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.
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.