一部2002年的模仿1950年代melodrama的电影，不论色泽，台词，还是上中产阶级的故事背景，都那么相似。看完All That Heaven Allows, 再看这一部，那种白人保守思想营造的光环又回来了。但是在这样一个氛围里，植入种族和同性的故事，时不时会有反讽的意味，再加上音乐从大交响换成了轻柔的现代音乐，时不时会有一种抽离。

Highly recommended, perhaps especially for Boomers who may have lived through those years. The circumstances of these peoples' lives are not so different that those of my own family, and what happens with the parents (Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid) not so different from what happened with my own parents' marriage. Also, it's beautifully photographed.

If this movie doesn't rip your heart out nothing will.

It looks so classic as if 50s, well directed. Message is clear and important but the storytelling is too melodramatic of me...

The movie was okay but moved slow and never had a climax. The setting and time period was done well.

I read somewhere that the cast of this movie would burst into hysterical laughter after shooting some of the scenes. That's how absurd this movie is---in spite of its pretense of seriousness. The artifice and affectation are just overbearing. I hated every minute of it. Two stars for the gorgeous cinematography, which faithfully replicates the wide screen technicolor films of the 1950's.

Queer joy HAD been invented by this point so there’s no excuse.

A heartbreaking masterclass from Julianne Moore. Director Todd Haynes (Carol) delivers a touching romance melodrama with his indie film Far from Heaven (2002). It's carefully directed and shot to be subtle and expressive with brief glances at the object of desire and unspoken feelings. It's simply one of the most beautiful pictures ever made. Far from Heaven is very clearly heavily inspired by Douglas Sirk's 1950's pictures Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind, and Imitation of Life. There's love, sympathy, and warmth in every moment of Far from Heaven. Haynes is a wonderful director with Far from Heaven and Carol certified as two of my favorite films forevermore. I'm grateful producers George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh got Far from Heaven made. Writer Todd Haynes takes the Fall atmosphere of leaves blowing in the wind, lush Autumn colors, and tender romantic tragedies from Douglas Sirk's films and makes them his own. He crafts a tale of a lonely housewife, interracial romance, difficult parenting, social outcasts, homosexual relationships, class struggles, and social acceptance all into one touching film. I appreciate him developing all the main characters into complex people with empathetic writing. Julianne Moore is tremendous in Far from Heaven as Cathleen Whitaker. Moore gives Cathy a graceful poise, heart-wrenching loneliness, tender compassion, and devastating rejection by her would-be lover and all her socialite friends. Julianne Moore is one of our finest dramatic actresses and she proves it again throughout Far from Heaven. Dennis Quaid is great as the alcoholic, closeted gay man Frank Whitaker, who is hopelessly miserable married to Julianne Moore. Quaid finds an inner rage and frustration you don't always get in his usual roles. He feels as vulnerable and repressed as Moore. Dennis Haysbert is phenomenal and nuanced as Raymond Deagan, who longs for love and social acceptance, but gains neither. Jordan Puryear is very sympathetic as the hurting daughter of Raymond named Sarah Deagan. Patricia Clarkson is excellent as Cathy's seemingly supportive best friend Eleanor Fine, until even she has her social justice limits, which reveals her ugliest beliefs. Viola Davis is interesting as the supportive maid Sybil, who must observe all. James Rebhorn is great as the callously regressive conversion therapy Dr. Bowman. Celia Weston is heinously cruel as the bigoted and mean town gossip Mona Lauder. Editor James Lyons keeps Far from Heaven briskly paced with a swift 107 minute run-time. We get gently cut drama that lets characters and subplots breathe. Cinematographer Edward Lachman has these strikingly lit and smoothly panned shots. I loved the art direction from Peter Rogness, Miguel López-Castillo, and Jeffrey D. McDonald put green and blue moody lighting into each scene. All the shots are dazzling. Mark Friedberg's stylish 50's house sets are so cozy and quaint. Set decorator Ellen Christiansen's furnishings look antique in style, but new for a believable tone. Composer Elmer Bernstein's soft, melodic symphonic film score is dreamy and romantic. I like how quickly he switches up styles within a piece for dramatic tonal shifts. His music is the stuff of classic cinema. Sound designers Leslie Shatz, Michael "Gonzo" Gandsey, Drew Kunin, Marshall Garlington, Kelley Baker, and Richard Moore let us hear idle gossip and quiet whispers of affection with clear recordings. Costume designer Sandy Powell's lovely gowns and cozy red flannel shirts or cable knit sweaters all look comfortable and vibrant. She brilliantly clothes all the redhead actresses in emerald green gowns, crimson red jackets and dresses, and light lavender shawls for complementary aesthetics. Makeup artists Elaine L. Offers and Hildie Ginsberg give Julianne Moore alluring red lipstick and cute pink blush for her rosy cheeks. I liked that they let her be naturally pale and pretty in her own skin. Hairstylists Alan D'Angerio, Mary Cooke, and Michael Kriston give each lady carefully combed curls to adhere to 1950's fashions. In all, Far from Heaven is like discovering a lost Douglas Sirk romance melodrama with Todd Haynes delivering refined filmmaking alongside Julianne Moore's magnificent display of emotional acting.

The best acting performance from Julianne Moore! With the best movie screenplay ever written! And the best cinematography ever done in a movie!

Sure to leave audiences divided, director Todd Haynes has crafted a film that would appear to be a tribute to the sordid but stylish melodramas of Douglas Sirk from the 50s, colorful in style but bleak in theme in their condemnation of American society. Cathy and Frank Whitaker (Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid) live in idyllic suburban Hartford, living a seemingly perfect life with their two loving children in a beautiful home. Before you can say ‘golly gee', things begin to deteriorate as the result of homosexuality, an interracial relationship, excessive drinking and spousal abuse. Similar to Sirk's films, the colors are bright, the music is jaunty, the acting is theatrical, and the dialogue is cringeworthy based on today's standards. Does Far from Heaven work as a tribute to Sirk? Sure. Is it well made? It is. Will it appeal to anyone not familiar with Sirk? Probably not.

Director Todd Haynes excelled not only the periodic storytelling but mainly aesthetically the presentation of one with a throwback flair mixed in with a little of contemporary artistic polish, intelligently discussing the ideal themes in a timely matter inspired by the thrown timeless deliverance then powered by caressing finest performances towards the humane characterization – except for the unreasonable social injustice by inhumane ridicule. (B+)

Excellent, looks good too.

"People in the '50s were racist and homophobic" That's it, that's the movie. An updated Douglas Sirk melodrama (taking particular influence from All That Heaven Allows) that is hardly adventurous or daring in its themes, but which features some high-quality performances from Moore and Haysbert and is visually exceptionally well-composed. Beautiful color palette and costuming, but this particular style of suburban moral outrage with housewives anxiously gossiping in party corners and over phone lines isn't imbued with enough power to make the film seem to be much beyond a visual experience. One thing you have to give this film though, it had a knack for creating some extraordinarily sprawling midcentury home bars. (2.5/5)

A story that likely took place in the 1950s about a seemingly perfect family and their town. It touches on homosexuality, race, and gender issues. Watching a story of discrimination is always unsettling. More so in the current times, when we fortunately have come a long way. It's a fine historic piece, nonetheless. And because it was filmed in the 2000s, it has surely a vantage point over several issues. Racial discrimination is treated in a very personal way: people's sentiments. We don't see formal or institutional discrimination here, we learn about people's sentiments regarding race. Homosexuality is treated in a more tangential manner, as something to hide in hotel rooms. The style is melodramatic and some scenes can easily be triggering and outraging. The acting is good. Moore's role fits her perfectly. I particularly enjoyed that we get to know the characters with some depth..The main characters are likable, and we truly wonder what happened to them. It's a nice revival of old fashioned hollywood melodramas, but the overall melodramatic tone is a bit difficult to process, particularly when it comes to issues we feel strongly about.

I'm inclined to vote in the negative on this one. Yes, there's a perfect, alcoholic, gay husband in it. The wife is ignoring everything possible and making excuses for everything else. The gardener is all man who's more brown than black. The film evolves without many surprises. It's a teaser for Lady Chatterley's Lover perhaps, which, as I recall, was a better film.

An incredible and complex take on how customs that are normalized now like interracial relations & homosexuality are dealt with in the 1950's which seem like worlds apart from how society is today. Melodramas aren't my favorite movie genre but this hooked me in from start to finish and as much as one would want to see something flourish between Cathy Whitaker & Raymond Deagan, especially after the fallout of her marriage with Frank, It is almost suspected that society is too great of a power to let something like that happen and it's usually met with violent protest. It's a sad yet intriguing set of events that unravel a seemingly picture perfect nuclear family that is tailormade for the Post-War era.

This is an interesting, classy-looking movie in which Todd Haynes channels Douglas Sirk's "women's movies" of the 1950s to explore past race and gender attitudes, but most of the characters--with the exception of a luminescent Julianne Moore--are only one or two dimensional. The entire execution is both compelling yet heavy-handed. Everyone who sees Ms. Moore associating with Mr. Haysbert seems to give them the stink eye. (Had this been a comedy the onlookers would probably have all done spit takes.) Although Quaid's character is conflicted, his lack of subtlety sometimes comes off as more laughable than tragic. Nevertheless, this is a movie worth watching.

I've no idea how this film won so many plaudits. The entire plot can be predicted within ten minutes of the start. From that point on there are no surprises, nothing too startling, all a big soppy and dull. Acting is pretty simplistic too.

Strong melodrama, stolen completely by Dennis Quaid.

Far From Heaven: Pros: Fine Acting Outstanding Cinematography Great Editing Stunning Set and Costume Design Beautiful Musical Score Decent Pacing Cons: Generic Plot Weak Screenplay Mediocre Directing Bland portrayal of its themes Overall Grade: C+ (6/10)