By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Todd Louiso
Starring: Jack Kehler | Kathy Bates | Philip Seymour Hoffman | Sarah Koskoff
Country: france, germany, united_states
Year: 2003
Running time: 93
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0282698
Chris says: “Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays a schlub whose wife commits suicide and leaves him a note that he can’t bear to read. Instead, he finds solace in increasingly dangerous dosages of gas fumes. With a screenplay written by Hoffman’s older brother, Gordy, this is a peculiar tale, more for the dazed, unexpectedly dark comic tone than for the depressing, offbeat premise. Hoffman is effortlessly good (you can’t imagine anyone else in this role) and Kathy Bates tackles her difficult, minimal part well. This is exactly the type of film you’d expect from director Todd Louiso by way of his meek record store clerk in HIGH FIDELITY: a little eccentric, a little sweet, relentlessly indie, and not quite all there. My favorite part was Hoffman’s absurd, impromptu road trip to Louisiana with his sketchily acquired model plane.”
Clinton says: “Finally, a star vehicle for Philip Seymour Hoffman, and with a very unique and touching script by none other than his brother. In keeping with his most memorable career roles so far, Hoffman is simultaneously hilariously pathetic and disarmingly sweet. He plays Wilson Joel, a computer programmer who’s wife has just committed suicide. Wilson is having trouble accepting his loss, and when he finds his wife’s suicide note under his pillow, he is unable to open it. Instead he finds solace in an unlikely source – the toxic fumes of gasoline.
“Soon, huffing gas fumes fills the emptiness in his heart, while numbing his senses and pushing him even further away from being able to confront his loss. Hoffman is top-notch as usual, and the supporting cast is excellent, including Bates as his similarly emotionally drained mother-in-law, and Kehler as a helpful friend trying to get Wilson to come out of his shell by joining him in his hobby of model airplane flying (Wilson already has a connection, as model airplane gas proves to be another potent mind-numbing fume). With a tone that moves from funny to heartbreaking and back again, often many times in the same scene, and a pace that is slow and deliberate (some people found the pace of the story a bit slow, but I enjoyed every minute of it), this is a very big little film. I loved it. ”
Ivy says: “This one is a goodie! I liked a lot of stuff about the film – I definitely agree with the script nomination, it really holds together well and creates a dramatic AND cinematic.
Things I liked that I can list specifically:
1. footage to show perspective of Wilson after huffing gas
2. Kathy Bates small but strong character
3. the stolen stuff element
4. the drama surrounding the letter – it was worth the wait too!
5. the film’s unexpected choices without being too “indie-quirky” which can be really common in this kind of film – the characters are complex but not too tongue-in-cheek… I don’t know if that makes sense.
I’m really sorry that LOVE LIZA didn’t get more audience when it was released here but I will be recommending this film to anyone I can.
YAY!”
Michael says: “Devastating, yet strangely life-affirming, first-time screenwriter Gordy Hoffman paints a powerful portrait of a man struggling with the grief caused by his wife’s unexplained suicide. Working from Hoffman’s daringly original screenplay, director Louiso fashions a film filled with marvelous performances. Phillip Seymour Hoffman embodies the various stages of grief
masterfully supported by a superb cast. Kathy Bates is terrific as Liza’s reeling mother doing what she can to help her son-in-law, and Jack Kehler, as an acquaintance who is in over his head, but does what he can to befriend the troubled young man.” 4 cats
Diane says: “Am I a little late on this one? Oh, just another superb performance in a day in the life of Philip Seymour Hoffman. (Nice to get a flash of Allen in HAPPINESS as he answers the phone morosely.)
“Too bad Kathy Bates was way underutilized. But that Jack Kehler as the model-making guy who watches over Phil–I may just vote for him for best supp. He was crazy! That character in particular was very well-written, well cast, well played. The story didn’t
have enough drive for me, though. I hear the screenwriter’s Jack Signs is terrif.”