16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"You have to be able to make music together", March 24, 2005
This review is from: Anything But Love (DVD)
Anything But Love is a surprisingly fresh and lively homage to the big-budget Hollywood musicals of the 1940's and 50's. Full if witty dialogue, and fresh, young actors, the movie is also absolutely gorgeous to look at, and really manages to show off New York at its dreamy, romantic best. And while the film does have some shortcomings, it can certainly be forgiven for these, as Anything But Love reeks of a sweet temperament, and is admirable for its old fashioned romantic portrayal of the suffering that one must go through to find true love. Full of earnestness and sincerity, there's no doubt that the film has been lovingly put together.
The story centers on the life and loves of Modern-day New York City cabaret singer Billie Golden (an extremely talented Isabel Rose, who also co-wrote the script) who lives in a Technicolor, Audrey Hepburn-like world of vintage 50's clothes and enchanting hairstyles. We first meet her when she is singing in a rundown, budget-like airport lounge. She's being accompanied with her daffy pianist (Sean Arbuckle), but they're not having much luck with their act: She does her best to croon through a noisy drinks blender, while aircraft fly overhead, and the audience of seniors snore and cough. Practical proprietor Sal (Victor Argo) decides a DJ might be cheaper and more popular than their old-fashioned act, so he promptly fires them.
Billie's love life is also on the rocks and while she manages to get several auditions - one for a lucrative cruise line job - she never seems to get any work. By night she waits tables at a ritzy French restaurant with her best friend Marcy (Ilana Levine), and catches glimpses of Eartha Kitt performing. Suddenly Sal shuts his lounge down for several weeks to remodel, then offers to rehire Billie if she'll accompany herself. One evening she runs into handsome high school crush Greg Ellenbogen (Cameron Bancroft), now a successful and single lawyer and they both start dating. At the same time, she decides to sign up for piano lessons to brush up on her skills. Her new teacher is Eliot Shepard (Andrew McCarthy).
Eliot shares Billie's passion for music, which Greg regards as an eccentric hobby, and it's not long before their friendly joshing gives way to the dormant attraction that is sparkling just beneath the surface; they're both "singing the same kind of music." Torn between two lovers, Billie finds herself caught between the life she thinks she wants and the dreams she feels she can't live without. How she reconciles these two needs and handles her difficult relationship with Laney (Alix Corey), her irascible widowed mom is the centerpiece of the story. As Billie sings her way through life, she fantasizes about being some kind of Hollywood showgirl and it isn't until she accidentally meets Eartha in her dressing room one night that Billie can finally decide whom she really wants.
There's no doubt that Anything But Love is totally ambitious in content and form, but the film works mainly because of the talents of singer-across Isabel Rose. While not conventionally pretty, she does have cute appeal, combined with an innocence and vitality that is totally endearing. She's also pleasingly unassuming, and she doesn't feel the need, as an authoring presence, to chew up scenery. Andrew McCarthy is also good as her ruffled, manorish piano teacher and their scenes together have a nice, almost quiet intimacy. The film has a fine, polished look from Horacio Marquinez's vividly rich cinematography to Sarah Beers's retro-glam costume design. There's absolutely nothing new or original as far as the story goes, but this hardly matters, as Anything But Love is so cute and genteel, and so absolutely charming that most viewers will walk away completely satisfied. Mike Leonard March 05.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific movie, June 5, 2005
This review is from: Anything But Love (DVD)
This movie is a wonderful, wonderful film. They really don't make movies like this any more. The music, the writing, the acting.... what a beautiful experience. It's one of those movies that I'll want to watch again, and again.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's not sad gray, it's more like sad indigo, May 24, 2008
This review is from: Anything But Love (DVD)
It has been one week since my first viewing of this film, and yet it seems as though
I've always known of it. Being a huge fan of Andrew McCarthy,I bought it with the knowlegde he was in it. Little did I know this film was a gift just waiting to be opened. To give you a brief indication of how in love I am with this film I will tell you that even though I already own it I went to a rental and rented it! For those of you who love the classic film era and the music which inspired it, will LOVE this picture. I do warn you however, once you see it you will be sad, very sad. This is not because of story line but but because of the realization that it is only a movie,and it does have to end. But treat yourself, if only for those two hours of bliss...
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