Not nearly as pleasurable as the Philip Roth novel, although the
film stands on its own as serious, adult entertainment. Anthony Hopkins
and Nicole Kidman are fine as usual, although it is a bit of a stretch
to accept Hopkins as a black man passing for white, let alone the sort
of gent who would spend his time with a thin slice of white trash.
Filmed in a cool, despairing tone, the film concerns political
correctness, survival, and living our lives under a veil of deception
and shame. It could be argued that the film seems to be going out of
its away to sway Oscar voters (similarly to 2002’s The Hours), but I appreciated its high-mindedness and courage to be somber.
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