Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

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.

writers_reign There are many occasions when I feel that I've been watching a different movie from the majority of people who submit a review to IMDb so it's very pleasant to be able to endorse the other positive opinions for this really fine film. I saw it when it was released, loved it and went back with a friend, now I've just found it on DVD, watched it and find it stands up really well. It is, of course, a given that Susan Sarandon is an exceptional actress who can do sensuous with one boob behind her back and here she delivers one of her all-time great performances and though she doesn't need them it does no harm that she is supported by a fine cast, not least Eileen Brennan as her sister. James Spader is also spot on as the twenty-seven year old yuppie widower who falls genuinely in love with Sarandon's forty-three year old waitress at the eponymous White Palace(clearly based on the White Castle hamburger chain). In that respect the film celebrates the power of love to span social divides and sixteen year age gaps so that the observations on St. Louis society are merely a bonus. It's the kind of film the French churn out by the yard and Hollywood manages all too rarely. solid and indisputable nine out of ten.

nimbus13 The film was not very impressive to me, but Susan Sarandon's characterization was interesting. The actual dialog was a little embarrassing, not the language, but the situations that sometimes take place between other people, that make you want to blend into the scenery and just get out of there. I saw them film some of the outside scenes in St. Louis,including the "White Palace" which was leased from some small burger joint similar in format to the White Castle chain. I worked on the 4th floor of an office building (which apparently no longer exists) overlooking the "Palace".About 3:00 in the afternoon when the sun and weather was just right,the film crew would shoot some footage in the vicinity of the "Palace". For several days all the staff would take a short break and watch. At the director's signal all the period cars, buses, and taxis would start down the street. It was like stepping out of a time machine!However, we never did see the two stars. I think this is what they call an establishing shot.

willmurphy6663 i read the reviews of loved and hated this film, and as you can guess i am on of the ones that have loved it. I can understand that people find the story implausible, because of the age difference and the social and cultural differences of the love story. i suppose having been in a few love across the divide love stories myself i identify and understand the motivations of the two characters and what the director is trying to say. Both James Spader and Susan Sarrandon are lost in the film, James had lost his lover and all meaning in his life, and Susan has lost her son, and her self respect and is being self destructive to herself. She has a truth which she teaches him on their first meeting, where she accurately reads him, and shows him how to let go and have a good time and have contact. The original sex scene which some people hate in the reviews is my all time favourite. If the sexes were reversed it would verge on rape, but because it is female on male it doesn't feel that way. the way she holds him down catches him unawares and drags him into this sexual and emotional awakening is what makes it so electrifying for me. James spader's night after rejection of her rings true, and for most people it would end there....but he goes on and they really learn off each other...maybe as i have found in real life it would end, but i think that love is about two people coming together having contact being together loving and learning from each other.So may people that i see staying together in so called sensible compatible marriages don't have what you see these two having together for however long.......

MarieGabrielle there are very few romance or romantic comedies, which strike a real note for the audience, or anyone who appreciates reality and decent acting.This film does have that. Sarandon is very good; she is a "down-at-heel" waitress, almost twenty years older than the character portrayed by Spader. Some of the interactions are amusing and sad. Her drinking, her loss of a child. Spader's background is respectable, white-collar but bored, he meets Sarandon after missing his deceased wife.Films like this are sometimes underrated. There was not a lot of hype about this film, which is one of the reasons I like it (We do not need Hollywood to tell us what's good, i.e. "The Break Up", which was actually not good).While the scenes with Spader's relatives were a bit stereotyped, overall there are a few good messages here. Life doesn't always work out how we want, "perfect couples" aren't necessarily happy, and the Spader character was actually quite good, not being the negative insensitive character here. Definitely worth viewing. 8/10.