Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

mark.waltz That's how Broadway veteran Dorothy Loudon describes the powerful, well respected character played by Kevin Spacey, in jail awaiting trial for killing a drunken hustler. The victim allegedly threatened to kill Spacey, and now Town and Country reporter John Cusack (who simply came to Savannah to do a story on the local architecture) struggles to find out the truth. That old fashioned southern hospitality gets him into many high society houses, intermingling with a variety of eccentrics) and a transgendered drag performer (Lady Chablis) who knew the victim "extremely well".While strange in spots and fascinating in others, this doesn't completely strike the same cord for me that "The Crying Game", yet offers some great performances in unusual characterizations. Spacey, facing scandalous charges in his current life, parallels that ironically 20 years before, and no house of cards can survive this metaphor of a messy 52 Card Pickup. Cusack us good, not outstanding, and Dorothy Loudon plays a southern version of Auntie Mame that gives her some witty lines. Less memorable is Lady Chablis who over deadpans each of her lines and seems to be spending more on shock value than creating a transgender character minus stereotypes. I would have liked to have seen more of the chanting homeless woman played by Irma P. Hall. Other characters are in introduced but quickly disappear. The conservative Southern city seems far too open minded (or possibly enjoying the scandal) to be believable. An amusing moment has Lady Chablis crashing a ball for Southern black debutantes, with the nerdy young black man completely unaware that he's dancing with a transgender, a bit daring for its day. As directed by Clint Eastwood, this crosses some new lines, but often they are too blurred even when wrapped up in a colorful package.

mike48128 Although based on a true story, it didn't exactly happen this way. A wealthy "upstanding" Savannah citizen kills someone in his home. Is it self defense or murder? This movie has everything: Comedy, sexual deviations (homosexuality, cross-dressing), eccentric characters, voodoo, and a Matlock-Perry Mason-style trial. The trial is well-staged and was not boring to me;The "surprise" ending where "poetic justice is served" is somewhat contrived. It's more of a how-done-it than a who-done it, as the defendant confesses to the magazine reporter what really happened. The intended "victim" almost gets shot but the Luger still has the safety on. Then he kills his assailant, anyway. Hints of possible incest and an illegitimate child? Blackmail? A real transsexual portrays "herself", hilariously. Two playfully haunting voodoo seances through both white and colored cemeteries, plus a modern-day black cotillion show the old and new city. Beautifully photographed in Savannah, Georgia, where it "happened". Wonderful songs by Johnny Mercer. Actually, There were 4 trials (he was acquitted) and it took its toll. The man died almost a decade later of pneumonia and a heart attack. Other objections make this from being a "10": What else is fictional or minutes too long, although introducing the characters makes for great fun. Also, the "F" word is used far too many times? Scene sealers: "Chablis" the Entertainer, the mascot bulldog and the pet pussycat. The funniest hospital scene since "9 to 5". Because of great direction by Clint Eastwood,the movie has a "sense-of-style" about it. Since I enjoyed the movie, I upgraded it from the "8" rating it probably deserves.

HospehTehGrate I asked a friend to recommend a movie with good acting, he recommended this. Being a die hard Kevin Spacey fan I gave it a try. I watched this with my girlfriend, after about an hour, we had to entertain ourselves out of boredom, what followed was a 90 minute conversation about things we noticed that was much more entertaining.By the end of the movie, it had turned into a comedy movie for us. Good actors, doesn't always mean good movie. Not even Kevin Spacey could turn this flop around.Needless to say, we thought the characters and dialog were unbelievable and boring. I can't recommend this movie to anyone, maybe as an in-flight movie without headphones but still, I bet the book would be better.I can't think of a movie, that I've fully watched, that is worse than this.

thesar-2 Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (or code name: MITGOGAE – damn, even that acronym is too long) was one of those movies I wanted to like more, but still did a lot. It's an enormously interesting story with fantastic characters and it was one of those films that restored (some) of my faith in John Cusack.This movie should be noteworthy for several interesting characters, such as Cusack's John Kelso and definitely, Kevin Spacey's flamboyant Jim Williams. But, overall, the winner goes to The Lady Chablis. She was amazing. And her interactions between her and John were key to the film's success for me. Okay, not just those scenes, but certainly a huge highlight whenever I revisit this film.Another great aspect of MITGOGAE was the setting and cinematography. The John Kelso character is out of his element in this Deep South surrounding and you'd be lying if you don't get swooped up right along with him, exploring on your own the differences from your world and this one. I get just as mesmerized as he is with all that this film sets up in regards to characters, landscaping, the houses and, heck, even the town is a character.Further, the story, a film noir mystery with multiples of twists, is as exciting to us as the onion peals back as it is to John Kelso. It's a murder mystery with intrigue and intelligence. Spacey and his character Jim Williams are both flipping interesting and exciting, it's absolutely a joy to watch him from scene to scene as he's caught up in this.Basically, writer John Kelso gets a freelance 500-word assignment he thinks he was randomly assigned to, to cover the annual extravagant Jim Williams' Christmas Party. Bummed it's not that big of an article, one-time novelist John Kelso begins his reporting when a "self-defense" murder takes place. Intrigued, John expands his investigation and thinks there's more to this story and this town than meets the eye.He's right.While not perfect and has its moments of slow-down and a totally sad ending to me – see it, and you'll know why I was bummed per my words above, it's a movie that draws me back to (the location of) Savannah time and again.If you're a fan of Cusack, Spacey and colorful backdrops, this is the movie for you. Give it a chance, and you might be a fan for life."I've only been here three days and it's just a shooting, but give it time, okay. This place is fantastic. It's like Gone With the Wind on Mescalin. I know you're my agent. Listen to me, they walk imaginary pets here, Garland. On a fvcking leash. Alright? And they're all heavily armed and drunk. New York is boring!" – John Kelso.