Mawkish, overbearing and at least an hour longer than it deserves to be, The Green Mile makes syrup of ipecac look like an aperitif. Hanks, as the straightlaced prison-guard-with-a-heart, was so earnest about lending this film some gravity he apparently forgot how absurd the story is. Now matter how you cut it, giant, blubbering black men who regurgitate flies are just damn funny -- even if they do have the power to cure urinary tract infections with one well placed grip. Worse, this studio treacle actually got nominated for Best Picture over Boys Don't Cry and Rushmore. Explain that.