Customer Reviews

Mr. Jealousy

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

 

 

I have to confess that I am a fan of Chris Eigeman. So, I have worked my way through all of the movies that I know he has been in. Luckily, he is always in good movies!

Mr Jealousy is about one man's (Eric Stoltz) obsession with wanting to know everything about his girlfriend's (Annabella Sciorra) past. This leads him to a therapy group, which just happens to be attended by his girlfriend's ex (Chris Eigeman). The problems that occur are funny and sad at the same time.

Noah Baumbach's film is funny and subtle. All the actors are well suited to the script, and Chris Eigeman shines (as usual). It is interesting to see Eigeman in this role, as he is not so sarcastic as he has been in previous roles. I think that his talent as an actor is really highlighted in this film.

This film is another one that you do need to listen to in order to get the most out of it. You can't just put it on in the background and expect to love it. It is, however, an easy film to watch.

This is just the kind of film to watch with a group of like minded friends who enjoy talking about a movie after watching it. Or do as I did, and put on the video and watch it snuggled up in a comfy chair with a coffee...

I loved this movie, and for some reason didn't see it when it first came out. My girlfriend made me watch it which is kind of a bad sign but I think for all the right reasons. Great acting and music, it's funny and kind of sadly weird too. I'd never heard of it, but now I'm showing it to my friends.

When I first saw Kicking and Screaming, I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it. I didn't think it would stay with me and endear itself more and more with each viewing, but it did. When I heard that Noah Baumbach was making a new film- I had to see it right away. I was not dissapointed. Mr. Jealousy is a great comedy with many hilarious and pensive moments. Baumbach has a great little troop of actors that he works with-these include Eric Stoltz, Chris Eigeman, and the amazing Carlos Jacott(played Otis in Kicking). Baumbach weaves a very enjoyable, neuroitically comic story where a jealous man invades his current girlfriend's ex-boyfriend's group therapy. It gets funnier from there. I love this film and find that films from a guy like Noah Baumbach or Wes Anderson are of the kind that define a person's sense of humor. Everyone that I am close to loves films like these and I find that comforting. Buy it now!!

While Mr. Jealousy hinges on the darker side of relationships than did Noah Baumbach's first feature, Kicking and Screaming, it's still a smartly stylized romantic comedy you're not likely to find at the top of the box office--but that's usually a good thing. In the tradition of Woody Allen and Jean Renoir (catch the Rules of the Game reference at the beginning of the film), Baumbach has crafted a neurotic, idiosyncratic love story, that, unlike Allen especially, seems to recover from its human folly with a somewhat optimistic ending. You're liable to laugh out loud at all of Carlos Jacott's (the real Vince's) scenes, as he pretty much reprises his role from Kicking and Screaming as a vulnerable yet loveable goofball--his moments in group therapy alone are worth seeing the flick.

Before I saw anything else, let it be known that if you watch films ONLY for entertainment, skip this movie. You won't have the patience for it.

With that said, let's talk about this movie.

First off, its great! Great acting, great script, even nice camera work.

However, this film is not for everyone.

If you're already an indie fan, I think you'll enjoy this movie right off the bat. But if you're not used to indie films, it has to grow on you.

This is the type of movie thats not quite a comedy, not quite a drama. It has funny momments, but if you expect funny momments every ten minutes you'll be disapointed.

If you like offbeat, non mainstream movies, I think you'll enjoy this film. If you want to find out whether or not you enjoy offbeat films, this is a great one to test yourself on (I suggest watching it twice before you judge it).

If you're used to Julia Roberts type romantic comedies, skip this one.

I'm a Eric Stoltz fan. He was wonderful as Lester.

The film had its funny moments, but there were problems. First, it annoyed me that there was so many voiceovers by the narrator. This is unnecessary because it could have been shown in the film as dialogue. In writing it's call "show me don't tell me". The voiceovers affected the flow of the movie. Second, the ending seem quite contrived. I guess Lester forgave Ramona for sleeping with Dashelle when she was seeing Lester, but Lester's forgiveness wasn't quite clear.

Mr. Jealousy isn't your typical romantic comedy. It's smart, without being condescending. It's romantic, but not in the all-too-typical Hollywood fashion. And it has one of the best soundtracks of all time. Huh? you say as you wonder if I've had too much caffiene (which I usually do). The most overlooked portion of most movies is the music. It usually justs bobs along, telling us what we're supposed to feel without ever really envoking any true feelings. The soundtrack for Mr. Jealousy, however, stirs the pot of emotions already brewing in your soul from the movies brilliant dialogue (make sure to stick around after the credits!) and the superb chemistry between Stoltz and Sciorra. A must see for fans of the genre (ie. movies that are actually good), Mr. Jealousy deserves the acclaim that only underground success can bring.

Filmmaker Noah Baumbach nails the thing with jealousy and obsession dead on in this really sharp comedy. What makes this so much fun is the obviously high level of intelligence on display throughout the entire film. The movie hit home pretty hard; I recently met a beautiful woman I totally wigged out over and thanks to my obsessive behavior, she dropped me--not like a hot potato, but instead a volcanic one. (I hung my head for a couple of weeks after that).

Sigh. Lester, the obsessive guy in this film--played by Eric Stoltz--is so caught up in his own need to know he calls his girlfriend three times on one of the nights she says she wants to be alone, then jogs over to her house sometime after midnight. (Nothing like a wild imagination to get the better of you...sigh again). His girlfriend Ramona (Annabella Sciorra, in a perfect piece of casting) is beautiful but also pretty blithe about things and in fact, on the night in question, Lester may have had reason to think something was up...

Complicating matters is one of Ramona's ex-boyfriends, Dashiell (another well-cast role--Chris Eigemann, who does pompous and arrogant 30 something year old better than anyone in the known universe). Dash is a writer (surprise!) and has already published a book of short stories--and writer is a 'thing' Lester aspires to, although now he's a substitute teacher, and not a very good one at that.

Dash and Lester clash in a group therapy session, and how Lester got to the session is all part of Lester's obsession. The therapist, played by director Peter Bogdanovich in a surprise piece of casting, interestingly reflects Ramona's blitheness but of course applied to the field of psychotherapy rather than personal relationships. Lester's friend Vince and Vince's fiancee Lucretia also are on hand as a kind of snappy Greek chorus to both Lester and Ramona.

The main thing is that Baumbach really knows how to write very smart witty dialogue. He's a master at this, and that's what makes Mr. Jealousy a lot of fun to watch. It would be hard to find another 90s American comedy as sharp as this one--except, of course, Baumbach's OTHER 90s comedy, Kicking and Screaming. Interestingly enough, Eigemann (the Dashiell character) is a stock actor in Whit Stillman's films (Metropolitan, Barcelona) and there is some similarity between Stillman and Baumbach. But for my money, Baumbach is the man to beat.

Highly recommended--especially if you like sharp pungent comedy (with some real roaance as well).

If you liked "Kicking and Screaming," you'll love this follow up film! Funny and very honest!

A director's sophomore effort can be either a triumph or a misstep--Noah Baumbach's "Mr. Jealousy" clearly is the former. Beautifully written, acted, and directed, "Mr. Jealousy" uses sharp dialogue and comic inventiveness to explore the ways in which jealousy becomes confused with love--itself a state of confusion for adults navigating the mores of our times. Baumbach's music selections provide highly original background commentary that is never obtrusive--but then again, I may be biased by his use in the film's opening moments of some hauntingly lovely strains from Georges Delerue's memorable "Jules et Jim" score. Altogether, "Mr. Jealousy" is an underrated gem that is worth seeing and savoring.