Memorable, crazy movie

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

I watched this movie on a rainy day when I had nothing else to do...and b/c it has Guy Pearce. I usually find Lily Taylor really annoying and strange but she does pull innocent off well. So many moments in this movie are AWKWARD. LOL but I found her father poignant and wistful. One other commenter mentioned that there were 13 original songs- one of the songs is Elizabeth Jade which I recognized instantly as a Robyn Hitchcock song (Jewels for Sophia album). It did break my heart to see Evie's father in law insult her in front of her own father. As a parent thats hard to see... Another thing: Guy Pearce is obviously a super attractive man usually. But I do NOT understand how any of the woman here thought he was so great- his character that is- was gruff and he just spoke a lot less than I prefer out of a man. I'm surprised he didn't just grunt through the movie. He does have a good accent. This movie is depressing. I never read the book and I don't plan to but based on the other comments here it does seem as though Evie's character should of remained a teenager. Irma P. Hall was hilarious and thank god for her role/character - it lent some much needed lightness.

This film left me with a special feeling. It wasn't that all the elements came together in the way one would normally expect from a film, they didn't. But the mood and feel of this film is special, real, and different. Both LiLi Taylor and Guy Pearce (who happens to be Austrailian with dead-on southern dialect) do a wonderful job with their characters, as well as many of the supporting cast. As I grew up in a small town in the South in the 70s and 80s, the film actually captured the mood and setting surprisingly well. I do remember what a big deal the local paper and radio were. I remember going to clubs not unlike the ones portrayed in the film. I remember the local popular bands. Anyway, I don't expect that all the films I like to build off the same formula for success. There are a lot of things I'm sure one could criticize this film for, but I'm grateful for this film and for the way it was made - to have corrected some of the flaws would have altered the mood.

While off to a slow start, "A Slipping Down Life" eases into a intelligent story of how a relationship between a man and a woman soon becomes an experience worth telling. There is depth and insight into the character of Evie (Lili Taylor) and Drumstring Casey (Guy Pearce). They are both strong people in their own different ways. Evie approaches her relationship with Drum in a passionate and caring way. To convince him of her love she does something which most people would find childish and infantile. But no matter. To Evie she has professed her love for Drum in a way no other woman has.The movie takes us through the ups and downs of a relationship and the many influences and events that, if successfully handled, must ensure that the bond between two people will never be injured.Lili Taylor has given us a performance that will not soon be forgotten and Guy Pearce has added a dimension to his character which is a very viable indication of the wonderful actor he is.

"A Slipping Down Life" is better at showing the power of radio and music than explaining the characters inspired by it. Lili Taylor's "Evie Decker" is living in a house filled with the sounds of radio and not much else in her life, as we see in somewhat mocking scenes that duplicate from many movies about small town Southern life from "Last Picture Show" to "Fried Green Tomatoes," etc. Her dad spends his time exploring short wave frequencies ("There's too much damn Spanish in the world!") and she's hooked on the romantic dedications and atmosphere created by WLUV. So it's His Voice that gets to her first, as she hears an interview with a local singer/songwriter trying to establish himself as "Drumstrings Casey" and she's inspired to actually go out to see him at a local club. Guy Pearce perfectly captures the type; while he's singing --quite well-- songs actually written by Canadian Ron Sexsmith, he floored me that his body language of being both sexy and laid-back virtually duplicated rootsy singer/songwriter Chris Whitley from the first time I saw him perform back in '91 for a similarly small audience. So I can certainly relate to "Evie"'s emotionally charged response to him -- but her actions are just plain odd, as she changes from passive guilelessness to exhibitionist stalker. Debut writer/director Toni Kalem (a Jersey girl who is also "Angie Bonpensiero" on "The Sopranos" and can't resist sticking in Bruce Springsteen references here and there) confusingly shifts gears that I don't know if come from the original novel by Anne Tyler as I haven't read it yet. Both characters start getting more sympathetic and complex as they get more co-dependent and much more than just musician and fan, and more intriguing than Keith Carradine with his various groupies in "Nashville." Though some pithy truths do come out, their artistic and emotional viewpoints are inconsistent as they try to find themselves, together and apart, with only hints of psychological explanations, such as "Casey"'s relationship with his mother, a former singer herself, and his hearing local bluesmen. But in maturing you do have to take a few steps back in order to go forward. The conclusion satisfyingly comes together around music and the radio, but is awkward plot-wise. John Hawkes of "Deadwood" is also charming as the band drummer and promotion-seeking manager. Nice range of singer/songwriter music on the soundtrack, but it doesn't reflect the Southern milieu that is so carefully visually established.