The Human Stain

An elegant and cultivated story about the relationship between an aging university professor and a young performer with three different professions was sent by director Robert Benton into the morass of boredom, and as more minutes passed by, the deeper it sank. The director's cold and detached approach to the film is, in my opinion, due to his emphasis on visual stylization, but the emotional charge is lacking almost everywhere. The sexual scenes, although shot very elegantly and decently, lack any emotion or spark, and the idea of seeing a naked Anthony Hopkins does not arouse any curiosity and is thus hardly worth mentioning. I find it almost an insult that such a flimsily constructed film would feature excellent acting performances. Yet all of them are indeed excellent. I'd like to make just a few comments about the actors. Ed Harris is a phenomenal actor, and in the overall context of the film, he managed to captivate all attention with his performance in just under ten minutes. Even a few minutes after he was off the screen, thoughts of him were still pulsing in my mind. Gary Sinise was definitely the most surprising. Nicole Kidman still looks good in her semi-nude scenes, but her "wavering" and lying in bed with Hopkins became less enjoyable for me after a while. I consider Rachel Portman's music to be a significant failure, as the initially sympathetic piano tones become unpleasantly intrusive towards the end, exacerbating the most negative views of the film. Though the film lasted one hour and three-quarters, it felt to me as if it lasted at least two and a half hours. When I put it all together and think about it, all I can think is that this is probably not a good thing. (11.12.2004)

Despite the fact that I cannot sympathize with any of the characters, that Nicole Kidman plays an utterly unlikable woman, and that the sex scenes between her and Anthony Hopkins are repulsive, The Human Stain is a pleasant enough chamber drama, but better suited for television. (07.03.2004)

As much as I like both Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman, neither of them were right for this film and especially the roles they were given. The likes of Gary Sinise and Ed Harris were much more convincing. Coleman Silk's story is really quite boring, and I wonder if I've ever seen A.H. play in similar misery. I don't think so. The best (and actually probably the only decent) scene - Hopkins and Sinise dancing. (09.07.2011)

Considering the potential of the cast, the end result is rather a disappointment, since both the screenplay and the acting is merely average. A chamber piece with no oomph or interesting characters. Particularly the storyline with young Silk is absolutely pointless and badly acted. This movie’s only plus point is Hopkins, who demonstrates that he has no problem in acting any part whatsoever, even an Afro-American. (30.01.2007)

The strong dramatic line is surprising. But with a bland script and a rather weak atmosphere, the result is mediocre. (25.08.2004)