Mark Keith
15Jun12
It also "streams" on Netflix.
YAY!!! IT STEAMS ON NETFLIX. I saw this once -- 38-39 years ago -- and it has stuck with me.
Though having rewatched it, just now, the "Minnie and Moskowitz" of the 18 or 19 year old me -- the "Minnie and Moskowitz" generalized in my memory -- and the "Minnie and Moskowitz" of this 57 year old, is pretty different (sort of like the "Notes from Underground" of my 20th year and the "Notes from Underground" of my 30th).
Too beautiful for words. Ranks among "L'Atalante" and "Pierrot le fou" as my favorite love story.
As I said of "The Passion of Anna" being Bergman's "Love Story", I suppose this would do for being Cassavetes' "Love Story". This one really breaks all the primary illusions you find in romance films, from being "unlucky in love" to the ritual of "meeting of the parents." Recommended in line with "The Passion of Anna" and Kaurismaki's "Shadows in Paradise."
this is so close to real life as opposed to ideal love presented in commercial cinema,most of the ppl never find their soulmates ,if et all such a thing exist as charlie kaufman says hollywood has a bad impact on ppl love lives,this movie is too close for comfort but it also shows how to dramatize real life which a such hard thing to do
The characters are trying to wake up from life, break out of this day dream, this film they're stuck in. As am I.
And I refer to the subject of love. @ Roger Hayn. Not too sure what you refer to in terms of dialogue, the dialogue is original and always engaging to me. In terms of emotional release there are some really beautiful moments, for example when they go dancing and Moscowitz does the hand stand. Or at the Ice Cream parlour. Humanism and realism have been done on film by many directors, and Cassavetes nails it here.
Cassavetes' satire on boy-meets-girl melodrama hits many points, but to get to them you have to suffer through endless dialog of jerks who won't sit down and shut up.
As always Cassavetes' unique style of camera movement, editing and framing is truly engaging, but unlike A Woman Under the Influence or Opening Night, it lacks those gorgeous moments of emotional release that make the often meandering, slightly unrealistic dialog tolerable. The acting is fantastic in terms of body motion (nervous ticks etc.) and vocal tones but the words can leave much to be desired. 3 stars.
Writer-director John Cassavetes takes on the romantic comedy with his trademark rough, raw cinematic style. Tighter and more focused than most of Cassavetes work, which makes it one of his most accessible. And, as usual, the performances are superb - Seymour Cassel does go a bit over the top at times, but there's also disturbingly hilarious turns by Timothy Carey and Val Avery. It's biggest flaw is that the attractio
Cassavetes shows the sweetness inside daily life, in the ordinary, ugly, lonely and crazy world we humans inhabit in disdain; a place where we all hope to find the person who'll take the heavy burden but also the unique privilege of our company. Seymour Cassel and Gena Rowlands are the outstanding pair that make tangible all that.