Since You've Been Gone (1998)

Fantastic!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

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.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

David Schwimmer is a talented guy and by directing this TV movie he was clearly trying to show the world that he wasn't just Ross from 'Friends'.He certainly pulls in a good cast, with Teri Hatcher, Marisa Tomei and even a sadly brief cameo from the ever lovely Molly Ringwald, but this equally sadly doesn't make for a good film, and it remains a sluggish watch throughout.I do wish that Schwimmer would direct more films though.

I confess, I love re-union movies. So despite everything, I enjoyed this one. The characters are all a bit exaggerated here and some of them border on the bizarre (especially Lara Flynn Boyle), which makes it all the more fun. Most re-union movies tend to be rather dark in their outlook and this one is no exception. Everyone meets again after ten years, everyone has aged, some have lost their hair, some have lost the potential they showed in high school. Our hero here has mostly lost his sense of humor and become "mean" as his friends (and wife) tell him. Why do re-union movies always manage to strike a chord? Because we all empathize with them. and yes, they provide huge scope for characterization and drama, which this movie manages to do quite well. Though, I must add, it's no patch on the really great re-union movies like The Big Chill.

I taped this from TV, so didn't have to pay a penny to see it. I thought it worked as a series of scenes, held together really only by the fact that everyone was there for the reunion, and alternating scenes with the main characters with little vignettes focusing on minor ones and quirks of character. So it was a bit sit-com'ish: who cares? It wasn't intended to be some major drama. There were many amusing moments, and one couldn't help feeling pleased that the doctor reconciled with his wife, the woman desperate to find someone did meet up with the man who wanted to see her, the unemployed man got offered a job after almost inadvertently putting a lot of people in touch with each other and also began a relationship, that the singer got to sing his song (apparently taken over and turned into a hit for someone else by a music company that ripped him off) the way he wanted and was applauded for it, also that the obnoxious class president, who seemed to be using the whole reunion to get work for his family's businesses, got his. But not "heartwarming" all the way, no: the tricks of Lara Flynn Boyle's character were sometimes unpleasantly vicious, and the last was a discordant note in the otherwise fairly upbeat ending (though it could probably have been sorted out eventually). We were evidently meant to see her as an unpleasant practical joker from way back (references to class outings in which some disaster had happened), but never shown why. Romy and Michelle's High School reunion was better, yes - but this wasn't so bad.

Class reunion films always have the potential to be good entertainment, unfortunately most don't deliver. 'Since You've Been Gone' thankfully does.. .And doesn't.It has its moments of genuine humor, but it also tries to be quirky and even sentimental. It doesn't always succeed, but more than not. It helps that it has a talented cast.Relative unknowns Phillip Rayburn Smith, Laura Eason, and Thom Cox give standout performances, while the more recognizable faces of Teri Hatcher and David Schwimmer (who also directed) do not have much to go on.Surprisingly, the films scene-stealer is its most under-written character, Grace, the class beauty/psycho. You can't help but chuckle when Lara Flynn Boyle comes on screen. It's then you know you can count on a laugh. No reason is ever given for her wicked behavior, but after a while, you won't care. Just further proof that the always sexy Boyle handles comedy just as easily as the heavy stuff.Look for inspired cameos from Marisa Tomei, Jon Stewart, Molly Ringwald and the post nose-job Jennifer Grey (whom after watching this with friends realized I am the ONLY person who recognized her).