Product Details

• Actors: Richard Chamberlain, Michael Imperioli, Ute Lemper, James Duval, Austin Pendleton
• Directors: Alan Smithee, James Merendino
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Picture This, Breaking Glass Pictures
• DVD Release Date: December 14, 2010
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008YLUP
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,795 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "A River Made to Drown In" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Brave and Artistic Film, July 10, 2003

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: A River Made to Drown In (DVD)

RIVER MADE TO DROWN IN has so much going for it that it is a shame it did not enjoy a wider audience when it was released. Perhaps with Richard Chamberlain's new book about his 'coming out' on the bookstore shelves more interest will be created for this well made, well acted, albeit dark film. This is a slice of life in LA that manages to capture an atmosphere that propels the story of a once wealthy lawyer who, dying of AIDS, returns to an ex-lover to 'replay' his former life before dying. Richard Chamberlain is Thaddeus and the 'hustler' to whom he turns is Allen, played to perfection by Michael Imperioli. Allen is still 'hustling' but at this point his target is a female gallery owner (another excellent performance by Ute Lemper). Thaddeus moves in with Allen with the proviso that Allen find Thaddeus' last hustler lover, one Jaime (again played with conviction and subtlely by James Duval)for final goodbyes. In the end all are faced with the emptiness of the 'live life for the moment ethic' of the Hustler and the John and the vacuum created by Thaddeus' death seems to open the door of possible change for those remaining.

Though obviously a low budget film, the director makes excellent use of lighting and locations to create the seedy stench of Santa Monica Bovd and the attendant degrading scenes. The music score uses Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus" and the 'Lacrymosa' from his Requiem to fine effect. In the end it is the quality of performances by Chamberlain, Imperioli (his most sensitive role to date and not at all like his role in The Sopranos), Lemper, and Duval (along with some fine cameo roles from the supporting cast) that makes this a film well worth seeing. Though not for the staunchly homophobic viewer, the general public will gain a better understanding about a segment of life that is usually hidden from view.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Getting Some Direction in Life, July 2, 2003

By 

interested_observer "interested_observer" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A River Made to Drown In (DVD)

"River Made To Drown In" looks at Allen Hayden (played by Michael Imperioli), an ex-hustler trying to make good as a modern painter. Allen is wooing an encouraging, well-to-do art gallery owner, Eva Kline (played by Ute Lemper). Then along comes Thaddeus MacKenzie (played by Richard Chamberlain), a wealthy lawyer client of Allen's from years back. Thaddeus, closing out his life before he dies from AIDS, asks to stay with Allen and asks Allen to perform one last favor, to find another, current hustler named Jaime (played by James Duval). Thaddeus loved just Allen and Jaime and wants to do well by both of them. Allen resists but takes on the task. What does Eva think of all this? Why does Jaime lead so dangerous life and not cooperate? As events move along, Allen has to figure out who he really is and how he can make a difference. He ends up an ok guy.

It is surprising such a movie would have so strong a cast in the key roles. Chamberlain gives Thaddeus a hearty gay-CEO bonhommie, deliberately (and appropriately) trying to bluster and charm his way past others. Michael Imperioli's Allen is a defensive guy in a shell who lashes out when others get too close. James Duval's Jaime is a believably wary hustler and a believably seeking Buddhist. The supporting cast is fair.

The concept of Allen's character development was interesting. The script was moderately good.

Allen and Jaime have some dreary to mildly kinky discreet sex scenes with clients. Skin shots are primarily and frequently of Allen. Jaime and Thaddeus display considerably less. In this arena, the back cover of the DVD case, the DVD itself, and the menu all contain a hot-looking picture of Jaime and his co-worker Luis (played by Michael Saucedo) in a bathtub. In the movie, there are only a couple of five-second glorified head-shots from this scene. This advertising still/deleted material could have gone into a photo gallery.

The end credits announce a "making of" team, but the DVD has no "making of", deleted scenes, interviews, photo gallery, or commentary. The film deserves more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes you long for a river to drown in!, March 23, 2010

By 

Monty Harrison "Monty" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A River Made to Drown In (DVD)

The director of this film (James Merendino) wished to remain anonymous -hence the use of the name Allen Smithee in the publicity. It is clear to see why the Meredino decided not to have his name attached to this tedious work. The script never really gets beyond the mundane; it is stilted and gives the impression of being written by a group of drama students extemporising on the nature of relationships. The line "I prefer warm hearted conversation to frigid sex anytime ..." may have been said with a slight irony (the line ends "...actually I'm lying"); but once you realize that this is the best line in the movie you KNOW that you are in for a tedious viewing.

The story is, ostensibly, about a dying lawyer (Thaddeus MacKenzie, played by Richard Chamberlain) trying to spend his final days with the only people that have meant anything to him (two young hustlers). Unfortunately, the major flaw in this film is that none of the main characters have any redeeming features. As a result, the audience can never meaningfully engage with the central characters' situation. This is not good for retaining the viewer's attention (well not this viewer's attention anyway).

Chamberlain's performance is painful and makes you long for a power-cut so that the misery can end. At one point, infuriated with the ex young hustler, he attacks him with the piercing phrase "You're as transparent as cheap crystal". His portrayal, of a man dying from an HIV related illness, is wooden and pedestrian. To borrow a phrase from Gore Vidal, or was it Noel Coward? "You'd have to have a heart of stone not to have laughed out loud at MacKenzie's eventual demise"

This film was banned in Singapore, probably on the grounds that no one should be subjected to gay-themed cinema that is this bad! You have been warned.