I rated this a 4 because of several factors including the casting of Franklin, and the overall movie based on the book. I don't expect the movie to replicate the book, but I do expect a good adaptation, which this movie was not. Had they cast Franklin more like he was in the book then I would the rating would have gone up at least 2 numbers. There is Zero chemistry between Sanaa and Wesley. Franklin is supposed to be a large, handsome intimidating Black man, but Wesley is a small Black man who, in this movie at least, was NOT handsome in the least. From what I've read in the book, Franklin's pleasing appearance is supposed to be something that kind of held Zora in place as his woman. It's mentioned several times throughout the book. Though it was not the only thing, it was certainly a large factor. In this movie Snipes was made to look kind of ugly, so that was a downer. He was also supposed to be an alcoholic, something that did not translate well in the movie. On the whole, the movie did a poor job of showing the journey of this woman, man, and their relationship. There are so many ways in which this movie went wrong that I'm not going to spend my life naming them. I didn't expect a replica of the book, but I did expect a good adaptation, which I did not get. The one good thing that can be said about this film is Sanaa Lathan's performance. When I think of the character Zora I think of someone who looks like Sanaa and she performed the role just as I saw it in my mind.

When I first saw this movie on cable(not sure which channel) I taped it. I believe the title was Couple au defi. As a month or so went by, I didn't see it listed under that name anymore, then I happened to see the name Disappearing Acts, checked it out and was shocked to find that it was the same movie I thought was of a different name. Does anyone know anything about this? Perhaps it was the name of the book? Also, I posted earlier a question about the song Zora sang in the studio. I would love to know the name of it, who actually sings it and where to find it. Don't want much do I? If anyone can help with any of my questions I'd be very grateful. I really did like this movie and just to watch Wesley do anything is good enough for this white girl! Thanx, Jerri

At last, Wesley snipes starts to fulfil the promise he showed us in The Waterdance. It seems like he stopped acting for a while to become an action star, and here he proudly reclaims his ground as one of the finest actors on screen today. Sanaa Lathan is great as well, in a lovely small story of a relationship. That's all it is, and yet it holds and moves. The supporting actors are all great too- I particularly liked Regina Hall. The music is terrific- did she sing it herself? and the direction and script are all top-notch. Well done!

"Disappearing Acts" is a well told story about the bumpy road to love and understanding trod by a somewhat mismatched NYC couple with Snipes as a blue-collar laborer and Lathan as a music teacher. The film does everything right but does not show us anything we haven't seen many times before. In the final analysis one can only nod and yawn.