Customer Reviews

I Love Your Work

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Oh joy. Another movie about how tough it is to be famous, rich and liked.

Actor/director Adam Goldberg's "I Love Your Work" attempts to tackle that subject, but the "poor little rich actor" storyline merely ends up feeling self-indulgent and whiny. Several of the actors are talented, but most of them -- except for star Giovanni Ribisi -- are misused.

Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi) is famous, rich and miserable. He married Mia (Franka Potente) after seeing her in a French film, but their marriage is crumbling because he thinks she's cheating with Elvis Costello, who is friendly with Mia. Distraught, Gray ends up in a video store, where he becomes fascinated with a young video store clerk (Joshua Jackson) and his loving girlfriend (Marisa Coughlan).

As his sanity begins to crumble, Gray stalks the couple, and starts to have visions of an ex-girlfriend (Christina Ricci) who reminds him of a happier time. He begins to reimagine his past, pre-fame life through the clerk and girlfriend, and soon the world of sanity is beginning to fade away.

Perhaps this movie would be more palatable if it hadn't been done by an actor. In the hands of someone like Wes Anderson, this movie would have been brilliant, dark and understatedly satirical. From Goldberg, it just seems self-indulgent. It has nothing new to say, and it doesn't add any sparkle to the old stuff.

And while Goldberg tries hard to make this a dark satire, he takes his Big Message too seriously. It starts off well, with Gray teetering on the edge of insanity, and imagining that everybody is watching, touching and pursuing him. For a short time, it has the elements of a lightweight Fellini movie.

But after the first half hour, Goldberg goes wild with the camera tricks and the plot. He's trying so hard to be arty and insightful, that he ends up almost making the film a parody of itself. And not a good parody either. It aspires to be a bizarre, surrealist experience like "Mulholland Drive." But it's too unfocused and self-conscious to even come close.

It doesn't help that Gray is not somebody we're going to care about. He's egotistical, self-absorbed, suspicious and whiny. And for all his complaints about his terrible life, it never seems to cross his mind to do the obvious thing. Quit acting. Retreat from the limelight. Maybe he secretly likes complaining.

Ribisi is definitely the center of the film, and his turn as a crazed movie star is wonderfully unsettling. Yes, it really is that weird, even though Gray is such an annoying character. Potente isn't required to do much more than sit there and look glamorous, but Ricci is brilliant in her small role as Gray's nebulous ex.

If you want to see navel-gazing, then "I Love Your Work" might be the ticket. But for anyone looking for clever, ingenious, entertaining filmmaking, look for someone else's work to love.

This movie is to film and celebrity what watching a colonoscopy is to medicine. We all want good medicine, but some things are best left unwatched. Somewhat quirky and interesting at first, this movie turns into a redundant and confused two-by-four in the back of the head, an unflinching look at one sad hollywood story of a twitchy drunk with a serious inferiority complex complicated by delusions of non-grandeur in full melt-down. Giovani Ribisi is not at his "Boiler Room" best as this annoying self-loather who can get into all the best bars but can't get in with his wife or over his old girlfriend, who he hated for being between him and fame anyway, which now makes him so touchy. By the end I was so glad to see it end, at least I felt better about my life. For a better look at the celebrity/movie industry madness thing try "Swimming with Sharks" and "The Player". At least they did not forget to entertain the viewer by trying to be conceptual art first. This movie is a disturbed over-reaching conceptual masturbatory bummer. If you use the word "film" a lot instead of "movie", maybe you'll like it.

I really don't know about this one. It started out really interesting but just fell off in the end. It was really wierd, because I really went from one end of the spectrum to the other. I really like it to I really don't? After a while it kinda got all artsy and confusing. Maybe it was suppose to , but I think that the guy making this film wanted you to think too much. Could have been alot better if it explained more. It was alright.

Clocking in at just under two hours, I LOVE YOUR WORK leaves the viewer feeling as though from the opening sequence that stones have been tied to your feet and your body thrown into the very deep and dank water to slowly settle into the mud at the bottom. Sound dreary? Then avoid this little mess of a film.

It is hard to believe that Adrian Butchart who is giving us the radiant GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS trilogy could help write this script: one wonders if writer/director Adam Goldberg didn't just bring him in for help. The story is tired (small time guy gives up love for a career as a movie star with all the accessories of money, fame, celeb status, gorgeous wife, etc. only to find life in its simpler fashion was preferable) and the choices of casting this very dark and dreary tale are inappropriate. Giovanni Ribisi, superb an actor though he most assuredly is, simply is not credible as a movie star sex symbol whose stardom is accompanied by alcoholism, self hate, paranoia, fragmented thinking, and bad decisions. The only time we see anything vaguely suggestive of his ability to create a role is in the many flashback scenes (with girlfriend Christina Ricci): his on screen chemistry with his famous wife Mia (the enormously talented Franka Potente who here is wasted in a mannequin's role) is nil, and his interplay with such actors as Vince Vaughn, Marisa Coughlan, Judy Greer, Shalom Harlow, Joshua Jackson, Jason Lee, and Elvis Costello is unilateral.

Goldberg films this boring redundant tale using all manner of artsy camera tricks that only serve to make the tedium increase. With a cast like this the product had promise. Goldberg needs some time to think about this phase of his career. Grady Harp, November 06

This film is too long, getting bogged down in confusing and complex jumpy scenes.
The first third of the movie was nearly impossibe to hear, and the closed caption so fast that I had to continually press pause to study the dialogue. Why the cough? It seemed to play a prominent role, but led to nothing. The cover on the DVD is misleading. I kept watching even though it was tedious, because I thought there would be a thriller ending with a murder. I long suspected a dumb ending and it certainly was.

not an easy film to watch... but fascinating.

ribisi is riveting in every scene, and the camera work and production design are first rate.

the layering of plots and points of view is a wild ride, and sets up the audience for the dissolution of the main character's personality.

the complex psychological underpinnings of the story make it a bit effortful, but the overall effect is worth the effort.

not your standard date movie.

If you love cinema that pushes the envelope, then I Love Your Work may be what you are looking for. That is, if this is the kind of movie you are looking for and if you are ready. This is not an *accessible* movie, and the plot serves only as a backdrop for the real story: the inner-workings of an alienated, paranoid and crumbling mind. For those that appreciate the psychological in film, this movie is a treasure trove. I think anybody who truly appreciates, studies and aspires to great acting can also learn much from Mr. Ribisi's performance here.

Some people have focused on the plot of this picture and come away with the impression that this is a *woe is me* tale about the grips of celebrity. I see this movie more as a character study of a very needy and praise-dependant introvert who is losing his grip on reality. The fact that the main character is a famous actor is useful in providing a personality type which can be vulnerable to needing the approval and praise of others. Indeed, not all actors have this need, certainly not to the debilitating level of Ribisi's character here. But the need for admiration and approval is something that is probably bigger for actors, and definitely something the rest of the world can relate to.

Granted this film is not for the general public. This is not meant to be watched for surface level entertainment, nor is it meant to be structured like the traditional story many people often expect. To portray the stream of consciousness of somebody's fractured mind on film is a very difficult thing to do. It does not lend itself to traditional plot structure and scene sequences.

Much of what we see on screen is indeed happening inside of the central character's mind after all. Some of it is happening in his memory and some of it is a complete fabrication of his imagination. The complex interconnections between past and present, fantasy and reality require careful study and continued viewing. Those making snap assessments are likely to miss what is happening beneath the surface.

A central theme in this movie revolves around Ribisi's relationship with an aspiring film-maker and his girlfriend. At first he is flattered by the filmmaker, played well by Joshua Jackson. But he begins to identify with his girlfriend as the girl he left behind when he became famous. As he spirals deeper into his fantasy world, he begins to crave her desire and approval. Indeed, he longs for the simple life and real love that they share and he feels he has lost, despite his marriage to the actress that was the object of his affection before he hit the big time. He also acts in increasingly unhealthy ways as he loses his grip on reality. The results are disasterous.

I really loved the casting of this movie for the most part. The only minor critique I can offer is that the way the script was written didn't allow all of the supporting cast to flex their acting muscles. Still, they are used well even if not to their full potential. I would not critique the disjointed plot nor the slow moving sequences because I believe that both of those aspects of the film are central to the psychological descent they were trying to portray.

If you are looking for a traditional story with an easy to digest plot, this is not for you. But if you are intrigued by the psychological aspects of acting and how various manias are played out on screen, give this movie some time. If you love great acting, there is a lot to learn here.

Enjoy.

Oh joy. Another movie about how horrifying it is to be famous, rich and liked.

Actor/director Adam Goldberg's "I Love Your Work" attempts to tackle that subject, but the "poor little rich actor" storyline merely ends up feeling self-indulgent and whiny. Several of the actors are talented, but most of them -- except for star Giovanni Ribisi -- are misused.

Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi) is famous, rich and miserable. He married Mia (Franka Potente) after seeing her in a French film, but their marriage is crumbling because he thinks she's cheating with Elvis Costello, who is friendly with Mia. Distraught, Gray ends up in a video store, where he becomes fascinated with a young video store clerk (Joshua Jackson) and his loving girlfriend (Marisa Coughlan).

As his sanity begins to crumble, Gray stalks the couple, and starts to have visions of an ex-girlfriend (Christina Ricci) who reminds him of a happier time. He begins to reimagine his past, pre-fame life through the clerk and girlfriend, and soon the world of sanity is beginning to fade away.

Perhaps this movie would be more palatable if it hadn't been done by an actor. In the hands of someone like Wes Anderson, this movie would have been brilliant, dark and understatedly satirical. From Goldberg, it just seems self-indulgent, boo hoo poor little me. It has nothing new to say, and it doesn't add any sparkle to the old stuff.

And while Goldberg tries hard to make this a dark satire, he takes his Big Message too seriously. It starts off well, with Gray teetering on the edge of insanity, and imagining that everybody is watching, touching and pursuing him. For a short time, it has the elements of a lightweight Fellini movie.

But after the first half hour, Goldberg goes wild with the camera tricks and the plot. He's trying so hard to be arty and insightful, that he ends up almost making the film a parody of itself. And not a good parody either. It aspires to be a bizarre, surrealist experience like "Mulholland Drive." But it's too unfocused and self-conscious to even come close.

It doesn't help that Gray is not somebody we're going to care about. He's egotistical, self-absorbed, suspicious and whiny. And for all his complaints about his terrible life, it never seems to cross his mind to do the obvious thing. Quit acting. Retreat from the limelight. Maybe he secretly likes complaining.

Ribisi is definitely the center of the film, and his turn as a crazed movie star is wonderfully unsettling. Yes, it really is that weird, even though Gray is such an annoying character. Potente isn't required to do much more than sit there and look glamorous, but Ricci is brilliant in her small role as Gray's nebulous ex.

If you want to see self-indulgent navel-gazing, then "I Love Your Work" might be the ticket. But for anyone looking for clever, ingenious, entertaining filmmaking, look for someone else's work to love.

I absolutely LOVED "I Love Your Work!" Well written, terrific characters and expertly directed. Adam Goldberg surprises again with this gritty, dark story. Worth a viewing if you like Ribisi, Goldberg, Ricci or Franka Potente. Some of the best stuff you'll ever see any of them do.

This was one of the best movie I've seen all year. Guliana Rabissi (sp?) is PHENOMINAL. People giving this movie low ratings must not understand the complex, multi-demintional plot. The acting is excellent, the cinematography is capticating. I rarely purchase DVD's, but I bought this one because of how much it touched me. It's a remarkable piece of art.