Customer Reviews

Love and Other Disasters

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Love and Other Disasters is a film that very few people even know about. I happened to catch it, maybe 4 years ago as part of the Toronto International Film Fesival, when it was one of the movies showing that year. I saw it with two friends and we all enjoyed it very much! It's light...it's funny...it's cute...a great date movie...and has something for all adults, gay and straight alike (as it has a slight gay element) who like a good romantic comedy. After we saw it.... we never heard another thing about it. It never apparently found a distributor, and never was shown in theaters, to my knowledge. About three years later...it appeared on DVD. I have owned a copy since it came out on DVD and we had one of our "Movie nights" at our home with 8 or 9 friends over, and everyone enjoyed it a lot!

What amazes me in the movie business is all of the total garbage movies that get made and shown in theaters every week..... bad, awful, poorly made and poorly acted films that should never even be produced.... and then there are movies like "Love and Other Disaster" that are well-made, with good acting, and they never see the light of day.

It was such a shame when young and vivacious Brittany Murphy died in December 2009 at age 32, depriving the film world of her sunny countenance. Along with the biopic of rapper Eminem, 8 Mile -- 8 Mile (Widescreen Edition) -- this was my favorite Brittany Murphy film.

A few words of disclosure are necessary about this film. "Love and Other Disasters" is a romantic comedy set in London. There is not one original idea in the script and just about every movie cliche to be found in romantic comedies is in this movie to wit:
-- Murphy is a fashion designer with a mixed up love life.
-- She befriends a gay photographer (who is actually not gay) that loves her.
-- There are several other gay male characters in the film with mixed up love lives.
-- In fact, all the characters in the film have a mixed up love life.
-- All the actors are employed in the arts -- once writes a screeplay called "Love and Other Disasters."
-- The film appears to be heading to tragedy but has a wonderful, happy ending.
-- The movie ends by having the action in the film made into a movie.

Having made these disclosures, I will say I adore this movie. This is such a warm film, so full of good spirits and love, that it transcends all these cliches to be not only good entertainment but a memorable film experience. The chemistry between Jacks (Murphy) and Paolo (Santiago Cabrera) is natural, unforced and credible. Almost all the actors are likeable, you root for them, and you want their love to succeed. And it does.

I can't think of a romantic comedy I've seen in recent years that I enjoy as much as this 2006 production. It's better than "Four Weddings And A Funeral" Four Weddings and a Funeral to which I think it compares very well. This is a sexy, delightful, easy on the eye and mind film that breezes through its 100 minutes and leaves you satisfied. If you're in the mood for mindless entertainment with a big warmth factor, this movie is for you.

Whatever your taste in good movies, you will like at least some parts, if not all, of this movie. Even if you find it hard to embrace this movie, you will find it even harder to dislike it.

At the risk of being controversial, I will rate this movie above multi-threaded ensemble movies like "Love Actually", "Crash", "Valentine's Day" and "New York, I Love You". The surprise is in a singular actress carrying the entire movie, supported by a cast of relatively unknown but competent actors.

As I am writing this review, James Taylor is coming on "live" at the Oscar presentation (this is Oscar night, 7th March in the USA) with Brittany Murphy being remembered on screeen, and her image reprised at the end of Taylor's solo "In My Life". We will never know if she would earn an Oscar one day, but from her performance in this movie, it is not possible to rule out her future potential. I have watched "Ramen Girl", "Uptown Girls" and the Futurama with Brittany's voice, and I went on a binge of Brittany Murphy's movies like "Little Black Book" after I got the news that no more movies would be made by this great actress. This movie was among the prominent ones recommended by Amazon when keying in the actress' name. The movie surprises at many levels.

From earlier reviews I gathered that the plot was going to less straightforward than "Ramen Girl" or "Uptown Girls". Without going into the story line, I like this movie because:

1. The acting was serious, focused and well directed. I cannot think of another actress who could have been better cast in the main role. The British accents all round were from good character thespians.

2. The cinematography was good. There were refreshing camera angles of contemporary London. The Houses of Parliament framed by the London Eye (across the river) was one such unexpected view.

3. The colours were bright. Like on picture post-cards. The indoor shots were unusually bright and colourful. No dim "Memoirs of a Geisha" artwork requiring Night Vision Goggles here. Brittany Murphy's fully nude body in a kitchen scene(strategically covered by a copy of "The Naked Chef") was boldly illuminated. Refreshing to see the details of English interior furnishing instead of the usual American home interiors.

4. For an adult movie, there was relatively little swearing. Then there is a sensible plot. It is fun, but does not sit well as a chick-flick. Nobody picks up a movie like this to feel depressed at the end. Best watched together with close friend(s): beer/alcohol optional, not a necessity. For morbid, pick up "Deadline" or "Dead Girl".

Brittany Murphy does a good "damsel in distress" with pleading doe-like eyes, as in "Ramen Girl". This appears be a recurring pattern in her movies. Well, if you are good at something, keep doing it - Denzel Washington does a good "Don't lie to me", Tom Hanks replayed "stupid" in "You've Got Mail" and Julia Roberts does a good petulant temper tantrum in "Pretty Woman", "Pelican Brief", "Erin Brockovich" and so on. I thought that Brittany's waif-like begging was similarly getting to be one of her acting trade-marks.

I am glad to have experienced this movie.

An offbeat comedy treat that will entertain some viewers and annoy others. There are some enjoyable humorous scenes and some touching romantic moments but this movie is not for everyone.

Brittany Murphy's performance is pretty good, but Matthew Rhys seems to shine more brightly in this talented but quirky ensemble cast. The chemistry between Brittany and Santiago Cabrera, while leading to a predictable outcome, is endearing and at times downright funny.

Give this one a chance and you might be pleasantly surprised.

In a genre littered with hundreds of samey quickly-forgotten offerings of mediocre quality, this one differentiates itself surprisingly well. The story is older than Shakespeare: girl meets boy, boy likes girl, but the inevitable misunderstandings contrive to keep them apart until the end. Nothing new, but what raises "Love" from the crowd is both its shameless tongue-in-cheek manner and its distinctly British sensibility - as present in some scathingly hilarious dialogue. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, certainly, but if you're a fan of British (or just plan snarky) humour, and you enjoy movies that don't take themselves seriously, I can't recommend this one to you enough.

It's sad to say that it was Brittany Murphy's untimely death that put me on to this movie. I thought at the time "I've never heard of her and she's being called a great/good actress". So I checked out a few of her movies. This was the best although "Ramen Girl" had a certain offbeat charm and a great location (Tokyo).

Why I like this movie?
- great iconic London settings
- great wardrobe
- the irrepressible Brittany
- brilliant cast: the casting director deserves a prize - from the drop dead gorgeous male lead to the others. All more or less well-known accomplished romantic comedy actors (despite a previous reviewer's comments).

Brittany's character and commitment to acting shine through. Yes, she was very talented and also underrated. So sad I only discovered her after her death.

Incidentally, the extras / interviews are also interesting.

Good movie..Its cute,funny and a good chick flick...I like Brittany Murphy so thats why I wanted to buy this movie and was happy that I did...Its a all around nice movie...

I was just looking for something to play on the background while finishing some work on my computer and had the luck to find this movie, and in two minutes I was just enjoying it and forgetting all that I had to do. Totally refreshing, light and funny, perfect to end a stressing day.

Love and Other Disasters starts off slow and takes about three-quarters of an hour (out of 1.5 hours total) to really develop. Some of the earlier scenes are just abysmal. So be patient. Essentially, a desperate single woman tries to set a photographer up with her gay roommate, but the photographer is actually straight. On its face, Love and Other Disasters is just like any other typical romantic comedy; you have the helpless protagonist, the "white knight" suitor, the misunderstanding, and the dramatic reconciliation. However, this movie knowingly toys around with the archetype and pokes fun at cliches in the genre. And it manages to do all of this without losing the rhythm and emotional vibe of an actual romantic comedy. I'd have given the movie a slightly higher ranking if it managed to catch the viewers interest quicker and developing the actual plot more (in retrospect, the actual courtship seems to happen overnight).

A quirkly, sexy, and likeable heroine, a little sexual confusion, hunks both gay and straight, a happy ending for everyone...What more can you ask for in a romantic comedy? I loved this little movie when I first caught it on cable and so purchased it for my sister. I was looking forward to keeping track of Brittany Murphy, who gave a lovely performance, so I was especially sad to hear of her own unhappy ending.