Forever Lulu (2000)

Such a frustrating disappointment

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Lulu McAfee (Melanie Griffith) runs away from her San Francisco group home for schizophrenics. Her ex Ben Clifton (Patrick Swayze) is a frustrated failing TV writer and married to psychiatrist Claire (Penelope Ann Miller). He is not happy to have Lulu back in his life. She tells him that they have a son together. He drives her to Wisconsin to meet their son on his 16th birthday but she has an accomplice lying for her. Meanwhile, Claire flies to join them.Patrick Swayze is playing against type as a meek writer type. It doesn't really work especially with his character being different in his flashback. Pairing him with a schizophrenic Griffith is frustrating. It's very unlikely that he can't see through her charade. All he has to do is to ask her for the phone number. The romance simply doesn't work for me. The duo is improved with the addition of Claire. I just don't find the central relationship that compelling.

it is such a pretty story, just like a refreshing lemon sprite! i had worked with mentally ill people, it also touching me in the way lulu struck for her identity and life. sometime, under a megalopolis, who is insane who is not, it is difficult to judge! we all need someone to give us a hug and love! the power of love! thanks lulu to help Ben and his wife to release their innermost feelings, "can heal but couldn't self-heal", lulu became their angel between two professionals! open up yourself to face each other, there is no other better way than this to deal with relationship! don't forget your dream, the rainbow is there! the psychiatric institute, the professional tone in questioning, the hallucination, something between realistic or false! who can ever say it absolutely correct! the last part of the film is so moving, my eyes wet and nearly tear come!

Again. Does she ever fail? If you are reading this 'girl', please keep your humility - therein lies your brilliance and genuine qualities.How can you build a movie around one actor? You have to get the perfect actor-actress and then find the right script.This isn't a great movie. No. But watch the girl. Melanie is no youngster, but her spirit is too young, too brilliant to hide!You can't avoid watching her. She is compelling. Few players can match her on any level. Thespian espectacular!So, enjoy performance, even though a lot of the other film elements don't rise to excellence. Melanie is superb, and is she ever bad? It takes a very special quality of commitment to excel and elate when the material around you is only mediocre.

!!!!! POSSIBLE MILD SPOILERS !!!!!ALONG FOR THE RIDE ( As I know it - I`ve never heard of it called FOREVER LULU )has an opening very similar to film noir , then becomes a road movie then tricks the audience into thinking they`ll be watching a thriller about a " disturbed mental patient going on rampage " but then the film pulls the carpet from under the audiences feet as it turns into a mawkish tear jerker. This isn`t a mixed genre road movie , it`s an extremely unfocused movie , just when you think it`s going in one direction it does a U-turn and goes into another direction entirely . There`s also some other aspects in the script that bring the film down : The dialogue veers between the flowery and the banal , a good example being " I just wanna suck the light from the stars " which sounds like a lyric from a Throwing Muses album . The lines not helped by the next line being the painfully obvious " Lulu , are you taking your medication ? " I can`t say ALONG FOR THE RIDE is very well directed or acted either . Melanie Griffith frequently shoves her wonderful cleavage into the camera but if we`re using this criteria to judge films then surely PITCH BLACK is the greatest film ever made ? ! Patrick Swayze just doesn`t do enough to communicate the pathos and torment his character is going through which I found very surprising . To do this I`d have thought all he had to do would be reflect upon a few years back when he starred in DIRTY DANCING and GHOST and compare it to his present status . I`m sure he`d have no problem turning on the tears in that case