Okay, I wrote up a review for this on another forum I frequent, so I'm just gonna be a lazy bum and copy it. But, I love this movie, and thought I'd share its greatness with you all:

Based on a novel by some guy whose name I forgot, this is my favorite movie of all time, trumping even the impressive Fight Club (1999). It stars Edward Norton as Montgomery Brogan, a convicted drug-dealing son-of-a-bitch who's going to be doing hard time (7 years) for an A2 felony in a hard prison (where it is implied he will be a prison bitch via looking like a pretty boy). The movie follows him throughout his final day of freedom, and watches him as he tries to repair a broken relationship with his father, restore trust in his relationship with his girlfriend, and reconnect with his best friends for the last time before going off to prison.

You watch this movie if you want to see a movie with really good characters. They're not good characters because they're off the wall, or crazily interesting, or way different from you and me... you watch this movie because they're human characters, dealing with a situation that isn't all that far fetched and behaving in realistic ways. The performances are all very excellent and the characters all have excellent development. By the end of the movie, you will grow very attached to each of the characters, unless you are a robot like Dave. In which case, go fuck yourself, asshole.

My favorite character is Frank Slaughtery, a Wall Street hotshot bachelor who parties all night long and is probably a womanizing asshole. Well, he's definitely an asshole, but that's beside the point. I like him because he casts aside his "shell" as the movie develops and really shows his integrity and his loyalty to his friend Monty. There's a pivotal scene between Frank and Monty's girlfriend, Naturelle Riveria, which you need to hear the commentary by the author on, or you won't truly understand Frank's character.

The movie is great because it doesn't just focus on Monty's situation. There are several subplots that are examined. As the author explains in the commentary, everyone is the star of their own movie called "life." Monty's biggest concern on this last night is mending his broken life, whereas Frank's biggest concern is how he'll deal with his lust for Monty's girlfriend. Jake's (another of Monty's friends) biggest concern is his lust for a student. In this regard, the actors believeably portray their characters -- you can tell that while they have concern for Monty and his situation, his problem is not always the biggest concern on their mind.

The movie is directed by Spike Lee, and was the first movie shot in New York following the terrorist attacks on the WTC. The film therefore does play a bit of fanservice to the city, as well as paying homage to the attacks in a very tasteful way. But don't be mistaken, the movie is not about New York -- it's about the characters!

I'd reccomend this movie to anyone who isn't a moron. Go watch!

Quotes:

Frank Slaughtery: You know, you're wearing a striped shirt with a striped tie, you know that, right?
Phelan: Yeah, I do it for the ladies.
Frank Slaughtery: Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?


Mary D'Annunzio: Vincent Phiscalla writes a story about his grandmother dying and you give him an A plus. And meanwhile, the night of the funeral, you wanna know where Rhodes Scholar Vince is? Getting smashed at a basketball party and slapping girls asses. I mean, what is that? A charity A+? You wanna know why everybody always writes about their grandmothers dying? It's not because it's so traumatic. It's because it's a guaranteed A+! And you sit there all sentimental "Oh, Vince it was very powerful, very moving." No, it wasn't. You didn't care. Nobody cared. That's what grandmothers do. They die!
Jakob Elinsky: Sometimes, guys have a hard time showing their emotions.
Mary D'Annunzio: So, slapping my ass is a way of mourning his dead grandmother?