This is an amazing film with an ending that is so true to life... It deserves a 9/10 for portraying a side of reality which Hollywood rarely dares to show.

One piece of criticism I have is that there is an implication at the end of the film that Hemingway suicided because of his failed relationship with Agnes. However, it is unlikely that this is the case. After writing brilliant pieces of literature, especially in the late 1920s, Hemingway's writing took a downward turn and he could no longer meet the high standards in the literature world that he, himself, had set. Depressed, he was often writing under the influence of alcohol in an attempt to 'enhance' his work. Nonetheless, these pieces were still unable to please his critics, and it was during this stage in his life that he committed suicide.

For interest: Ernest and Agnes occasionally wrote to each other afterwards, but one of Agnes' boyfriends burnt the letters that Ernest wrote to her, including the his reply to her letter breaking up their love relationship.

In this surprisingly sweet romantic drama, audiences are treated to a young Ernest Hemingway as he falls in love with his nurse during World War One. Usually, the films about Hemingway are after his fame, turning him into a caricature of wordiness and blunt emotion, but this one shows him as a regular soldier who falls in love.

Chris O'Donnell and Sandra Bullock are the unlikely pairing, and even if you don't think they'll make a convincing couple, they have great chemistry together. They both know that wartime romances are fragile and might not work out, but they can't ignore the calling of their hearts. This is a Hollywood version of the story, but in real life, Hemingway did fall in love with his nurse in Italy and continued to write about her throughout his career. If you've ever seen or read A Farewell to Arms, watch this movie to see the inspiration! I'm not even a very big Hemingway fan and I enjoyed this movie. It's sweet and romantic without being vulgar, and it's dramatic, hopeful, tasteful, and shows why Hemingway would continue to write about this part of his life.

It's 1918 northern Italy. It's the last year of the war. The Italians face a massive invasion by the Austrians. The Americans have only sent doctors and nurses. Agnes von Kurowsky (Sandra Bullock) is one of those nurses. 22 year old aspiring reporter Ernest Hemingway (Chris O'Donnell) joined the Red Cross and is desperate to get to the front lines where he gets injured. Agnes manages to save his leg from the arrogant backwards Italian doctor.

It all boils down to this. I don't buy Chris O'Donnell as Ernest Hemingway. I can't say that I know exactly who Hemingway was at 22. Sure, he's not Papa then but he has to give some sense of Papa in the making. When O'Donnell insists on going to the front, he sounds like a kid whining for an ice cream cone. He's not Hemingway. I'm not saying that he's not a good actor. It is simply beyond his range and his personality. As for Bullock, she is well within her range. She is this character, determined and caring. One of my favorite novel is A Farewell to Arms. That story has a harrowing war scene. This war movie is missing the war. It has a bit of fighting but it's not intense. This is a low intensity romance. If I ignore the Hemingway aspect, this would still be a rather bland romance without much drama. At the end of the movie, Agnes claims that she had changed Ernest from the Chris O'Donnell boy into the angry macho Hemingway. I would respectfully disagree. One wouldn't do a personality switch like that without brain injury. Now I wouldn't exclude the possibility of a brain injury during the war.