This movie was recommended to me by a guy friend, who had just announced he was getting married. I casually asked him, "How did you two meet?" And he laughed, and asked me if I'd seen this movie -- "Still Breathing." "It was like that," he said. He wouldn't say any more than that. Instead, he just told me to watch this movie. And, I, being curious, went to the movie rentals to find it. When I watched it, I couldn't imagine the plot to be anything but implausible. Did my friend really think this movie to be realistic -- so realistic that he claims this is how he found his wife? I didn't think so, but Celeste Holm's scene with Joanna Going made me realize why I didn't believe it. This movie gave me some blissful months of hope, in that lonely space of time when a romantic is feeling hopeless. And by the next year, my true love found me too. Strangely enough, we moved to Texas, and we've since gone tubing near San Marcos. This movie is analogous to the Marfa lights of Texas. I wouldn't have believed it, if my friend hadn't told me it happened to him first, and I saw it for myself.

Like many others, I discovered this movie on cable tv. What a little gem! Joanna Going gives a flawless performance as a jaded and hardened Los Angeles scam artist who secretly yearns to be loved. Fraser, the only weak link in the movie, plays the Texan who has a vision of Going and predictably melts her by the end. The music, visuals, and cameo by Celeste Holm combine to make this a classic worth watching many times over. Fantasic cinematography!

STILL BREATHING, will be an acquired taste for many people, or
better appreciated by those who are fascinated by the game of
seduction between humans. It may be a bore for others with a
smaller attention span or perhaps a touching picture for the
right kind of audience, of chick flicks perhaps.

It fully succeeds in its aims, of establishing an inner peace,
calling attention to being in touch with one's own inner child
or innocence, and emphasizes the human and social aspects of
people, vs the physical, intellectual, for example.

The strong point of this picture, is the strong visual component
that is appealing, the calmness and peacefulness that also
characterized Brendan Fraser's appearance in an earlier movie,
PASSION OF DARKLY NOON. As such, the script appears to have been
tailor-ordered, custom fitted, made to order for Fraser, who
reprises his role as a low-key, in-control, modest, unambitious
man who seeks out the more artistic, introspective aspects that
life has to offer, as his central goal.

Both Joanna Going and Ann Magnuson are amusing in their rapport
with Fraser's character, bringing their own personality and
strong style to the visual aspects of the movie, contributing to
the appeal to audience coupled with some soft piano numbers over
the 90 mins of the movie, and some percussion or horn numbers,
too, forming the soundtrack.

It's a time-travel for viewers, until a certain point, at which
Going's character reveals her secret, that she is a grifter,
playing rich or modestly wealthy single men for their cash, in
exchange for the illusion of romance or of a personal
relationship. At that juncture, the movie seems to slow down
considerably, and the script becomes perhaps over-worked,
over-intellectualized, overwhelming viewers with a flood of
literary, musical, and visual artwork aspects. By thrusting
these onto the audience, the viewers are drawn back out of the
story and into their reality again, from the boredom, and those
excesses.

As a rental, this is a good movie. As a theatrical release, it
will have its moments. Seeing Fraser squirm to deliver
entertainment is worth the price of the ticket alone, much like
trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, because he does
succeed in pulling off the acting successfully.

I don't know if there is such a place as the one depicted in the movei. But it makes me beleive there is..............and I, too, deserve to be able to go there. I love, and get more out of this movie each time I see it. The only down side is that it has to end.

I saw this movie in 2000 in TV and immediately bought it. Since then, I have seen it multiple times and always discovered something new. The first time director, James Cameron, has done an amazing job in the movie. He has thought of a lot of small details and used his contacts to get an amazing cast. Brandon Fraser was OK, but it was Joanna Going and Celeste Holm that do an amazing job. It was called a chick flick, but I personally found a lot of parts that I personally could relate to. The music pieces from Chopin to La Traviata to Blues pieces were well mixed in the movie. I also found the pieces in San Marcos river with the little children very charming. Though the movie may not have outstanding screenplay, the camera work was lovely. Ann Magnusen was superb as the hard headed con woman who is Joanna's friend. I liked the first half more than the second half. It was hilarious to see how Joanna gets rid of the person, Paolo Seganti, whom she cheats with the help of Angus Macfadyen. The painting that she wishes to buy is so bad.

Some dialogs that are beautiful are when Joanna says that, "My world is about greed and money and ambition and successes." To this Fraser replies, "The basic human desires. That is funny because my opinion of art is that it is about truth and beauty and redefining an imperfect world in a perfect way." The initial part where he creates a portrait of Joanna and shows it to his friends and they completely understand it is excellent. It is almost as though they are a cult of people who live in a separate world. The music pieces and its mixing is outstanding. The parts where they have the band in the party with the tuba version of Chopin is lovely. The original music by Paul Mills is also superb. The camera work with Joanna is the dark is also special. Another special piece is the games Joanna and Fraser play with each other. There are multiple purposes to this movie, it took me a while to understand them and appreciate them. The initial one of finding true love is the obvious one, the ones underneath are also special. These include making a cynic appreciate the beauty in the world, forgiveness and so on. Overall a very scripted movie that was delightful, it took my breath away. It makes me understand the fact that a really satisfying movie does not require a lot of money to be spent on, just good thought, good cast and imaginative story with good direction. I am sorry for people who do not have the DVD of the movie. I wish that it was more easily available.