Product Details

• Actors: Kate Lynch, Kate Kelton, Sunday Muse, Brooke D'Orsay, Bruce Greenwood
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Film Movement
• DVD Release Date: January 1, 2005
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0006VD398
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,025 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Republic of Love" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

A story of love and enchantment set in the coldest of winters it explores the issues dilemmas and barriers facing the lucky and unlucky in love in the 21st century based on the novel of the same name by pullitzer prize-winning author carol shields. Studio: Repnet Llc Release Date: 05/23/2006 Run time: 95 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Intelligent Script from a Pulitzer Prize Novelist Delivered by a Top Cast!, January 21, 2008

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Republic of Love (DVD)

THE REPUBLIC OF LOVE is yet another fine film from Canada based on Canadian Pulitzer Prize Winner (for 'The Stone Diaries') Carol Shields' novel by the same name, and written for the screen and directed by the gifted Deepa Mehta ('Earth', 'Fire', 'Water', etc). It is a satisfying story about the human boundaries set by/for love and how those 'republics' touch and clash and interact.

Tom Avery (the very gifted actor Bruce Greenwood) was an illegitimate child, raised by a homemaker class as a teaching lesson in how young brides to be should learn the skills of tending house, who has grown up, married three times out of a need for belonging and for being loved, and is currently unattached, making his living as a night talk show host helping the lonely hearts. Into his life steps the beautiful museum curator, currently involved in a Mermaid Exhibition, by the name of Fay (Emilia Fox) who remains single because of her exceptionally high demands for a partner. The two meet, fall immediately in love at first sight, much to their individual surprise, and proceed with a courtship, while at the same time encountering and observing other couples (especially their parents) who seem to hold the winning medals for perfect marriage.

Fay's parents (James Fox is Richard, the father) have just celebrated their anniversary when Richard abruptly decides to leave his wife. Fay runs to her mother's rescue, leaving Tom alone and the apparent brunt of Fay's disillusion of marriage. The changes that occur cause Tom to reflect on his history of marrying too often in unions that have not met with success. How Fay and Tom ultimately resolve the abutments of their personal 'republics' is the part of the story that carries the film.

The entire cast includes some of Canada's finest actors and the film is solidly directed by Mehta. There are aspects that disrupt the flow of the story, the main one being the incessant and very loud East Indian music that seems wholly out of place and is at best distracting (the score was written by Talvin Singh). Mehta also elects to throw in some bizarre cutesy animation at the end that for this viewer cheapens the story. But flaws aside, this is a fine film graced by the presence of Bruce Greenwood and Emilia Fox. Recommended entry from Film Movement. Grady Harp, January 08

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but could've been much better, March 1, 2010

By 

loomweaver (TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Republic of Love (DVD)

In the spirit of full disclosure, I've not read the book this is based on, so can't compare the two. The movie could've been a very sweet, funny look at love, but is marred by a couple of unneeded fairly graphic scenes (imagination is a wonderful thing), and an odd senile neighbor character I simply couldn't figure out the purpose for. I think the creators of the film probably wanted it to have a quirky, almost fantasy feel to it, but didn't quite succeed. The soundtrack/background music was completely annoying and had no relation to the characters or what was going on, and I found myself wishing there was an option to turn it off. Bruce Greenwood's performance is what makes it watchable. He turns a train wreck of a character into someone deeply appealing and charming, even though Tom is almost impossibly naive and gullible for a middle aged man. Also in the spirit of full disclosure I LOVE his voice and wish he really did have a radio show as my dial would be permanently welded onto that station.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the typical Romantic Comedy, April 15, 2010

By 

Brandon - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Republic of Love (Amazon Instant Video)

I was rather surprised by this movie. I usually am not the biggest fan of Romantic Comedies, but a friend of mine raved about this one, and the cinephile that I am, I decided to give it a shot. While it retained the feeling that no matter what happened, the romantic leads were inevitably going to end up together (I s'pose it's a romantic comedy, such things are inevitable), it managed to present this story in a very stylish way. Instead of confining the discussion to the romantic entaglements presented in the narratives, the film talked about things like the benefits and failings of routine.

Of course at times it descended into the schmaltz of love letters, utterances of 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you', and the like, but--as my female friends inform me--this is an essential element of the genre. And there were some wonderful moments of truth such as an awkward conversation about the weather that turn into embers of romance, or a moment of quiet delight when the female lead tests out an indicator of love (it's all in the fingertips). For me the hightlight of the movie was the paralellism that was presented between love and mermaids. And the direction and cinematography weren't subservient to the story: each element was allowed to explore the themes in its own way without being an illustration of the feelings of the characters. All in all, it never stopped being a Romantic Comedy, but all the while, it managed to side step insufferability.