Dopamine | | Cast : | John Livingston | | Director : | | | Studio : | Sundance Channel Home Entertainment | | Format : | Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC | | Released Date : | , 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | April 01, 2005 | | Language : | English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 19, 2005 | | Summary | Nicely Put together Story, Pretty Images, and Good Acting | Content
 | This is a good love drama to watch. The guy trys to explain everything, including love, in terms of biochemistry but faces the limitation of doing so with a help of a lady whom he falls in love with. He was intellectualizing all matters by means of escaping from painful memories associated with his parents.
Once I know the story I don't feel like watching it again. The movie is good but not the greatest. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 04, 2005 | | Summary | A FILM WELL WORTH SEEING!!1 | Content
| First of all, in support of a previous reviwer, this film is not about dopamine. I think the film "Titanic" may have caused some confusion because it is about a titanic boat which is also called the "Titanic." The current Fox TV series "House" is not about a house so the reviewer may want to avoid that as well. If I hear that any of the big drug companies plan to market dopamine, I will let him know.
This film left me exhausted in a good way. Much like the type of exhaustion of a good workout. I found a deepening empathy for both characters as the film went on. The performances by Lloyd and Livingston communicated a vulnerablity and honesty to the characters of Sara and Rand that made me care about what happened to them. Sabrina Lloyd's eyes alone are reason enough to see this film, they communicate 100 pages worth of dialogue. These are human beings (I won't use the word flawed to avoid being redundant) that most of us, with even a small amount of self awareness, too whom we can relate, damaged but still willing to go forward with their lives.
There are a couple of awkward scenes toward the end of the film that were a stretch. This movie has its heart in the right place however, and I can accept the end's symbolism. Its more important how Sara and Rand get to that point. The film is more prone to start discussions than to end debates.
The Dylan reference at the end kind of suckered me in anyway, even though it came across a bit forced. Much like Dylan's music there are layers that reward repeated viewing. In a just world people would line up at the cineplex to see films like this, and we'd all be kinder and smarter as a result. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 17, 2005 | | Summary | Who's the DOPE that cut this stinker? | Content
| As I write this, "Dopamine" is on auction at Ebay for four dollars and has no bids. That right there should tell you something. On the strength of positive reviews from the Detroit Free Press, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, a year ago I actually bought this movie from Blockbust for $12.99. Today, I was searching on E-bay rather eagerly, hoping I could unload this stinker, but if it cannot sell for four dollars, what's the point of losing auction fees?
The critics are suspiciously over-effusive in their praise, and this is the last time I trust reviews from the newspapers above. I do not lay fault at the feet of the actors, but rather the script itself, which is just dumb, dumb, dumb. I thought this would be a brainy exploration into "the root of whether love is chemical or chemistry" (reading from the back cover). I am genuinely interested in brain chemistry. Are you? Well, you won't learn a single thing from THIS flick, except how easy it is to bribe the critics of our nation's leading newspapers.
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| Rating | | | Date | February 14, 2005 | | Summary | Elegant neuromance | Content
| A virtually perfect movie, in multiple ways. "Dopamine" delicately weaves its themes of love, intimacy, and fear of loss. All its characters are engaging and nuanced, in their various attempts to grapple with the risks of closeness--including Koy Koy, the virtual creature who flits seamlessly around and through the human drama; the digital character never intrudes in a contrived way, and stays totally believable as software development while being very endearing . Decena has a deft touch and subtle wit, never giving in to sentimentality but showing much compassion. The acting and faces are fresh, real and very Gen-Y SF. This isn't simply about a neurochemically obsessed guy, it's about a bunch of brittle, defended people trying to transcend their isolation. Watch for the fleeting synaptic "flashes" as surprisingly effective, novel exclamation points. |
| Rating | | | Date | September 24, 2004 | | Summary | A Quiet, Involving Character Study | Content
| "Dopamine" starts out with a pretty rockin' title sequence, but the rest of the movie is something fairly different. It is a pretty well written, well acted character study about a dot-com programmer named Rand (John Livingston) who comes out of his emotional shell. Rand works at a start-up company trying to create a computer animated bird that responds to other people's emotions. In the process, Rand begins to respond to the emotions of a pre-school teacher, Sarah (Sabrina Lloyd), and discover his own feelings. As directed by Mark Decena, "Dopamine" captures pretty well the feel of a small, late 1990's San Francisco start-up full of big ideas but short on time and cash. To anyone who has been there, the moment when the characters in "Dopamine" fail to get their second round of funding from their angel investors will have definite resonance. |
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