terrible... so disappointed.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

This film affected me deeply. When it was over, I sat in the dark for a long while... I contemplated the meaning of life and Heaven versus Hell and a million other things. Viewers will have different experiences watching it, based on their personality types, beliefs, and upbringing. Without a doubt, the film is disturbing. But it's also REALITY. Maria Bello, Jason Patric, and Rufus Sewell gave OUTSTANDING performances. I was completely immersed in the characters. Nancy,(Maria Bello) was a tragic character. I was heartbroken for her. The character of Louis, (Jason Patric) was intensely intriguing- I loved how his past remained a mystery. Albert, (Rufus Sewell) played someone we all know in our personal lives. The intermingling story was brilliant! The scenes went from gripping & provocative to fascinating and compelling to shocking and horrific. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the film. Writers Lee Ross & Pamela Cuming are fantastic storytellers. (Lee Ross also wrote Benjamin Troubles, another great film to watch.) I was very moved by Downloading Nancy. Still am. GREAT FLICK- A MUST SEE!

I'm gonna start out by saying that this may be the most depressing and distressing movie I've ever seen and I've seen a few. It hit me from behind, I had no idea what I was about to watch. Sure, there are movies about for example the holocaust(s) and some powerful horror movies, but this movie managed to beat them to it. I was a bit surprised about the low score, as this really is such a well crafted movie that it deserves better. Altho I understand some may be put off by it's absolute bleakness. It's slow, and it's very hard to watch. On the negative side, there is a tiny amount of exploitment, as the story is said to be inspired by true events and the direction does underline a bit. This is where I drop the score one point. It's a difficult scenario with (inspired by) true stories, as you can't really know what the directors motive was to put this on screen. Is it his affection for subjects portrayed here or the fact that he wants to make people think about unfortunate people you don't often see on the media.Maria Bello portrays an utterly depressed woman who has been abused as a child and can no longer connect with her husband (Rufus Sewell). She then contacts a man (Jason Patrick) online who agrees to kill her. The story jumps right into it and is not 100 % linear, which is a bit distracting here and there, but also works for the benefit of the dark story.There are as many sides to the story as there are characters involved. It could be seen as a directorial success that even tho the story is partly seen thru his husband, it still manages to keep him as a bit of a mystery. The focus is always on Nancy. There are a lot of scenes where Nancys husband is shown after Nancy leaves to meet her killer, but we are never really let inside the husbands thoughts. On the other hand, Nancy's character may be underlined too much. Is this a directorial decision to focus on Nancy's need for attention or just to have as many scenes as possible to show Nancys downfall, I don't know. I'm guessing it's all intentional as the movie is quite well crafted and every detail seems to be there for a reason.There is one scene in particular which had a tremendous impact on me. The one where she starts a food war during a bleak dinner. This is probably the only moment in the movie where you can see a spark in her eye. Only to be shot down immediately by her husbands reaction.Where this movie may fail a bit is that it is easy to see the husband as a baddie. Or at least this is how I take it from the reviews written here. Had the story been portrayed from another perspective, we could've seen a tormented man who has focused on his hobby to stay sane in a non working, infertile marriage. There are people who are unable to show their feelings. Nancy had a tragic past, but this could also be a case of bad matchmaking to begin with.A word of praise must go to Jason Patrick, who makes an unbelievably chilling role. It's completely new, never seen a character like his played on screen. There are scenes where his eyes show zero emotion, yet at times you can feel his empathy and care. I read he replaced Ray Liotta and this is a small victory. Liotta has played so many psycho roles that he would've watered down the whole movie. Jason Patrick hasn't been in a lot of movies and thinking about it now, he's a perfect choice for the role.I read somewhere that the director credits his homeland Sweden. He points out that only Finnish people may be more depressed than they. Maybe it is the fact that I'm Finnish that I really felt this movie and didn't see it pointless and slow waste of time as some have said it to be.

Crimelibrary has an account of a suburban Baltimore, MD woman whose story is markedly similar to this film in the broad facts.However, the movie departs from that story when exploring the protagonist's psychology - Maria Bello plays a very different character from that of Sharon Lopatka. The film tries to link contradicting pathologies which weren't present in the real story, and which would be fine if there was a point - there doesn't seem to be. Unlike Michael Haneke's, "La Pianiste," there seems to be a poor grasp or care about the underlying chaos of this character beyond the dramatic possibilities. Maria Bello's performance is admirable but the narrative fails to draw significant meaning from the substance of her struggle.While there is an attempt to create a dark, grim sheen to the film, the casting of two very pretty Hollywood stars (Bello and Patric) was an epic blunder. It adds an unwelcome 'allure' to a tale which should remain, frankly, indigestible. Marketable, sexy actors transform this fascinating story into something weirdly, sadly exploitative. Jason Patric is such a poor choice - it couldn't be any more distracting if it were Brad Pitt! (It might have felt more grounded with actors like James Gandolfini and Kathy Bates... ).Rufus Sewell is captivating here and brings a needed realism in his portrayal of the bewildered husband.

I can't stop thinking about this movie. My friend is going to see it tonight in NY, and I wish I were there to see it again. Not that it's fun. Well, maybe like a wooden roller-coaster.Questions bouncing around in my brain: 1. Can a person ever be healed if his/her sexual needs are perverted by abusive treatment during formative years? 2. If we look at this film as metaphor, what does it say about the nature of love? 3. Is the title a pun referring also to Sewall's character? He is dressed in a pink shirt and shows no sexual interest in his wife. Might "downloading" be the process by which we are receiving *his* story? 4. What can I do if I know someone like Nancy? What can I do if I *am* Nancy? (just thoughts...) Please don't flame me for being an English Lit. major. ;)