First of all, until I'd seen "From the Terrace" I'd never heard of John O'Hara, let alone read any of his novels. So, as a totally unbiased observer, I was unsure what to think of the movie by the end. The first 20-30 minutes made it seem as though the movie was about rich people being nasty to each other. Once the main story became apparent, it still seemed as though there was no truly redeeming character anywhere in the movie. I could understand that the marriage was a loveless one and so of course the characters were going to do what they did, but it still seemed hard to justify any of it.
If the movie was intended as an indictment of the unbridled pursuit of wealth and prestige, then in my opinion it succeeded in that regard. Otherwise, the movie seemed off-putting. Not a bad movie by any stretch, but I would've liked to see a redeeming character. Still, I did like what he did in the board meeting at the end. I sure would've done the same.
If the movie was intended as an indictment of the unbridled pursuit of wealth and prestige, then in my opinion it succeeded in that regard. Otherwise, the movie seemed off-putting. Not a bad movie by any stretch, but I would've liked to see a redeeming character. Still, I did like what he did in the board meeting at the end. I sure would've done the same.