i must have seen a different film!!

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Should've been 1.6 rating. What a waste of talent! So many famous and good actors in this ridiculous film.Just when you thought it would turn out to be a good film, it disappoints. The scene at the end where strangler is caught is probably the worst part in the film. It turned into a Keystone Cops chase.The scene with the computer - remember it's 1989, so "computer" means a floppy disk IBM (?) with a CRT on top - was interesting if you're into computers, but the way the software was supposed to work and the bit where they are trying to identify a tune by humming it was both silly and annoying.Don't waste your time on this.

It's New Year's Eve in NYC. Manhattan socialite Alison Hawkins is killed by a serial killer in her apartment as his 11th victim. Her best friend Bernadette Flynn (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) just dropped her off and just happens to be the mayor's daughter. Police commissioner Frank Starkey (Harvey Keitel) is under heavy pressure and Mayor Flynn (Rod Steiger) forces him to get his brother Nick Starkey (Kevin Kline). Nick was expelled from the force in disgraced two years ago and is now a hero firefighter. Frank's wife Christine (Susan Sarandon) is Nick's ex-girlfriend. Capt. Vincent Alcoa (Danny Aiello) hates the idea. Ed (Alan Rickman) is Nick's wacky artistic neighbor.The tone is all over the place. I wonder if the movie realizes that it's trying to make funny jokes in the middle of a serial killer movie. The problem is that the jokes are so wildly uncontrolled that it wouldn't be funny anyways. Everybody seems to be in their own separate movies. Aiello and Steiger are screaming. Kline and Rickman are wacky. Kline and Sarandon are doing a weird melodrama. Keitel is simply trying to survive the mess. Mastrantonio is in a different movie aka the serious serial killer movie and she's no 23. The switches in tone gave me whiplash. The final chase is way too wacky. The killer is doing blackface with white shinny gloves. They turn it into a farce and any chance the movie had goes away.

'The January Man' is an uneven comedy, that only appeals in parts. But its Oscar-Winning-Actor Kevin Kline, who's credible performance ranks amongst the film's only prominent merit. 'The January Man' is a comedy/psychological thriller, but The Screenplay is inconsistent & ends abruptly. Seriously, was a hurried climax even needed? Given the stellar cast it offers, 'The January Man' could've been so much more, even in terms of performances, by all. Its Kline, who literally is the life of the show. He's in his element & rises above the given material.On the whole, 'The January Man' is strictly okay!

IF YOU ARE THINKING OF WATCHING THIS FOR THE FIRS TIME, SAVE YOURSELF THE TIME AND GO TRIM YOUR TOENAILS...This movie is a perfect example of 1970s shlock movies. It was a transition period for Hollywood, so it was a period they had to go through, as they came out of the 1950s-1960s with the terrible acting styles of the Doris Day era. We, the viewing audience had to endure it all, but holy jumpin' jehosephat, some of them sucked.The words they put into these actors' mouths - I am shocked they didn't rebel against the writers and directors with, "WTF? Are you seriously expecting me to speak THOSE words?" Who wrote this, the kid in Pink Floyd's "The Wall" video who "makes himself out to be a poet"? It is just PAINFUL to listen to the dialog. The term "gratuitous nudity" probably began with this movie. Rickman as a bad Maynard G Krebs slash Vincent van Gogh is bad enough, but the nude bimbo "model" in this one is just plain embarrassing for American cinema. And Rod Steiger somehow forgot how to act some time before he signed to play the mayor. Or was he that bad all the time and we just didn't notice? Actually, I have to put the low level of this on the director's shoulders - he has authority to overrule bad writing and bad acting and turn it into something palatable. Danny Aiello, Harvey Keitel, Sarandon are just abysmal in this one.I award this 1 star, which is about 2 stars more than it deserves. I give it -10 stars on both writing and directing. May God have mercy on their souls...