Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

FelupFan The condition portrayed in the movie is a real one and a rare one - BIID - Body Integrity Identity Disorder - a disorder in which otherwise healthy individuals feel that they are meant to be disabled, each in a very specific way.The main character's difficulties in dealing with this deep desire and disclosing this to his wife are difficulties that real people with BIID also face. I haven't seen many movies with a BIID theme, but compared to "Quid Pro Quo" which may be a more entertaining movie, this movie is more true to the reality of BIID.For me it was definitely a drama, not a comedy - that's not to say there is no humor. Feeling that the true you is arm-less and not achieving this arm-less state means continuing to live a lie and trying to work through this without devastating those close to you is the stuff of drama, not comedy. Despite the good acting and important content, I can see how this is not a movie for everyone. If you have an interest in BIID, I would definitely recommend it.

pholt-769-943535 I don't know how this thing got classified as a comedy. It has several eccentric characters, but the pace (slow and deliberate) and energy level (low most of the way) don't suit comedy. Rather, "Armless" invites us to slow down and try to understand John, the protagonist, and his strange desire, and after a while, it starts looking credible. John's mother would mess any kid up, big-time, and his desire to be able to lose his fear by taking pain and loss is noble, even if his plan for getting there is bizarre. Other people's ways of handling fear and stress aren't to be recommended, either: two characters cope by popping pills, and a third has retreated into self-absorption, largely out of greed. Some parallels drawn between John and the doctor who tries to dissuade him show that other people have John's issues do. So the madman starts looking sane in an insane world. It's an absorbing movie, but I still don't think it qualifies as a good one. I wouldn't recommend it to any friend I wanted to keep. PGH

greekmaria OK, not a horrible movie, not a fantastic movie but certainly not a waste of time as some have said. I watched this movie having read the three previous reviews: two bad and one good. So I did not expect much. But I am glad that I stuck it out. Independent films give writers and directors the chance to explore topics that would never make it in the mainstream, and that is what this movie is all about. Quirky characters with interesting real dialog. Very unusual plot idea. A very touching conclusion that was the definition of true love for me. I find it to be a quiet little movie that explored a lot of human flaws and issues in a very short period of time. The doctor's assistant is my favorite character, along with the completely self-absorbed mother.

therreid Sometimes at Sundance you hit the occasional film that is truly horrid. Armless is one of those rare awful films that sneak into Sundance from time to time.From a dull and lackluster plot to boring characters, "Armless" did not deliver on any front at all. The screenplay is poorly written, disjoint and lacking a story that keeps the audience interested. As a comedy it fails at making the audience laugh or even smile.John and his desire to cut off his arms earned a few laughs early on in the show, but as the film went on, the audience tired of the character and his repetitive lines as well as those of his wife. By the end all in the theater were just glad it was over. I had the misfortune of viewing this film at Sundance 2010 and as we exited the theater the comments from the movie goers were almost a universal, "what a waste of time". My advice if you see "Armless" being shown is to run the other way.