| Untamed Heart | | Cast : | Christian Slater, Marisa Tomei, Rosie Perez | | Director : | Tony Bill | | Studio : | Mgm/Ua Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | February 12, 1993 | | DVD Released Date : | November 13, 2001 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 05, 2005 | | Summary | Quiet Little Flick Nevertheless a Romantic Charmer | Content
 | For those of us who have already "met" Christian Slater and Marisa Tomei in their star-making roles, "Untamed Heart" offers a series of pleasant surprises to go along with a tear-jerker of a plot.
Slater has made a career out of channeling Jack Nicholson into Generation X roles in such movies as "Heathers" and "True Romance" (which also came out in 1993, at the same time as "Untamed Heart"). In these movies, Slater is the smart-*ss with the devilish grin and irresistable command of the quip. Adam, his role in "Untamed Heart," could not be a further departure from Clarence of "True Romance." An orphan with a weak heart, Adam speaks seldom but feels deeply, even though he's never had a relationship with a woman. As a busboy and janitor for a small-time Minneapolis diner, he falls in a big way for Carolina (Marisa Tomei), a waitress at the diner. But even though Adam feels big feelings for Caroline, Slater wisely restrains himself - I don't think we even get a single arched eyebrow!
Caroline is also a departure for Tomei from the wise-cracking Noo Yawka she played in her career-making "My Cousin Vinnie." Caroline is one of those girls everyone knows in high school but never appears in the movies -- a cute gal whose talents lie buried under massive self-esteem issues. Soft-spoken except with her family and fellow waitresses, Caroline is forever starting ventures but never finishing them. We also get the sense that Caroline has gotten "familiar" with a lotta guys over the years.
Adam thwarts an ugly attempted rape as two guys "escort" Caroline home on a chilly night. In a lesser movie, Caroline would have instantly jumped into the sack with her hero to "reward" him for his chivalry, but Caroline regards Adam with a confused wariness that's quite believable. This reserve gradually melts, and soon Adam and Caroline are engaged in a very serious courtship -- Caroline is serious about Adam because he seems genuine, and Adam is serious about Caroline because he's incapable of being any other way.
These two characters truly merge on-screen into a believable couple, and their dialogue, while unusual, never ring false or contrived. Indeed, this movie rings true with all the hallmarks of "regular folks" just getting by with their daily lives. Even though it's set in Minnesota and has a few laughs, don't go looking for "Fargo"-style humor about Minnesotans. Even Rosie Perez, who can go as broad as humanly possible with the stereotypical Latina behavior, dials it down a notch or two in her role as Caroline's best friend, Cindy. Notice the look in her eye when she tells Caroline that Adam is, in a sense, "sponge-worthy." Even though it's funny, she doesn't really play it for laughs -- this is the kind of evaluation that occurs when you're closing up on the graveyard shift at the local diner.
A restrained "chick flick," "Untamed Heart" is a must for the film library if you're a fan of "weepies" (you know, "Terms of Endearment," "Love Story," and the like). While I'm not a huge fan of the sub-genre of romance films, I have to say that "Untamed Heart" offered a surprising amount of truth in its well-drawn, well-acted characters. (The soundtrack offers a lot of gems, too, including the Cowboy Junkies doing "Moon River. A big clue as to the movie's plot comes from the constant use of "Nature Boy" from "Moulin Rouge," too.) |
| Rating | | | Date | June 26, 2005 | | Summary | You've Got to Be Kidding! | Content
| This has to be one of the worst "romantic" movies I've ever seen. From the very beginning, you know you're in for punishment just because Marisa Tomei's character Caroline is such a ditz, and only a ditz would fall for another of her kind. Christian Slater as Adam is totally unbelievable. Come on, nobody is that dumb...are they? All old spaghetti face does is mope and whine about why "this always happens to me" as Rosie Perez turns her Mistah Kottah accent up to an annoying eleven throughout the entire film. "I'd doooo 'im if he wasn't so **** dumb!" Yeah, sweetheart, and if you were a rocket scientist you wouldn't be fencing with your girlfriend in a diner with flyswatters. Best you start jumping Adam's ribs right now.
Wow, this is a really shallow and stupid story that just goes from bad to worse. Adam has a bad heart, and he actually grows up believing the nuns' goofy stories about how he had a baboon's heart, so he thinks nothing of fighting some creeps who try to rape Caroline after her shift is over at the restaurant. The result? She falls in love with a guy who's dumber than a box of rocks and lives with his dog under a bridge.
Throughout the film, we are pummeled with horrible dialogue. For example: "I have fallen!" "Did you hurt yourself?" Ugh, I think I'm going to spew chunks! Worst of all, Dum-Dum doesn't know what a hockey puck is, yet he catches a flying one in his hand without breaking something or screaming out in pain, and hands it to Caroline. Have you had enough? Not only do Tomei and Slater make a highly mismatched couple in this badly written excuse for a romance, but their chemistry--and I use the term loosely--couldn't cover a ritz cracker with the aid of a good knife. Spare yourself. If you want to see some good romance films, try Serendipity (which is predictable, but lovely in every way), While You Were Sleeping, or an old and wonderful classic like Breakfast at Tiffany's. If you must see this embarrassing mess, make sure you rent it first. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 17, 2005 | | Summary | Classic | Content
| This is one good classic, filmed in my town, Minneapolis, MN. They might have went a bit overboard on the accent but it's a good movie. My friend's brother Vincent Karthieser(series Angel), Minnesota native as well is in it. He plays the orphan boy. It's one of his first roles. He's a great actor. You have to see this movie! |
| Rating | | | Date | December 12, 2004 | | Summary | Even my date cried ! | Content
| I remember seeing this in the movies on valentine's day with a guy who I went out with on our first date. I was not prepared for the emotion of this movie. I cried sooo much in the theater that I was embarressed. Funny part is when the movie was over I looked at my date and he was wiping the tears from his eyes. That was quite some time ago but I have recommended the movie to all my friends and family who love Romance movies. The acting is superb and the story is so original. I recommend this movie with a box of tissue !!!!! |
| Rating | | | Date | December 11, 2004 | | Summary | Love it!! | Content
| This movie is sooo good. It is touching amd trust me you will cry! My best friend and I watched it back when it first came out and we couldn't stop crying. It's just a sweet movie. |
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