A Brilliant Conflict

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

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

I'm not a country western music fan at all, but I am a huge fan of director Peter Bogdanovich. My affection for Bogdanovich extends beyond his work as a filmmaker, going back to his is days as a writer in the 1960s when he took the time to interview Hollywood directors such as John Ford, Howard Hawks, or Allan Dwan; filmmakers who were nearing the end of their prolific careers and considered talented journeymen filmmakers suited to producing mere entertainment. Bogdanovich helped bring legitimacy to these filmmakers as artists and as having a unique point of view. What I love about Bogdanovich as a filmmaker is that he brings a classic Hollywood sensibility to his films. His approach to filmmaking is clearly influenced by his love of classic film and by his conversations with all of these talented early pioneers of cinema. To "The Thing Called Love" in particular, it tells the story of a group of country music musicians, River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney, and Sandra Bullock, hoping to get their big break in Nashville. A bit of a love triangle occurs between lead characters, Mathis, Phoenix, and Mulroney, in a way that echo's many films of Howard Hawks, which Bogdanovich is quick to pick-up on. More than the story or the performances (which are good all around), I think I like most how Bogdanovich frames his shots. He shoots his film in a way that looks like old Hollywood. I don't know if the film would look all that different to the casual viewer, but he frames his shots in a way that you could see Hedy Lamar or Cary Grant being shot, which is terrific fun for cinephiles. Overall, as a tale of young folks trying to make it big and learning life lessons that eventually inform their songs and make them better musicians, it's a entertaining enough of a film, even if it falters at times, but watching the film as a heir to old Hollywood, "The Thing Called Love" is a is a real treat.

The Thing Called Love (1993)Whatever happened to Peter Bogdanovich? He directed several really deeply felt, nostalgia filled, honest films in the late 60s early 70s. But he had some duds, too, and that seems to be his long term groove, as if he was more comfortable loving movies (he's a buff, an historian, an insider critic) than making them. This one has the stuff for a heart-tugging drama filled with Americana, but it is slow, downright clumsy at times, and improbable.The latter is fine, of course--it's a fiction movie--but it wants to seem real, too, not fantastic. It depends too much on pretty people, so that's false, but these pretty people are trying to make it in Nashville as singer-songwriters, which is a fantasy after all, so who knows? The marriage in the mini-super market is pretty great, I have to admit.What works best, oddly enough (but no surprise), is Sandra Bullock, who plays her part with conviction. The music is supposed to be amateur and downright bad, but it's not bad enough to laugh at (and not good enough to enjoy). A bad spot in the middle. But then there's River Phoenix. Who knew he could actually play? Ah, but some plot is in order, something beyond the obvious. It's supposed to be a dream come true or something, but it just holds no water. If you love country music, there's something here, the general scene, the background, but that's not enough.

Love this film and have since I first saw it back when River Phoenix was still alive. The cast is really excellent and they have very good chemistry together. The music is great and watching the cast perform the songs is one of the best parts of the movie. The consensus on here is that River Phoenix was not at his best in this movie and may even have been the weak link in the cast. I disagree. River Phoenix steals every single scene he is in and I doubt anyone would argue against this. He simply owns this movie. He is by far the most charismatic person on the screen and his singing is on a whole other level then the rest of cast. He plays a character on his way to becoming a star and plays it in a really believable and great way as long as you remember that his character is not like everyone else, he is special, just like River himself was.

This is my all-time favorite movie, mostly because a majority of the scenes were shot on location in Nashville, my hometown. Though the area has changed in the last ten years, the "down-home" feel portrayed in the movie is still very much alive and well. That being said, I've given it a "10," but I'm aware that my opinion is a little biased, and others probably wouldn't rank it so highly.But honestly, it's a bunch of different stories all rolled into one. There's the love story, the "true friends" story and a "discovering yourself" story.. and though it does run a little long (over two hours, I think) you'll get caught up in the characters and their struggles. My boyfriend calls it "the white trash movie" and many people may have that opinion, but I love it because it's such an accurate depiction of Nashville in the 90's.. everyone was headed here to make it in the music business. Some did, most didn't. And that was just life.. this movie does a great job of presenting a "real life" feel to this wonderful city in that time frame. And I love every minute of it. Hopefully, you will, too.