As Good As It Gets

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

I understand that this movie was made in a time where life was not running at a pace as fast as it is now; but even with this in mind it is just boring.especially the director's obsession with blue eyes staring out of frozen faces in closeup is getting pretty annoying after some time. cut out all these "blue eyes staring" scenes and the length would probably get down to about 1.5 hours (instead of the actual 2 hours), making it more bearable.also most of the dialogs are just unsatisfying and simple.not being from brasil I don't get the point about xuxa, but her beauty and nakedness (together vera fischer and with all the other nude girls) at least accounts for a few points in my rating.

In the present days of 1982, Hugo (Walter Foster) visits a beautiful manor, remembering his childhood. Some fifty years ago, that place was a famous brothel, visited by very important persons. His mother Anna (Vera Fischer, one of the most beautiful Brazilian actresses) works in the whorehouse, and he is raised by his grandmother. However, she sends Hugo to spend a couple of days with his mother to press Anna to increase the allowance she sends to raise her son. The blonde, beautiful and young whore Tamara (the Brazilian pop-star XUXA) has just arrived from the South of Brazil specially to serve an important politician. Anna seduces Hugo and with her, he has his first sexual intercourse that marks him forever.This stylish movie of Walter Hugo Khouri has a beautiful photography and a nice coming of age story of lost of innocence with the first sexual experience of a boy through the memories of an old man. However, it is also very ironical that the whore who seduced Hugo is nowadays one of the most famous Brazilian pop-star. In the 80's, Xuxa became famous posing nude for male magazines (such as 'Ele & Ela' and 'Playboy'). Then, after an affair with the black soccer player Pelé, she became the host of a show for children in Manchete TV. She was very successful in her new career, and became a symbol for the children. Inclusive she has shows in some American Cable TV. Then, in accordance with the rumors and the urban legends, she would have gone to the court, bought the rights of this film and most of the copies available in the market and this movie became forbidden for Brazilians. The fact is that my VHS is very rare, and if it is true, I regret the lack of opportunity for the new generations of cinema lovers, who probably will not have the chance to watch this film. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Amor Estranho Amor" ("Love Strange Love")Note: On 08 May 2010, the Cinearte Filmes unsuccessfully tried to distribute this film. Therefore it is true that Xuxa has forbidden the distribution of "Amor Estranho Amor" trying to hide the truth about her origins.

This movie could be only another erotic brazilian 80's movie. But the presence of Xuxa, the famous popstar, made it a very special one. There is a rumor that when Xuxa fans found out this movie, she went to court in order to forbid it. I don't know if it is real, but I should say that the tapes disappeared...They're very rare nowadays. The scenes could make a scandal with Xuxa's reputation, but she solved it very well. She is currently in a TV Programme presenting fairy tales to young kids. Compare it to the scenes of the movie, specifically the ones she is "acting" with kids...

Not expecting anything deep, I enjoyed this movie as something to relax with. While there was plenty of gratuitous nudity, there was enough of a plot and interesting characters to keep me interested. My favorite scene was Xuxa's striptease.