On S List of Movie Reviews
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The Substance of Fire (1996)
Rate:
2
Viewed:
6/24
6/24:
Remember Convicts with Robert Duvall and Lukas Haas?
That's the extreme right. On the left is The Substance of Fire. Both deal with a senile old man. Instead of
Texas, the setting takes place in affluent New York City, and it involves a Jewish family. The trouble? I just
don't care, hence my low rating. Forget about the Holocaust...it's time to move on.
The acting is awkward for the most part, and the script is lousy with a hanging blank ending. Ron Rifkin plays an asshole.
Tony Goldwyn and Timothy Hutton are helpless losers. I hate Sarah Jessica Parker who shouldn't have been cast in the
first place. On the other hand, the production values are high, but it's not enough to save the film.
All in all, don't be fooled by the adulations on the DVD cover for The Substance of Fire; it's a truly boring movie.