Sabrina

Better Than The Original

This is a lovely, lovely movie. Very romantic and visually appealing. This is a movie that will make you fall in love with love, and believe in romance all over again. Watch this movie and see if the thought of buying a ticket to Paris doesn't cross your mind. This movie will make your heart feel better faster than a box of your favorite chocolates!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Julia Ormand is Captivating

The casting is excellent, but IMHO, the male viewers fall in love with Julia Ormand along with Harrison Ford.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sabrina is Truly Fair

This is a delightful movie, one to watch again and again, in the genre of ''It's A Wonderful Life'', ''Roman Holiday'', etc. It is at least as good if not truly better than the original with Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and Bill Holden. The acting is very believable,yet the music and scenes have a ''fairy tale'' like quality. The wardrobe and dialogue are fantastic. Who could ask for more than Julia Ormand, Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear!!! Angie Dickinson and Dick Crenna as Lauren Holly's parents are just the right amount of snobbery and gullibility...I love the movie and cannot understand why the description for it says, ''the ill-advised remake''....Please!!! It is great!!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Save me, Sabrina Fair. You're the only one who can.

It has been said, the better the original, the worse the remake. I wonder why? Probably because most people watch any new production with a lot of skepticism specially if they enjoyed the original. Any new production is in a lose-lose situation from the beginning. If it is close to the original, then why bother watching when we have the original! And if the movie crew dare to put their own visions and make changes, they would be accused of ruining the original story. For example Julia Ormond has been criticized that she is too old for the role. That is quite surprising since there was no mention of Sabrina's age what so ever. So, she is too old probably just because she is older than Audrey Hepburn in the original. Most of the criticism I read based on how the remake is different from the original. As if the remake is supposed to be word by word from the original movie! Having said that, now let me add that I have not seen the original 1954 production. So, I am not planning to compare the two versions. In fact I did not even know when I saw Sabrina for the first time that it is a remake of an old movie. That gave me a chance to evaluate it on its own merit, instead of just comparing it to the original. Sabrina is by all means my favorite movie. I saw it for the first time in 1996. But Somehow I fell in love with it when I saw it for the second time, few months later. Since then I saw it many more times than any other movie. The more I watch it, the more I enjoy it. It is a very simple story about a young girl, who is a chauffeur's daughter, who has a crush on her handsome rich neighbor and ends madly in love with his older brother. The Movie is very well done. In fact it is hard to think of anything which can be changed to make it better. The dialogue is very well written, and very funny. Sabrina's transformation from a young woman to a beautiful lady in Paris is so astonishing and dramatic. Linus falling in Love with Sabrina gradually in just few days seems very natural and convincing. One of the most interesting things in the script is Linus gradual changes, while he was falling in love with Sabrina, from a cold businessman to someone who is full with emotions and feelings. ''I have been following in footsteps all my life. Save me, Sabrina Fair. You're the only one who can.'' Sydney Pollack, as the director, did a great job. The movie is full of beautiful scenes. Most of Pairs scenes, the Moroccan restaurant scene, the picnic scene, the one at the end of the movie in Paris, but... most of all, the one in his office when they had their first kiss. Julia Ormond is so charming and talented. It is a shame that her carrier in Hollywood is not going well. Harrison ford role, as a cold businessman who stared to recognize what is missing in his life, is one of his best performance. John Williams' superb work is easily recognized from the beginning of the movie. His work made the sound track one of the best romantic music I heard. To believe me, you only need to close your eyes, listen to the music, and think of a current love or a lost one. You will find yourself immediately immersed in the most wonderful feelings you could possibly feel. Just then you will fully appreciate his work. ''Growing Up In Paris'' is my favorite track. If you like romantic comedies then you should see Sabrina whether you saw the original movie or not. But if you saw the original then before watching this one, please keep in mind that this is Julia Ormond's role, not Audrey Hepburn's. This is the new director vision of the story. Stop comparing the two movies at least until you finish watching. If you can do that, I guarantee you will fall in love with it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Think of the best dream you've had... Watching this is like livi

Think of the best dream you've had... Watching this is like living that dream.  When Sabrina hugs Linus in his office, you could almost feel how giddy she was clinging on to her love. Watching Linus trying to steady his breathing whilst waiting for her lips to reach his almost made me swoon too. On a side note, the "mother" character never failed to make me laugh. Not only does she have the best jokes, her delivery is spot on..

Harrison Ford is so not Indiana Jones in Sabrina

Never saw the original Sabrina so had no idea what to expect. Greg Kinnear is wonderful as the younger brother/playboy. Julia Ormond is great as the love struck young girl growing up in the shadows of the well-to-do. Harrison Ford does a great job of the serious, no-time-for-relationships workaholic while building his families' fortunes. Lots of funny dialouge and situations throughout. Nicely unexpected. I fell in love with Linus and Sabrina's unbenounced to them, budding romance. A few twists and surprises. Can't wait to watch it again.

Not as good as the original

I actually saw the remake first and was disappointed in it. Julia Ormond's Sabrina was not a strong or likable character. Then I caught the original on AMC. I was captivated. Audrey Hepburn was wonderful. Her wardrobe a dream. Harrison Ford is a good actor but he could not fill Humphrie Bogart's shoes in the original. My most favorite character in the original (the father) was not even in the remake. He provided some of the best comedy scenes in the movie!

This is the type of movie that worked beautifully in the 50's but does not translate well to our times. Do yourself a favor and see the original. You won't be disappoined.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Better Than The Original!

I love this movie. I actually like it better than the original Sabrina. The original movie is a good movie but I never felt that Sabrina really changed. Sure she came back from Paris looking beautiful and sophisticated but she still seemed to be the same neurotic girl pining for David and it seemed to me that she settled for Linus and there was no chemistry between Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. In this remake I felt that Julia Ormond and Harrison Ford had good chemistry and I felt that Sabrina actually came back from Paris as a much stronger woman than in the original and I actually could believe this Sabrina's falling in love with Linus.

He should have left it alone

I have a lot of respect for Sydney Pollack: he's a top-notch director with first-rate credentials who spends his time making movies, not acting like a celebrity. When he was brought this project, however, (by Harrison Ford no less), he should have stayed with his intial instinct to reject it- as he repeatedly did. Instead, he finally caved and attempted to improve upon perfection. Too bad. This movie ends up being one of his lesser efforts, especially since comparisons to the original were inevitable. Like another reviewer here named Sandra, I found this a real disappointment. Ford is a poor substitute for the vulnerable, ironic Humphrey Bogart who was cast perfectly as the unlikely suitor that Sabrina ultimately chooses. To make matters worse, our Indian Jones hero is far too busy trying to monoplize the scenes and his lines in a desperate display of his own personal mid-life crisis [he just has to show he can still get the girl]. His is a pathetic and boring performance. For her part, Julia Ormond is simply gorgeous, but she lacks the coquettish charm of Audrey Hepburn. Furthermore, there is little chemistry between the two stars making us wonder how they could ever have made a match. As for William Holden, can't say that I had a crush on him, but he's a bit too formidable in his role as a carefree playboy to be replaced by a mere Greg Kinnear, who's not bad but not good enough. Updating the script for a modern setting did little to aid our handicapped cast as well. Indeed, it probably drew away from the central theme. Paris looked a little better in this remake, but then, that's not what the movie was about, was it. Do yourself a favor, avoid this film and rent the first one. Then, wait for something else by Pollack. He's actually a very good director.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A beautiful movie!!!!!!!!

Sabrina touches every young woman's heart,she's an epitome of beauty,intellegence and self-confidence.Linus(Harrison Ford)is handsome and is sure to woo all young female audience.Great picturisation and a superb film......watch it.

I Found Myself In Paris....

I was moved by this movie and have since called this one of my absolute favorites... Its a romantic and beautiful story that really warms my heart and lifts my spirits. The scenery is lovely... the music is heavenly... the acting is superb... and the people are beautiful. La Vien Rose...

My Favorite Movie, Bar None

This movie is wonderful. It takes an already-good plot and updates it -- an Ever After for our classic Cinderella story. The new Sabrina is more self-sufficient, worldly, and her relationship with Linus is much more mature than the variety of relationships portrayed in any movies from Hollywood's Golden Era. It's not that the first Sabrina isn't a wonderful classic, but while that one was classic for its fairy-tale quality, and cute scenes that could never be truly be duplicated, this one meets the demands of an audience who today, wants proof that these are actually two people in love. With Ormond's character, we, the audience, understand and participate in her transition from teenage infatuation to mature love. There are no petty emotional mind-games here, as are so common in Bogart-era romantic comedies. In addition, the actors themselves add considerably to the movie's success. Kinnear's David matures as well, from playboy to partner, and it is easy to see that his relationship with his brother has played no small part in the formation of his playboy image. Additionally, many of his lines are priceless. Ormond delivers a few ringers as well, including my favorite, when she refers to Linus as 'the only living heart donor.' And all this is without speaking of the music. The soundtrack is excellent. The score is classy for its infusion of jazz, yet made passionate by John Williams' unmistakable orchestration. Sting also contributes a haunting ballad. It all fits beautifully into the movie. Everytime I watch the new Sabrina, it makes me cry. And I'm not the crying type. I highly recommend it -- not as a remake, but on its own merit.

Don't mess with perfection!

I fell in love with the original Sabrina when I saw it on TV while I was in high school. Billy Wilder's version of the movie was absolutely wonderful. The lines were well written, the casting superb (how can anyone compare to William Holden as the rich, playboy younger brother; anyone could have a crush on him), and the music was beautiful. The new Sabrina was a pretty young woman, but can't compare to the wide-eyed innocence of Audrey Hepburn. Harrison Ford is wonderful as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, but as the romantic lead in Sabrina, he leaves much to be desired. He talked too much, and it seemed to me that they made him explain the plot as if the viewer was too stupid to understand it by themselves. And to make matters worse, to update the movie and make it politically correct, the did away with the father (a really funny character) and made the family head the mother. That also left the magic without pizzazz. Don't take my word for it, watch both, and enjoy whichever YOU prefer.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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