5/5 An excellent "dad" movie
  by Brian Reaves (Anniston, AL USA)
As a single father, I really appreciated this movie's viewpoint on raising a child from dad's point of view. Too many movies make the dad look like some free-swinger while the mom in the divorce is this abused single woman working two jobs to keep her kids fed. This movie shows reality: that sometimes it's the mom who walks away from it all and dad has to step in and become both parents. This movie was great, and the characters were well-developed. The story was true-to-life, with things going good, and things going bad sometimes. Vince Vaughn was great, and Monica Potter showed a great depth in her character as the mom who leaves one day without reason, and now wants back into her son's life 18 months later. Joey Lauren Adams is nice as the girlfriend, but her voice gets annoying kind of quickly (sorry, Ms. Adams). All in all, a great movie and definitely one worth owning.

5/5 Double role reversal
  by tovangar (Los Angeles, CA United States)
Like any reversed image, the different perspective helps you see the truth of the original. In an absolutely brilliant ploy this film shows what happens to a father when his wife loses interest in being a "family woman" and walks away. We've ceased to see the pain and destruction caused when it's the husband that leaves, but this "new" view allows us to have sympathy for the parent that's left behind with the kid(s). Vince Vaughn, as the dad, brilliantly plays the role as if he was female and absolutely rips your heart out doing it (I don't know if the idea was Vaughn's or the director's but it sure works).

One scene in particular stood out in this double role-reversal film: dad has finally gotten his and his son's lives back to some sort of routine when (after 18 months) the estranged mother shows up on his porch looking for a self-indulgent visit. Vince Vaughn all but barracades the door with his body and hisses a "What makes you think you can walk back in our lives after what you've done" speech. Any mom whose been left holding the baby will instantly recognize the moment of realization that, where kids are concerned, the parent that left has the power to CONTINUE to cause damage and heartache FOREVER.

Vince Vaughn has never been better (he's easily equal here to his role as "Lester the Molester" in Clay Pidgeons, another underrated film). Why Vaughn's not one of America's top movie stars is a mystery to me. The actors that play the wife and girlfriend try but just don't have Vaughn's talent. The child that plays Vaugh's son is NOT annoying, a nice surprise from a kid actor.

This film is worth your money and your time.

5/5 ENGAGING!
  by D. Darenkamp (Temecula, CA USA)
From beginning to end, "A Cool Dry Place" genuinely entices the viewer. My 20-year old son introduced Vince Vaughn's acting versatility to me when he rented "Clay Pigeons"; his cool, suave manner could "best" James Bond's attitude anyday - and you have to love that "unique" laughter! "Psycho", "Swingers" and "The Lost World:Jurassic Park" are GREAT movies (between my son and I, we own them all), but Vince Vaughn's performance in "A Cool Dry Place" is charming and attractive! Any actor who can portray a "cold, deadly" killer in one movie, but yet portray a loving, but firm, Father in this movie has "Oscar" written into his future.

Joey Lauren Adams was well cast for this film. I bought "Dazed and Confused" last year because I also suffered from the "screwed-up" seventies and graduated from high school in May 1976. I completely related to that movie! I thought Joey Lauren Adams was "Renee Zellweger" - Sorry Joey! After watching "Big Daddy", I had no doubt that there is a BIG difference between the two actresses. Her throaty, sometimes high-pitched, sexy voice is enough to drive Vince Vaughn WILD! She may be a "Veterinarian's assistant", but she HAS MORE CLASS than the woman, Monica Potter, who portrays the "truant" wife. Even though she is "just" the girl friend, she has more wisdom when it comes to "rearing" children and "what is best for the child" and her acting is SUPERB!

Bobby Moat as Calvin is EXCELLENT! A beautiful child and an impressive actor!

Like Samantha K. (Gainesville,FL), I wish I could afford to buy this movie NOW!

5/5 One of my personal favorite films
  by Damian Gunn (I am everywhere)
'A Cool Dry Place' to me is a very underappreciated film. It all but slipped under the radar and recieved little if any attention, but that's a shame, a huge shame. This film has always been one I enjoyed, but recently having seen it four times in the past month (it's played on TV almost every day) it's really grown into one of my personal favorite films. Vince Vaughn pulls out a brilliant performance, far more serious than most of his recent films, and he taps into something I've never seen in him before. Vaughn I think has hit some bad luck, for he's actually a pretty good actor he's just not given near enough credit where credit is due, and here is a prime example of due credit. Vaughn plays a single father, recently single, as he struggles to raise his young son (Bobby Moat). Not able to balance his career as an attorney and fatherhood he decides to leave his practice and move to Kansas where he coaches basketball and meets a lovly woman played by the beautiful Joey Lauren Adams. As there relationship developes Vaughn's ex-wife (Monica Potter) shows up to reclaim her place causing devision and turmoil in his life once again, and when offered an opportunity to take the position of a lifetime working for a law office in Dallas Texas he's faced with a crossroads...does he play working man or father. This is a brilliant look at fatherhood and the sacrifices one makes for his family. Beautiful story that leaves you with a lot of tears and a lot of heart.

5/5 This is a wonderful film!
  by
I haven't seen something that tugged at my heart strings this way in a long time! This is a touching and sincere portrayal of the special bond between a father and young son, and of the journey of self-doubt that comes with the unique challenges of a single father. The movie and the characters are honest and real; they're not cheesy or overly-sentimental, and they're not one-dimentional "types." If you like human drama, you'll love it. Vince Vaughn delivers a suberb performance, with solid support from Chasing Amy's Joey Lauren Adams.