Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Please don't spend money on this.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I saw this movie at the theater and fell in love with it on the spot. It is authentic and honest and heartfelt. It is one of the best movies about the grief journey I have seen. It manages to give background and flavor to each of the characters who spend time on the screen, a feat which is unusual in film. Kathy Bates performance is skillful, helping the audience understand an unsympathetic character. Jessica Lange, Arliss Howard and the child actors are understated. A lovely, heartfelt package. The movies' score and cinematography add to every shot and scene. To this day, I still hum some of the score and when I hear "Bella Notte", I remember Arliss Howard's serenade to Beth through the apartment door. See this film. See it and love it.

I have been waiting for this Gem to come out on DVD since the 90s and finally it's here. It's available only through Warner Bros. Archive Collection at $17.99 plus tax & shipping and unfortunately it is a bare-bones DVD with NO Extra Features. It was worth it to me as this film is so great. I agree with the bulk of the reviews here that: the acting is superior and riveting, the script and dialog are spot on, Paul Brickman (Risky Business) co-wrote and directed with aplomb. The story takes us through so many emotions but in the end we are rewarded for "taking the ride." Jessica Lange is always good but this is one of her finest performances. Arliss Howard is an unlikely "hero" and Chris O'Donnell and Charlie Korsmo are perfect as Lange's sons. The always quirky but dependable Joan Cusack is excellent as a care-giver nurse. Kathy Bates has a small role as Lange's boss and as always she makes the most of her performance. This is a very moving, emotional film and one of the Best of the 90s films.

This movie is carried by a great ensemble cast that gets better with repeated viewings. Jessica Lange and Joan Cusack and Kathy Bates are strong by first viewing. But you kind of get used to bratty Chris O'Donnel by second or third viewing. At least closer than any of his other lame performances. Oh and other guys are strong enough to compete with the women like Arliss Howard whose just fabulous with the likability quotient. Yeah, yeah it's predictable, there's no denying that. And the third act is probably the worst part of the movie, but the dialogue and acting is great and real sneaky at making you laugh and wince at the parts that seem like their set up to press the audience's buttons for hanky-grabbing at JUST the right second. But it's forgiven, merely because it isn't schmaltzy or cheesy, but a surprisingly good sleeper of a movie. Oh, but the similar ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE is better in my opinion. Though I'll follow Jessica Lange (why does she always have fingers over her lips?) over Ellen Burstyn any day of the week.

I am a longtime fan of Jessica Lange's, and a newfound fan of Arliss Howard's after viewing Men Don't Leave. A really good performance also by Chris O'Donnell and Joan Cusak. This is a true-to-life type of movie. It's Wow Factor isn't measured by action shots or stunts or explosions, but rather by the satisfaction and peace each character reaches by story's end.It's your favorite shirt: not flashy, but comfortable and proven to make you feel good. Watch Men Don't Leave - it's a good little movie.