A
comic tragedy
First, I have
a confession. It is impossible for me to
objectively review "Love Liza." Having
experienced the suicide of my wife and followed
a similar downward spiral (thankfully, not
inhalants), this film is FAR too emotional of an
experience for me to look at with any serious
degree of objectivity.
This confession aside, I must express a tad bit
of disappointment with the film. It is a film
that had an obvious grand vision of where it was
going, and it only partially achieved its goals.
In many ways, it feels like a P.T. Anderson
film...powerful imagery and episodic brilliance
that doesn't always connect. This works with an
Anderson film, because Anderson approaches the
screenplay and even the technical aspects of his
films from that same perspective. This film,
however, cried out for "connection." In order to
fully embrace the characters and sympathize with
the situation, there needed to be more
understanding...Why did Hoffman's wife suicide?
Why does a seemingly intelligent, successful man
use "huffing" as his primary coping skill? Why
did his boss, in the midst of all this mess,
confess "liking him?" I had numerous "Why?"
questions throughout the film. As a survivor of
suicide, I found it ultimately disturbing and
traumatic to be left with so many unanswered
questions.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman is utterly outstanding
as the grieving widow...even with all the "Why?"
questions, I found myself completely engrossed
in his character. His energy, intensity...even
his pauses were perfectly timed. Hoffman is one
of my favorite actors, and this role is a
tour-de-force for him. As his wife's mother,
Kathy Bates gives another powerful performance.
Bates is a wonderful balance to Hoffman in this
film...where Hoffman bounces through rage and
complete despondency, Bates drowns in
resignation and grief. The scenes with the two
of them together are heart-wrenching.
The film is the first directed by Todd Louiso
(he was the "quiet guy" in "High Fidelity").
It's a nice first effort, though I couldn't help
but wonder if a more experienced director could
have brought this movie more into focus.
Additionally, the script is by Gordy Hoffman
(Phillip Seymour Hoffman's older brother).
Sadly, I think the script is the major problem
here...too often, it traded cohesiveness and
character development for dramatic moments and
imagery.
Fans of Phillip Seymour Hoffman simply MUST see
this film, and I'd also recommend it to anyone
who has experienced a deep, unexplainable loss.
Despite its inability to reach its lofty
filmmaking goals, "Love Liza" is a wonderful
example of the high quality films that can be
created on a low budget. It was shot in 21 days,
with a $1,000,000 budget. Here's hoping that
other directors have the balls to give more lead
roles to Phillip Seymour Hoffman!
©
Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
N/A
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
