The Thing Called Love (1993)

The Age of Commercialism

Really Surprised!

hyped garbage

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The Thing Called Love (1993)Whatever happened to Peter Bogdanovich? He directed several really deeply felt, nostalgia filled, honest films in the late 60s early 70s. But he had some duds, too, and that seems to be his long term groove, as if he was more comfortable loving movies (he's a buff, an historian, an insider critic) than making them. This one has the stuff for a heart-tugging drama filled with Americana, but it is slow, downright clumsy at times, and improbable.The latter is fine, of course--it's a fiction movie--but it wants to seem real, too, not fantastic. It depends too much on pretty people, so that's false, but these pretty people are trying to make it in Nashville as singer-songwriters, which is a fantasy after all, so who knows? The marriage in the mini-super market is pretty great, I have to admit.What works best, oddly enough (but no surprise), is Sandra Bullock, who plays her part with conviction. The music is supposed to be amateur and downright bad, but it's not bad enough to laugh at (and not good enough to enjoy). A bad spot in the middle. But then there's River Phoenix. Who knew he could actually play? Ah, but some plot is in order, something beyond the obvious. It's supposed to be a dream come true or something, but it just holds no water. If you love country music, there's something here, the general scene, the background, but that's not enough.

This movie was obviously a cry for help. Being a River Phoenix fan I rented this movie yesterday. Although it is good movie I couldn't help but feel sadness. This is River's last movie before his death, and from the beginning to the end of the film he seems out of it. He also looked extremely ill and his face was rather gaunt. This made it very hard to watch the film.Overall the rest of the cast were pretty good. Except I thought the lead actress sounded a touch retarded at times when trying to pull off a New York accent. The movie isn't anything new and it's not one of those deep films that leaves you with all these emotions afterward like "Running on Empty." It's more of a fun movie. It's a great watch, but also a sad remembrance of Phoenix.

They were several reasons why I wanted to see this movie: 1. it's about Nasvhille & country music of which I'm a fan 2. it stars River Phoenix, an actor of great skills 3. This one of River's last movies, if not the last before his tragic death and he does indeed look sick in this movie, skinny and all. And it's a disappointing ending for his career as this movie is really too shallow on its subject.Samantha Mathis comes to Nashville seeking stardom as a country music singer. She wants to start with the Bluebird Café, a renowned place where aspiring singers go apply for castings, and if they're good enough, they get to come back in the evening for a gig. There she meets with River Phoenix, Sandra Bullock and Dermot Mulroney, all with the same ambition, becoming the next country star. River is the most successful of them (it has to be noted they all sang their parts).If this movie's intention was to show how it goes in the music business, it missed. If it wanted to show a love story, it missed too because it only scraps the surface of the subjects.If you want country music and a depiction on how Nashville works, check out Altman's "Nashville".

I just caught this movie 13 years after it's release but, what a great story. I thought the real country stars who had cameos or had roles made it more legitimate. It was funny to see the musical side of Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney and Sandra Bullock after all these years. Samantha Mathis is underrated. She was in a recent episode of House. I have always been a fan of Dermot Mulroney but, now I have a greater appreciation of his versatility.I haven't seen too much of River Pheonix's work so, this was a treat.The insight into Nashville and the struggle for writers and musicians was fascinating.