The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
At First Sight
Drama · Romance · 1999
A blind man has an operation to regain his sight at the urging of his girlfriend and must deal with the changes to his life.
Movie details
At First Sight
“Science gave him sight. She gave him vision.”
1999 Drama · Romance 2h 8m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.0 / 10
Community rating
A blind man has an operation to regain his sight at the urging of his girlfriend and must deal with the changes to his life.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over At First Sight?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Blind
Drama · 2017
A novelist is blinded in a car crash that killed his wife and several years later rediscovers his passion for life and writing when he embarks on an affair with the neglected wife of an indicted businessman.
Nine Lives
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Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life.
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between
Romance · 2022
Clare and Aidan make a pact to break up before college — no regrets, no broken hearts. But will one epic goodbye date offer them a last chance at love?
The Object of My Affection
Drama · 1998
A pregnant New York social worker begins to develop romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and decides she'd rather raise her child with him, much to the dismay of her overbearing boyfriend.
A Perfect Ending
Drama · 2012
This intimate drama follows Rebecca, a woman who has kept her sexuality a secret from her friends but chooses to reveal it to a stranger. While Rebecca's revelations may not yield the results she expects, a perfect ending is still in reach.
The Yellow Handkerchief
Drama · 2009
A road trip through Louisiana transforms three strangers who were originally brought together by their respective feelings of loneliness.
Not Easily Broken
Drama · 2009
A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.
Moonlight Mile
Romance · 2002
As he copes with the death of his fiancee along with her parents, a young man must figure out what he wants out of life.
Nobody Has to Know
Drama · 2022
After a stroke and no memories from his past, Phil encounters Millie who inhabits a desert part of Isle of Lewis. She will shortly entrust him with his deepest secret : they were in love.
Sweet November
Drama · 2001
Nelson is a man devoted to his advertising career in San Francisco. One day, while taking a driving test at the DMV, he meets Sara. She is very different from the other women in his life. Nelson causes her to miss out on taking the test and later that day she tracks him down. One thing leads to another and Nelson ends up living with her through a November that will change his life forever.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Irwin Winkler
Written by
Steve Levitt · Oliver Sacks
Val Kilmer
Virgil Adamson
Mira Sorvino
Amy Benic
Kelly McGillis
Jennie Adamson
Steven Weber
Duncan Allanbrook
Bruce Davison
Dr. Charles Aaron
Nathan Lane
Phil Webster
Ken Howard
Virgil's Father
Court is in session
Put At First Sight on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.