Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Thanks for the memories!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Others have already said what I feel about this film so I won't waste much time. Story is very deep but not so artsy that it's hard to understand. Incredible performances by all. If you like Andy Garcia in this, I also recommend "Things to do in Denver when you're dead" (a totally different film but another great performance by AG). Also,I never thought the brilliant musician Jagger would be a brilliant actor...but he is in this film! Want a film to discuss after seeing with your date? THIS IS IT! James Coburn also gives one of his best performances ever, as do the rest of the cast. I would give this a 10 but I think a 10 film has yet to be made.

The only reason to see this, and it's a considerable reason, is to watch Mick Jagger. He is absolutely pitch perfect in his role as the head man of the gigolo combine. His scene with Anjelica Houston, in which he tries to tell her she is more than just a client ... well, it's a scene we have watched before with the sexes reversed ... when a "john" has fallen for a hooker ... but to see it played in reverse is very touching.Not a fan of Margolies, so ... whatever. I like Garcia, but I just don't think this was a good role for him. Never liked Coburn, and that hasn't changed.Anyway, rent it and watch Jagger.

Yet again Andy Garcia overacts in a terrible, preachy film. I sincerely fail to see the appeal of Garcia, and every film I have seen him in seems to contain some moral or other. This is no exception, but the moralists should look to Aesop for guidance, since this was an entirely predictable film. I won't risk IMDb's censure or censorship by giving away the plot... but if you are half as smart as the audience for this film is supposed to be, it would be impossible for me to tell you anything you won't figure out 30 minutes before it happens, at the latest. The characters are all flat and totally unengaging. The direction and cinematography are decent, but uninspired. The real flaw in this film is simply that it had a highly derivative story and uninspired script. It seems a stupid film for people who think they are smart. Avoid it if you are actually an intelligent, critical viewer. Sheer crap.

The road to hell is always paved with good intentions. It is the axiom pitfall that catches so many; including Andy Garcia's character, Byron Tiller, in `The Man from Elesian Fields'. Having thrown years into a failed novel, Byron grows increasingly desperate to make ends meet for his family and find success. Compromising himself for what he needs, he finds an easy answer in the employ of Elesian Fields, a male escort service operated by Luther Fox (Mik Jagger). It is a classically executed set-up, but because the script has so much to say before the final fade out, it staggers like a buss boy who has picked up too many dishes from too many tables.After the proper cajoling and encouraging, Luther sets Byron up on his first assignment with the beautiful wife of a renowned multi-Pulitzer writer. Byron doesn't go easily into this abyss. He won't escort Andrea (Olivia Williams) beyond her limo door after an opera the first night and is greatly relieved to return home to his wife Dena (Juliana Margulies). The second date, however, progresses until the date and escort have their lovemaking interrupted by a visit from Andrea's elderly and approving husband, Tobias (James Coburn). Tobias extends an invitation for Byron to work with him on revising his last book. Byron soon finds himself leading the dizzying life of working for Luther, Andrea and Tobias while never letting Dena know about his escort duties with Andrea.The first hour of the film is tightly written and gracefully proceeds with the steady and beautiful cinematography of Kramer Morgenthau. After the writers start exchanging ideas, the pace of the film picks up considerably. Conversation becomes swept aside in montages and assumptions. Even the music, subtle and appropriate in the first half draws unnecessary attention in the second half. The situation is familiar. Betrayed couples are as old as time. Struggling writers are found throughout cinema. The thing that separates them is the individual characters and interaction. Those and the heartfelt dialog get lost in bringing the story to where it is expected to end to make the author's statement. Far from poor, but never really convincing, `Elesian Fields' is best noted for the acting it harbors. James Coburn plays a dying artist with dignity and is smart enough to let his poise crumble from time to time. Mik Jagger is wonderfully understated as the dispenser of temptation and his moments of disappointment with Anjelica Huston round out an award-worthy performance. Andy Garcia believably balances an quiet man whose temper gets the best of him now and again. Only Juliana Margulies is underused. It's unfortunate that so much talent could not overcome the other more intrinsic weaknesses.