's sexual roundelay has a lush look on top and a jazzy score below but it's Christie who sears the visuals with sadness, mystery, and wit. Nick Nolte's rugged charm serves him well throughout and when these two are alone together on screen, the art of film acting is proudly displayed. Watch the scene when a drunken Phyllis tries to rekindle their physical relationship and notice the body language. Note to filmmakers: Rudolph's genius is knowing when not to move the camera and in trusting his actors to do the work.

The film seems ponderous and flat at first and Johnny Lee Miller and Lara Flynn Boyle are still learning their craft (their scenes do grate), but Afterglow is a cockeyed success for those with patience.

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Julie's the whole show, 10 April 1999

Author: FANatic-10 from Las Vegas, NV

I have extremely mixed feelings about this film. On the one hand, I have only praise for Alan Rudolph for writing a great character for Julie Christie to play and giving her a role she could truly sink her teeth in and prove again what a sensational actress she is. And yet - the film that has been built around her is an almost total dud. I found the plot lame, and Lara Flynn Boyle and Jonny Lee Miller execrable. But when Nick Nolte and especially Julie Christie are on screen, all is forgiven. They're great together, but it's Christie's film all the way. She is such a rarity - an actress who combines genuine Movie Star Glamour, the real deal, with a thoroughly modern sensibility. I could go on gushing, but let me just say that she is sublime and this film gives us an all too rare opportunity to see her in full glory, albeit in a vehicle that's less than worthy of her.

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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
an elegant film, 26 January 2004

Author: (pat@globalxpres.com) from seattle

The writer/ director Alan Rudolph clearly understands the beauty of woman. The combination of Julie Christie and Lara Flynn Boyle is beautifully juxtaposed. Nick Nolte provides the rough male energy that highlights the facets of the younger / older woman beauty esthetic. The screenplay provided excellent scenes and the camera work and lighting was top notch. My only disappointment was that I did not see this gem on the big screen.

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11 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
turn down the words... listen to the music... watch the pictures., 19 November 1999

Author: Jack Smith from USA

Not a great story (even annoying at times), but a great film. Beautifully photographed by Kurita, with more than a few truly mesmerizing enchanting moments. Many of those scenes capture the essence of nonchalance which Julie Christie has perfected (or reveals of herself). Her magical detached, casual, indifference thru Kurita's lens is the power and soul of Afterglow.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Human beings and their faults in relationships with coincidences?, 1 September 2003

Author: mifunesamurai from Australia

The lives of a has-been-actress, a charming sleazy plumber, a bored housewife and a stressed corporate head intertwined in this low key screwball. If made by studio heads this film would have been hard to swallow, but when handled by the maestro, Alan Rudolph, and starring real actors, it works a treat.

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
What, not enough gunplay?, 16 January 1999

Author: Del-6 from California, USA

Afterglow is one of the best films of 1997. Julie Christie has been away too long. With the exception of her role as Gertrude in the 1996 version of Hamlet, I can't recall such a performance in years, and she radiates pure magic in this one. Nick Nolte is always at his best in the smaller, independent films and his portrayal in Afterglow is nothing short of brilliant. So, why isn't it available on laserdisc or DVD?

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Just plain fun, 22 September 2002

Author: warmsox from Alabama

I saw this movie and very thoroughly enjoyed it. No, it was not realistic, no, it was not stellar acting, or serious story. It was exactly what it bills itself to be, a romance-comedy. This movie is good escapism. If you need a smile, or just to sit back and relax without getting all overly engrossed in a movie, this is a good one to pick.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Rudolph not at his best, but good enough, 13 February 1999

Author: Sean Gallagher (naes@cgocable.net) from Oakville, Ont. Canada

Calling Alan Rudolph an acquired taste is like calling CASABLANCA just a WWII film; it doesn't even begin to tell the story. I happen to like his films when they don't star Keith Carradine (whom I don't like), but can see why others don't. In a Rudolph film, plot is less important than mood and texture, and there really isn't much of a plot in this film, it's pretty much all mood and texture. The dialogue he writes is also right out of the 30's and 40's (a friend once said Rudolph films are what would happen in Bogart ended up in a Fred Astaire movie).

In this movie, the dialogue sometimes falls flat, and some of the tone shifts are jarring. In addition, Miller's character is a complete lout; we hardly understand why Boyle, let alone Christie, would even bother with him. And Boyle had a character to play in Rudolph's EQUINOX, but here, she just flails around.

Nevertheless, this is a good movie, and that's partly because of the romantic pull Rudolph does achieve, and because of the performances of Nick Nolte and Julie Christie. Although both of them are playing characters past their prime, Rudolph films them like old movie stars would be filmed, and matches his tempo to their performances, which are relaxed and confident (which contrasts to Boyle and Miller, whose discomfort is obvious). Critics up here noted this was one of the few, if not the only, U.S. films filmed in Canada (Montreal) that actually took place there.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Enjoyable with a few exceptions, a worthy rent, 29 April 2003

Author: WMOLSTAD from Minnesota

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I enjoyed this movie. I suppose that I had the problem of Nick

Nolte and his funny-looking, scruffy macho self, but it fit the

character. My favorite character was the sexually modest and

completely cold executive Jeffrey Byron played by Jonny Lee Miller,

fresh from Trainspotting. When he slightly slips his accent, it is

really fun to hear. Since it takes place in Canada though, it is

awesome that he particularly lets it out on words like "about" - "ay- boat". Slight Spoiler.... Even though the character was mean, cold, and he was the one

that provoked his wife into the main problem in the movie early on,

I felt as if he was almost the protagonist. The setting of Montreal

was beautiful, the cinematography varying between lush and

classy, and the characters very well thought-out. The Phyllis Mann

character was entertaining. And Jeffrey's wife Marianne was funny,

but you almost hate her for the way she goes in this movie... This movie would have been much better without Nick Nolte - his

facial expressions were just perfect, but his presence can be

continuously irritating. He'll also turn off half of the ladies watching

this. Considering that it's themes are wonderful for a female

audience, that's bad. But does the movie want you to hate him

anyway? Oh well. 8 out of 10 in my point of view - deducting one

point for Nolte and one point for the overusage of adultery in the

plot. If you aren't into romance-drama plots and character studies,

avoid this one. If you like Nick Nolte, grab it. If you don't, you might

have to stomach him. A worthy rent.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Unhappy people with lots of secrets, 23 June 2001
Author: Wilburrabbit from Brooklyn, New York

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Two couples: one young, another older. The younger male is a cold fish (some hint of his being a repressed homosexual - the gay friend coming out, etc.); she is a flighty wife (bad acting by Ms. Boyle). Obtuse frigid Christie, and studly Nolte. All this mess spoiled by bits of slapstick which jerk the viewer about. Also some speeded up scenes which come out of left field. And completely unintelligible ending. Without being a spoiler - no idea of what the person in the final scene was doing. Not even clear as to who it was, in my opinion.

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