Goodbye Lover (1999)

Overlooked and underrated, Goodbye Lover is a tawdry, tasty film noir with a soft spot for its scheming antiheroine. With her platinum Lulu bob, a killer wardrobe, and a Sound of Music fetish that inspires her to "climb every mountain" of bad-girl ambition, Patricia Arquette is perfectly cast as Sandra, the sweet but lethal wife of Jake (Dermot Mulroney), who works in a top-drawer ad agency with his brother Ben (Don Johnson). Weary stud Ben falls prey to simultaneous affairs with Sandra and his devoted secretary (Mary-Louise Parker), and the cynical Detective Pompano (Ellen DeGeneres) unravels the murder-for-insurance plot while her clueless Mormon partner (Ray McKinnon) tries to keep pace. Combining mordant humor and rampant depravity, this deliciously dark comedy starts fast and never lets up, liberating director Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields) from the sobriety of his previous work. The entire cast is great, but it's DeGeneres who makes this a recommended sleeper. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Just okay

I wasn't crazy about this movie. I purchased it because I'm a huge Dermot Mulroney fan. He was okay in this one but not my favorite.
August 3, 2008

The Hills Are Alive ....But Not For Long

Pair a slinky, murderous femme fatale who warbles tunes from "The Sound of Music and a foul-mouthed female cop with an attitude problem and you have the saving graces of the overlooked, underrated 1998 noir thriller "Goodbye Lover". Directed by Roland Joffe, "Goodbye Lover" offers a rather amusing look at a love triangle between a bad, bad girl and two brothers. Married to Jake, the wildly erratic and drunken, younger brother, sexpot Sandra is secretly hot and heavy with the older, successful Ben, and she's got plans that don't bode well for at least one of the boys. Meanwhile, a mysterious serial killer prowls around the fringes of the film, careful not to intrude on the none-too-savory business of our scheming castmembers. When a death eventually does occur, cop Rita Pompano, armed with a loud bark and worse bite, shows up with her Bible-thumping partner. Will she be able to solve the mystery before Sandra finishes the final verse of "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" and more deaths occur? The film takes many (too many?) twists and turns before its unexpected (but satisfying) ending, and, while not a staggering work of genius, it's a lot of fun.

"Medium"s Patricia Arquette is perfectly cast as the seductress, Sandra, and Ellen DeGeneres gives what I think is probably her best movie performance as the contemptuous, acerbic Rita Pompano; Arquette and DeGeneres have a great chemistry that overshadows less successful elements of the plot. Dermot Mulroney makes a believable mess as the difficult Jake, and Don Johnson is amusing as the baffled, aroused Ben. Mary-Louise Parker also does a fine job as Ben's assistant, although I think her role could have been fleshed out more amusingly.

The DVD quality is fine and I had no problems there, but the one complaint I do have is that I ordered this from Amazon, believing it to be a new copy. When I received it, the DVD box looked like it had been used as a 3 year old's tracing station. There were deep grooves all over it and it was pretty beat up--obviously used. That bothered me, especially in light that the product was being presented (I thought) as something new. However, the product itself is entertaining enough to overcome any flaws with the packaging, so I didn't squawk. Although the next time I order something from Amazon, I will expect it to be as advertised. June 9, 2008

Quirky, Dark & Humorous

Patricia Arquette and a budget price were the draw for me to this DVD. What a delight! Roland Jaffe, who has twice been nominated for Best Director Oscars in 1984 for "The Killing Fields" and in 1986 for "The Mission," directs this offbeat humorous thriller. He also directed a film that intrigued me titled Vatel. Arquette has since been nominated for three Golden Globes and two Emmys including an Emmy win for Medium - The Complete First Season. She is fascinating to watch as Sandra. She goes from seductress to victim to crime boss. Her love for the soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" is a wonderfully hysterical gag. The film twists & turns so fast that this moment's good guy is the next scene's heavy. Dermot Mulroney who has been in "Zodiac," Georgia Rule (Widescreen Edition), and Must Love Dogs (Widescreen Edition) plays Sandra's husband Jake who displays emotional instability and often appears inebriated. Don Johnson from TV's classic series "Miami Vice" plays the stable brother Ben who keeps trying to help Jake. He helps -- except for the little tiny affair he's having with his brother's wife. The scene where Arquette pops a pre-recorded disc into the church organ and then proceeds to play Don Johnson's personal organ is as funny as it is inappropriate. Mary-Louise Parker who has been nominated for 4 Golden Globes and won in 2005 for the TV series "Weeds" plays Peggy, Don Johnson's assistant. Ellen DeGeneres was nominated for an Emmy for hosting the Oscars in 2007 and was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her TV series "Ellen." As the world-weary Detective Pompano, she is a wisecracking hard-edged cop who's seen everything two or three times. Ray McKinnon plays her wide-eyed sidekick Rollins. McKinnon's innocent sincerity is so at odds with all the other characters that it works marvelously. McKinnon was in "O Brother Where Art Thou" and won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short titled "The Accountant" in 2001. This film is quirky, dark and humorous. It works so well because of the marvelous cast and Joffe's excellent eye. Enjoy! January 28, 2008

Dale Carnegie It Ain't

I was pleasantly surprised.

Reviews of this 1999 film were hardly complementary. In fact, I cannot even recall its initial release or if it ever reached Worcester, MA (hardly the first time an unusual film failed to make it to the Paris of New England). Nevertheless, have some fun with this underrated work. Roland Joffe, of The Killing Fields fame, takes Double Indemnity, adds 10 pints of sex with more twist and turns than a Monaco Grand Prix and you have Goodbye Lover.

It's also quite funny.

For the Mary-Louise Parker fans out there, not only is she good (again) yet one can see why she accepted this job. It is yet another opportunity for her to explore the complexity of personality and how rarely people are what they appear to be. She fooled me, anyway. Patricia Arquette and Dermot Mulroney also have some fun with this. Actually, Ellen DeGeneres character as a cynical, wisecracking police detective with some rather bad stand-up (with her Mormon sidekick) remain fairly true to themselves. Don Johnson role is small but he's actually quite good as a guy who's clearly up to his nostrils in bad choices. I loved watching him sweat it out.

Definitely worth a second look. Rated R (not for the kiddies, send them to the movies)
December 27, 2007

GOOD TRASHY FUN!

Wow. What a fun, hysterical, crazy, and twisty ride. This film really is below th radar, and it makes no sense why. With this name cast, led by the amazingly talented Arquette, how could you go wrong? I won't even comment on th story, because I want to give nothing away to the mystery and who is double-crossing-who games.
I can say that the music and camera work are great, as well as the costume desing. We get to hang out with some very original characters here, who are very well defined.
So, grab a drink, sit back, and have fun. Arquette's seductively crazed siren will taken you on a fun romp where indeed "image is everything".
Did I mention Arquette plays a real estate agent obssessed with 'The Sound of Music' soundtrack and church? HA! June 6, 2007

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