A Pyromaniac's Love Story (1995)

Simply A Masterpiece

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Normally I don't enjoy very much romantic comedies, but personally I found this movie to be a decent watch.Even when its title could make anyone think that "A Pyromaniac's Love Story" is some kind of black comedy, it is actually a sweet (maybe too sweet for my taste) tale that without being nothing too great or memorable, manages to be reasonably entertaining, despite having the most common clichés of the genre and completely predictable ending.Like in many other romantic comedies, the characters and plot from this movie are quite unrealistic and completely unbelievable, but since this movie doesn't take itself very seriously, I think I could give it a free pass in that aspect.If anything, "A Pyromaniac's Love Story" is mostly a harmless experience that won't change anybody's life, but it won't hurt either.6/10

The title is the funniest thing about "A Pyromaniac's Love Story", this so-called romantic "comedy" has a lot more romance than comedy. The movie starts out as another tale of unrequited love as Sergio (John Leguizamo) explains in voice-over that he has long been in love with Hattie (Sadie Frost), the waitress daughter of a diner owner who thinks of him as just a friend.Although Sergio and Hattie are the movie's core romantic couple, there are two minor romances going on at the same time. The gimmick of "A Pyromaniac's Love Story" is a series of mix-ups involving all three couples. The confusion could be easily cleared up if the persons in each couple bothered to communicate with each other. This might be very funny if the script was well written and clever, but instead it is one of those movie situations which is only credible if you believe that all the characters are morons. So you have a decent love story with good messages about communicating and taking risks to declare your love, buried under a lot of poorly written slop."A Pyromaniac's Love Story" tries to be offbeat and whimsical in the style of "Benny and Joon" and although the two scores are almost identical it is never able to achieve the same effect. In part this is because William Baldwin's over-the-top performance is joltingly out of place in relation to how understated everything else is, and Sergio has more screen time with him than with Hattie. A poor choice because Sadie Frost is the strongest member of the cast and has good chemistry with Leguizamo.If you are looking for a way to make this movie interesting, I suggest that you watch it along with "Bram Stoker's Dracula" which was made 2 years earlier. In that film Frost (who is British) gave a great over-the-top performance as Lucy, a flirty and glamorous London socialite. Yet she is absolutely authentic as an earthy American waitress in "A Pyromaniac's Love Story" (accent, mannerisms, look). You would never guess that it could be the same actress. Frost is one of those talents who you wish had been given more opportunities.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

This movie is meant to be a bit of fluff, not to be taken too seriously. But it more than adequately describes the emotions and crazy things done in the name of love. No, it won't win an academy award, but it wasn't meant to. If you want a great piece of entertainment that is perfect for a nice quiet date, that is sure to bring a smile to your face and a great feeling to your heart, I strongly recommend this movie!

This was an attempt toward a romantic comedy, and one which did not work. Although the film was cast in an interesting manner, the dismal script betrayed the best efforts of all. The director's fey mannerisms may have succeeded if he had adopted a point of view. It was embarrassing to watch William Baldwin and, in particular, Armin Muller-Stahl.