Love Liza | | Cast : | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kathy Bates | | Director : | Todd Louiso | | Studio : | Columbia Tristar Hom | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | January 01, 2002 | | DVD Released Date : | May 27, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Portuguese (Subtitled), Hindi (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | March 22, 2005 | | Summary | lost in the woods, mired in the fog | Content
 | Love Liza is a bizarre little film, very slow moving and incomprehensible, as though the viewer is supposed to be as unclear and dazed as its main character, Wilson Joel (always excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman). Wilson Joel is aimlessly drifting, a grief-stricken widower. He lives in a state of perpetual denial, unable to cope with the fact that his wife has committed suicide without explanation (although she has left behind a letter he refuses to open, much to the anger and disappointment of his dead wife's mother, played by Kathy Bates). In "coping" (if you could call it that) with his grief, he neglects his work, becomes addicted to huffing gasoline, and obsesses about remote-operated vehicles. His friends and colleagues begin to worry about him, but also seem to have a certain disdain for his increasingly erratic behavior. Unfortunately this is a very real part of grief: the grieving party just is not ready to move on and feels like self-destructing but the rest of society expects grief to be contained and temporary, like you can put it on and take it off so simply. While Hoffman's performance here is solid, the story is a bit too bizarre and off the beaten path. While there is nothing inherently wrong with "off the beaten path", I would say this one gets a little lost in the woods. Though it might well portray accurately and sensitively the various stages of denial, loss, grief and acceptance as they occur, it meanders and lacks a certain concision. However, as a debut by director Todd Louiso, it is promising. Louiso is best-known for playing small, offbeat roles in films like The Rock and High Fidelity but clearly has a talent for directorial pursuits. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 10, 2004 | | Summary | Little Indie..Big on Talent and Storytelling | Content
| This review refers to the DVD edition of "Love Liza" Columbia TriStar/Sony PIctures)...
More and more I find myself turning to the Independent films to find a story with substance. Although shot on a low budget, "Love Liza", is one of those Indies, that manages, with the help of an intellegent screenplay, and some innovative filming(and a little help from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kathy Bates), to tell a story that will touch it's audience on many levels.
As the film opens, we watch the first scene in silence, and see a man distraught over the recent suicide of his wife. Wilson Joel(Hoffman) is a man who cannot even bring himself to sleep in his own bed. A man who cannot even sleep at all. But this is quite a different take on loss then we have seen in such films as "Sleepless In Seattle". Wilson seems to be sinking more and more into his own world, using gasoline fumes to take him away from reality, and not even noticing the rest of the world going by around him.
Friends and co-workers walk on egg shells around him, knowing the pain he is feeling...all except his mother-in-law Marianne(Bates), who never lets up on trying to bring him back to the living. Wilson has found a note left by his wife, and although he carries it with him everywhere, can not bring himself to read it. The audience may sense that the guilt he feels, and what he may find in the letter, may be too much for him to bear.
It's a drama about grief, but with comedic touches just in the right places, as well as some nice ironic twists to think about. Hoffman is superb. He portrays Wilson in a way that will be tugging at your heart one moment and laughing the next. Kathy Bates excellent as always, as the woman grieving over the death of her daughter, but strong enough to see and do something about the world Wilson has gone to. I hope we will see more from Director Todd Louiso(You remember him..Chad the Nanny from "Jerry Maguire"). His wonderful behind the camera talent is obvious from this film. Gordy Hoffman's extraordinary screenplay couldn't have been in better hands.
The DVD presents a very nice clear picture in Widescreen. Colors are used well in this film and are vibrant on the transfer. The sound is very good in Dolby Surround. Features include commentary by Louiso, and Hoffman, Filmographies and trailers.
This film in an hour and a half, had me really caring about the main character, something I don't often see in recent films that are twice as long.
Recommended for those who are looking for something a little different from the rest. Something with substance, something to think about afterwards.....Laurie
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| Rating | | | Date | August 06, 2004 | | Summary | Bloated, Gassy and Boring | Content
| Wearisome, like its character
Sorry folks, this film is a big miss. Mr. Hoffman and Ms. Bates are two great talents vastly wasted in this film. With careful pruning this would have made a fascinating short, both hilarious and heart breaking. As it is the extended scenes of Hoffman's exhibitions of grief, gas sniffing, waking up in various locales, staring into space or at the unopened envelope containing his wife's suicide note become quickly wearisome.
Then there are touches of brilliance such as the two recurring gas sniffing teens lending a wonderful, bizarre, John Waters quality.
Talented as Mr. Hoffman is, he has of late played a string of characters too similar in their compositional make-up and offering far to minimal variance. This necessitates doing that actor thing: substituting "acting" for emotion, drawing attention to the "acting" rather than the story, inspiring a certain type of audience to say - usually during the movie: What A Great Actor! He probably does a job than probably anyone else could have with this material, and therein lies the problem: the screenplay. Great monologues, dialogue, etc. are not always necessary to make great cinematic art, but a too heavy reliance on blank stares, forced smiles, odd characters, nervous laughter and long shots does not automatically equate great art either. In fact, not not only do they become flaw revealing, they put everything under the microscope or magnifying glass as in Love Liza.
There is a leaner, tauter wonderful little film waiting to break out of this bloated, gassy mess - I only wish someone would have made it.
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| Rating | | | Date | July 05, 2004 | | Summary | Existentialism or Self-Indulgence? | Content
| It is really, really difficult to know what to make of this film. On the one hand, it is a decent, honest, and well-acted character study of a man whose life spins out of control despite his best (?) efforts after his wife commits suicide. On the other hand, it can come off at times as a self-indulgent pity-party that you can't help but wonder why you are watching. As extreme as these two 'takes' are, the film is both of them. I won't be saying anything that hasn't been said when I tout Philip Seymour Hoffman's gut-wrenching portrayal of the protagonist; he conveys the loneliness and, one might say, futility that our main character, Wilson, must feel. Equally strong is Kathy Bates' portrayal of Wilson's mother in law - a woman trying both to come to terms with her daughter's suicide and her son-in-laws increasingly dangerous and irratic behavior. Together, these two alone make the film a good overall effort. But then there is the script and story. If all the above sounds unduly depressing, that is because it is. Now, dark films tend to work best when (a) you get to know the characters enough to care about them and (b) there is at least some bright spots or redeeming moments in the film. This film, I'm sorry to say, has neither quality. In fact, the major flaw seems to be that by the end of the film, we know precious little about Wilson and nothing about his deceased wife and their relationship. By the end, one can't help but wonder why, without having been provided any info on these characters by way of 'backstory,' we were supposed to care so much about them - obviously the intent of the film all along. As I tend to be a sucker for downtrodden films like this one, I came away liking "Love Liza" more than not. However, this is a film that I would literally be embarassed to show any of my friends because, in the end, it is simply a bit TOO dark and, if I may be so bold, lacking in tact or message. But I will give the film three stars, on the condition that, as other reviewers have stated, the prospective viewer knows what they are getting themselves into. If you liked films like 'Leaving Las Vegas,' and more recently, 'House of Sand and Fog,' then there is a chance that you will take to 'Love Liza' as well. (If you didn't enjoy those filsm, this one isn't for you). Just keep in mind that even the darkest of movie-lovers may, in the end, find the onslaught of this film, combined with its lack of depth, a bit too much in the end. So we ask ourselves: "Is it existentialism, or self-indulgence?" |
| Rating | | | Date | March 02, 2004 | | Summary | Should've won best actor!!! | Content
| The acting by Philip Seymour Hoffman is the absolute best performance I have seen since Nic Cage in "Leaving Las Vegas".The story is simply captivating which allows for good story telling with great acting.ONE NOTE, out of all the people I have shown this movie to they didn't like it too much.I suppose this is a very dark movie which some people do not like.The character is very much like Nic Cage's character in 'Leaving Las Vegas'. Depressed and abusing himself.Unlike LLV, this one does have displays of caring and touching characters that help keep the movie entertaining. It's like a adventure movie to discovery of one's plight and characters that intermingle very well into the film.If I was to suggest this to anyone,I would say this:IF YOU ENTIRELY LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT "LEAVING LAS VEGAS", then you should love everything about "Love Liza".Has the same qualities and story telling as that classic. If "Leaving Las Vegas" had ANY elements that you didn't like about it, then you probablly won't like 'Love Liza". Plus this movie is a bit shorter unfortunatly at only 88mins.I loved everything about this movie and if I was an Academy member it would've won Best Actor & Best Picture for that year.For the DVD extras it has about as much as they could give you.The writters along with Hoffman do the commentary and give some great insight to the movie and their thinking. |
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