Customer Reviews

Along for the Ride [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This review refers to the DVD edition of "Along For The Ride"...

You may have already seen this film and not even realize it. When I first viewed it on cable TV it was titled "Forever Lulu". I came across "Along For The Ride" at my local video store and soon discovered it was the same film.

The story is multifaceted. It is dramatic and sad, funny and poignant. The characters are very human, and you can't help getting invovled with their intense and emotional relationships.

There was a time, many years ago when Ben and Lulu(Patrick Swayze/Melanie Griffith) were deeply in love. Their relationship ended though, as Lulu's state of mind became very fragile and a young Ben could not cope. Years later, Lulu, still not entirely well, calls a now married Ben with some shocking news. They have a son, now a teenager, and they must go to him. Ben out of a sense of responsiblity, and guilt at leaving her years before, embarks on a wild ride across country with Lulu.

Ben and his wife Claire(Penelope Ann Miller) though, were still suffering from a tragic loss in their own lives, and all was not right with them.Claire refuses to watch her marriage disintergrate, while Lulu tries to rekindle an old love.Each of the three must deal with their own demons, and with each other, as the relationships bring out the worst and the best of them.

Directed and written by John Kaye, the story and the characters develop nicely as we go "Along For The Ride". In what could have turned out to be like an episode from the Jerry Springer show, this film comes across as a very human look at these relationships and mental illness. Swayze, Griffith and Miller portray these complex characters wonderfully. A great supporting cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Richard Schiff, Annnie Corley, Steven Bauer and a charming cameo by Michael J.Pollard.

The DVD(mine has Third Row Center shown as the studio of release, although it appears to be the same edition as the one here)has a nice picture, in full frame, with good color.The sound is very good.There is a theatrical trailer included.

This is one of those films, you may want to rent first and check it out. I enjoyed it enough to watch it often, but it may not be for everybody. Some scenes(an attempted suicide) may even be a bit disturbing to some. It is rated R for langauge and brief nudity.

Check it out....Laurie

also recommended:
Luzhin Defence (Full Screen Version)

Don't Bother to Knock [VHS]

The Things of Life [Region 2]

This DVD of the cable film from STARZ, Forever Lulu, received terrible reviews but I think it is an extraordinary story of two people, Lulu (Melanie Griffith) and Ben (Patrick Swayze) who shared a summer romance and tragically experience the descent of Lulu (Melanie Griffith) into mental illness. Sixteen years later, escaping from a halfway mental health home, Lulu sneaks away to see Ben and to his surprise tells him about a son he does not know he has. They drive to Wisconsin to see the boy while Ben's wife, Helen (Penelope Ann Miller), threatened by this intrusion into their marriage and unresolved feelings over the death of their young son, follows them to Wisconsin and after an emotional meeting of the three, each struggles to resolve their conflicting feelings and unsettling switches of roles. The three all travel to see the son who initially rejects his new found parents but comes to understand why their relationship happened and why they could not be a family. Finally, Ben and Lulu realize they will always be in love with each other but can only remain a memory. Wonderful performances and a real examination of the discrimination of those with mental illness but the power of Griffith to overcome the stigma, "(to son after he apologizes for calling his mother crazy) I am crazy, it makes it easier that way." This film, while not based on a strong script, works on many levels making you feel the pathos of the relationship between these characters stumbling to deal with their feelings and the circumstances of their lives. The score is worth the price of the DVD, ("Say Goodbye", written by Serge Colbert, Mark Portman & Alan Rich and performed by Lauren Kinkade). Get out a box of Kleenix if you like to drain your sinuses.

The production of this DVD is quite cheap. You find only trailer and the moive, not even subtitles. Yet, the story is quite touchy. It may spare you a tear at the end of the film. Both Patrick Swayze and Melanie Griffith gives their great performing. Overall the movie is very heartwarming, much better than I expected.

Hello everyone... my name is Lauren Kinkade, and I was the singer you heard on the end credit song "Say Goodbye". Thank you all for your kind words!! "Say Goodbye" is a great song, and hopefully someday, it will be released. But as of right now, the only place you will find it is on the DVD or VHS.

Thanks again everyone!

Don't expect a lot from this DVD, it offers just two buttons for you to touch: "View trailer" and "Play movie". No scene access, no special features. Yea, that's sad. But the film itself makes up to what's missing on the DVD. Melanie Griffith gives a superb performance as a schizophrenic ex-girlfriend and distressed mother. You'll love the nostalgic scene of her and Patrick Swayze, from different corners of the world, watching "The Hustler" on TV and getting lost in their memories. And the fabulous musical score is definitely some "bonus material" to this romantic drama -- especially the last song ("Say Goodbye", written by Serge Colbert, Mark Portman & Alan Rich and performed by Lauren Kinkade). That melody, along with Griffith's childlike smile, will surely capture your heart.

A good storyline. Melanie Griffith is believable as LuLu. Penelope Ann Miller's character, Clare, needed to be developed a bit more. Patrick Swayze is just darned okay by me.
A complaint: I can't find the music anywhere. Any hints?

The cast is really wonderful -- especially Melanie Griffith and Penelope Ann Miller. But Patrick Swayze hitting the road for a 2000 mile road trip with a very unstable ex-girlfriend (Griffith) to see the son he never had was so forced and almost laughable the way it was handled. To up and leave his wife (Miller) stranded at a restaurant that way was not at all believeable. That's the fault of the script, not the actors. It just wasn't thought out enough. There's a really touching scene in the airplane between Miller and Steven Bauer (one of Griffith's real-life exs) that was award worthy. Unfortunately, this movie would never have made 20 bucks had it been released in theatres. You're better off with a DVD. And yes, the song is really, really beautiful. Wish I could find this on CD.

I have to admit I have never seen or heard of this movie when it first came out.....I was in my kitchen washing dishes this weekend where i get just one channel in the kitchen....And this was on...It was in the middle of the film,and I had to watch to the end...

My only problem would be the portrayal of the birth mother..I am a a birthmother married to the birth father...The media, movies and tv constantly portray us in a bad light...But looking past that the feelings and emotionals where right on in this movie...I was crying so hard at the end...My daughter came in and held me...

My son has expressed the same emotions as the young boy.It was so great I have to buy and watch with my husband......The rollercoster ride is so true....The feelings in a reunion as so great..The greatest fear and love you could ever experience...

Tearful and melodramatic plot that it focuses in the attempts of a mother in search of her son, sixteen years after she was born. His biological father never knew she was pregnant and because of the fact they were simple lovers, he married with a therapist and suddenly, she reappears -coming from san Francisco to Chicago - in his life in search of his support to find him.

Uneven and even predictable script where Patrick Swayze shines with intensity.

When I first saw this movie for rent, I initially pitied Melanie Griffith as seemingly her movies are now at the "straight-to-video" status. However, being an admitted fan of the lady, I rented it and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the production is not great, but the acting by Griffith and Penelope Ann Miller is very good. (Swayze seemed to have been trying too hard.)
An interesting aside is that Griffith's character in SOMETHING WILD, an excellent film, was also named Lulu. Therefore, I think of it as a sort of continuation of her story...