The old saying goes, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," and if that's true, screenwriter turned director Richard LaGravenese must love the hit TV show, "Ally McBeal." Either that, or he curses it for the case of bad timing with the release of his first film, especially since the similarities between the two fantasy laden, angst ridden, romantic dramas are striking.
Like "McBeal," this film's protagonist -- the recently divorced Judith, marvelously played with zeal by Holly Hunter -- is a lonely woman whose worries and fears concerning her solitude, lack of romance, and the overall state of the world drive her crazy. Similarly, she also suffers from an overactive id that would not only make Dr. Freud proud, but which also manifests itself in humorous fantasies scattered throughout the production.
Despite the "theft," borrowing, or sheer coincidental timing, the film still manages to feel fresh despite its similarities to "McBeal." While such fantasy moments are obviously the film's highlights and clear crowd pleasers, the strong performances, stemming from LaGravenese's finely tuned and well-written characters, are what really make the film work.
Reportedly "inspired" by two short stories from Anton Chekhov, LaGravenese's screenplay might not be long on story -- and ultimately never really resolves anything -- but the characters ring true, the humor is dry and witty, and most importantly, the film is easy and always enjoyable to watch.
That shouldn't come as a surprise since LaGravenese's previous writing efforts -- the script for "The Fisher King" (for which he earned an Oscar nomination) and his adaptions of "The Bridges of Madison County" and "Beloved" among others -- all feature strong characters and interesting and successfully executed stories despite their often slow moving plots.
Bucking the trend of making high concept films with flimsy, cardboard characters, the writer/director delivers realistic, flesh and blood creations that manage to carry the film simply due to our immediate and sustained interest in them.
Of course, you need decent performers to inhabit those roles, and like LaGravenese's other works, this film doesn't fail in that regard. In the central role, Holly Hunter ("The Piano," "Broadcast News") is an absolute delight. I've always enjoyed her performances throughout her career and this one ranks up there with her best.
While it's obvious to compare her to Calista Flockhart as Ally McBeal, the characters, while similar, have enough differences to enjoy both on different levels. Hunter easily segues from romance to pathos, and with bits of humor thrown in for good measure, she not only makes the character her own, but also immediately draws the audience's sympathy.
Like Hunter, Danny DeVito ("Ruthless People," "Get Shorty") always manages to create interesting and enjoyable characters, and this role is no exception. Playing the lonely, "sad sack" persona that he honed while showing the rare, vulnerable side of his normally caustic Louie De Palma character on TV's "Taxi," DeVito similarly wins the audience's empathy with his winning performance.
Despite playing a more substantial, but similarly based character as Vonda Shepard plays on "McBeal" (the singer at the club where the protagonists hang out), Queen Latifah delivers her finest screen performance to date. Jettisoning the tough lady persona she's often played in the past (such as in "Set It Off"), Latifah is quite good in her more subdued, blues singing role. With such a good performance, one hopes she'll play more roles like this one.
Beyond the film's often slow pace and lack of a complete (and customary) romantic resolution, some viewers and critics may have a problem with the film's fantasy elements. Beyond their obvious similarities to those in "McBeal," they're occasionally not as clear cut here, and often leave the audience wondering whether they really happened or not.
I personally found that part appealing, but only wished that more of them -- such as the funny scene where Hunter watches a report of her own suicide leap on the news, and a fabulously constructed dance number -- would have been placed throughout the movie. While their relatively sparse occurrences don't hurt the film, a few more of them certainly would have given the production a bit more zest.
Quirky and dryly funny, and featuring solid performances from its leads, "Living Out Loud" may not appeal to everyone and might be a bit slow for others, but it's a decent first outing by LaGravenese. We found it enjoyable and thus give the film a 7 out of 10.
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