The greatest strength of this movie is in the characters and their portrayal. All of the central characters have depth and refuse to be mere cardboard characters; each have their own triumphs and difficulties, and all are delightfully human. Yet the story is not confusing or bogged down in character details; it flows between the past and the present, with the line between the two blurred as we see through the eyes of the dying mother. I quite literally laughed and cried with these beautiful characters, who make both the lighthearted dancing and the fateful connections believable and interesting. Life is beautiful, complicated, and tragic, and each of these aspects were given some screen time. The central message of the movie, that life can take unexpected turns and that's okay, was not lost on me.

This movie will make you think about the relationship you have with your loved ones. You will need your tissues to watch and I suggest watch this movie with someone you're close with.

I was hopeful that with Clair Danes and others in this case this movie would have been enjoyable to watch, but it was quite the opposite. The plot never took off, the acting was sub-par for those on the screen, and after about 60% of the movie complete, I just had to turn it off. Some may say that was a bad decision as the end justified the means, but I couldn't bear it any longer.

I would not recommend this to anyone, but if you just have to have this movie I would be happy to give you my copy if you just pay postage.

This movie was ridiculously slow moving. They almost had the movie because it does have a nice plot but it just wasn't a good movie. I was looking for a better romance movie and instead was just left disappointed with the middle and end.

I wouldn't recommend it

I too wanted to love this movie! But from the get-go there was no chemistry, with anybody - especially between the central character, Ann and supposedly love of her life, Harris. Patrick Wilson as Harris was just painful to watch - he showed as much passion as a flounder. And Hugh Dancy just was not believable to me as a lost soul drunk. And I usually love Claire Danes - but she was just ok in this film. I think the best were Natasha Richardson, Toni Collette and Mamie Gummer. I gave three stars for them and the setting.