IMDb user comments for
Griffin & Phoenix (2006)

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17 comments in total

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26 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
exquisite, 20 November 2006

Author: g404c

Dermot Mulroney delivers a spectacular performance in Griffin and Phoenix, which premiered on Lifetime this evening. Mulroney is Griffin, a New Yorker who learns he has cancer and has but a year or two at the most to live. Griffin meets Phoenix (Amanda Peet, at her best) while taking a class at a university, and he pursues her, not telling her he has cancer. As the two grow closer, he learns something about her he did not expect.

Exquisite and bittersweet are two adjectives that come to mind when I think of this movie. This is a love story, a beautiful story that reminded me how important and short life is. The water tower and lake scenes were amazing. Grab a box of tissues, you will need them. Easily the best I have seen from Lifetime this year.

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31 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :-
a heart felt real movie, 2 October 2006

Author: ajones01 from Canada

I feel that this movie has not gotten the credit it deserves. I saw it at the Toronto film festival and was blown away by its thoughtful plot and realism. It's character relationship is unmatched in many films I see today and its capacity to deal with cancer in a real and supportive fashion should be commended. This is a love story of our era and one that all should see.

The director was able to take a difficult subject and turn it into a light hearted, real story that allowed the audience to both feel the characters frustration, upset and sorrow as well as laugh and understand their humanity.

Amanda

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27 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
summary, great movie, 10 February 2007

Author: jruben54 from United States

First, I want a DVD or the chance to tape this movie. Two actors that are not "super" stars but both very capable and respected. It's a story about life, not death. Amanda Peet and Dermot Mulroney will make you laugh and break your heart. Have the big box of tissue ready, but you'll be a better person for having watched it. The movie hooked me in the first five minutes. I couldn't stop watching, the chemistry just felt so real between the two of them. When I was in high school I read a short story written by a student, "How High the Moon". I know no one knows it but this story is like that. You think no one else in this world understands what you are thinking right at this moment or what you are going through and you couldn't be more wrong. I only saw it this afternoon and here I am writing my thoughts on it. If you haven't seen it make every effort to. If you're the type that doesn't cry at a movie guess what, there is a first time for everything.

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16 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Griffin & Phoenix - a delight!, 20 November 2006

Author: tonyw-21 from Canada

Ed Stone's directorial debut is a charming and poignant love story. Griffin (Dermot Mulroney) is a NY insurance broker, diagnosed with cancer and given less than two years to live. Griffin is estranged from his ex and two sons who he doesn't really know as he buries himself in work. Griffin changes when he meets Phoenix (Amanda Peet) during a university lecture She is a professor who is also obsessed with work. They carry on an enchanting courtship and discover mutual interests, fantasies and indulgences. The film ends when Phoenix reveals her life's secret which binds them together forever. Amanda Peet (Syriana) shows her versatility and logs a solid performance! Most intriguing is the title, which Stone chose from historical/mythical origins!

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20 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Heart warming tear jerking love story, 20 November 2006
Author: melissa from United States

I think most people agree the movie not getting enough credit.

Amanda Peet and Dermot Mulroney were great choices (and both very attractive) and had good chemistry. Griffin and Phoenix could be compared to A Walk To Remember and The Notebook.

It's one of those sad love stories that make you cry your eyes out yet your happy at the same time.

Very heart warming and touching.

Definitely worth watching.

Watch it on Lifetime and make sure to have your box of tissues and Ben & Jerrys handy =)

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18 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
Griffin & Phoenix a poignant love story about two people who realize how precious life is., 14 December 2006

Author: mxgerlof from United States

Personally, I don't understand why this movie did not make it to the big screen but I was happy to see that they at least got it on cable so that fans could watch it. I felt that Dermot Mulroney and Amanda Peat had great chemistry and both gave exceptional performances. This movie made me cry, laugh and reflect on just how important relationships are. Normally, I don't care for remakes but I felt Ed Stone did a great job with this movie. I hope that they release it on DVD so that people who do not have cable are able to enjoy Mulroney and Peat's heart-felt performances. I would definitely purchase Griffin & Phoenix. Keep a box of Kleenex on hand, you'll need it!

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A Different Kind of Love Story: Balance in Life, 18 September 2007

Author: gradyharp from United States

GRIFFIN & PHOENIX is a quiet little made for television film that touches the vulnerable heart. Originally written in 1976 as a television film by John Hill, this thirty-years-later version holds up well, and the fact that audiences will still opt for sensitive stories that treat difficult topics in a mature manner, adding warmly humorous touches to a potentially maudlin idea, speaks well for our continuing tastes.

From the opening frames of the film we learn that Griffin (Dermot Mulroney) has inoperable cancer: his frank and compassionate physician (Lois Smith) aligns him with reality. Griffin is a divorced father of two boys and his first attempt to find meaning in his limited time is to spend time with them, an attempt partially thwarted by his ex-wife. Once a workaholic, Griffin attends a class on death and dying at the university and there he meets the rather strange and isolated Phoenix (Amanda Peet). Griffin's new take on life encourages him to go after the seemingly impenetrable Phoenix and through a series of wildly frivolous escapades he courts her and they gradually fall in love - something neither felt they could do. They cope with issues of intimacy and finally Phoenix shares her secret with Griffin, a secret that plunges them headlong into a fully blossomed romance. How the two cope with the inevitable is well handled, rarely bordering on sappy, and always holding our compassion.

Director Ed Stone paces the film well, inserting moments of extended silence to match the emotional atmosphere, allowing breathing space. Both Peet and Mulroney create believable three-dimensional characters and are well supported by such solid actors as Lois Smith, Sarah Paulson, and Novella Nelson. The story may have sad aspects, but the cast always allows the humor inherent in any life event to come through. And that is one of the several reasons the film works well. Grady Harp

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Amazing Movie, 19 February 2007

Author: JoNurse11 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This movie about two workaholics is so worth seeing. If there was ever a movie that made you think about how you are living your life - this is it. In short: don't waste time, fall in love, be silly, do everything you want to (within reason) today, because you may not have tomorrow. Kiss your children - love them until you annoy them. They will appreciate it later. Love your partner - never let a chance to say I love you get away . . . you may not get that chance back. I really hope this film comes out on DVD . . . my tissues are ready. You will never believe how much you can smile at the same time tears are streaming down your face. A definite must see!

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
I rarely give films a 10, 22 May 2007

Author: (mhmunim-1) from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

But this is one film deserving the full marks. I loved the characters and how they came to terms with their situation and how in love they found their strength to accept it and use that time to enjoy life.

I love how they took the risk to fall in love and how they became stronger and not let the darkness and depression overcome them.

All I can say is that it's simply a beautiful film that leaves you sad yet nothing but pride and love for the characters Griffin and Phoenix. It one of the reasons why I think Amanda Peet is also a very talented but understated actress. Its a shame that gems like this film never really get the exposure that it truly deserves.

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reality, 26 January 2008

Author: inicola2-1 from United States

Everyone knows someone like this, they face something awful and turn out better people because of tragedy and not triumph. I am not talking about people you are out of control, but rather about people who are just what they present. I love the male lead in this role because he is someone who is putting himself aside to be there for this amazing woman. Right away, you might think that two people meeting under these circumstances is contrived. But the human probability of the story is very high, and I wonder it this kind of plot doesn't help people to think about the reality of their lives, how we might treat each other and feel about the time that we have had to live. I challenge you to watch this to decide.

This movie needs more advertising.

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