Customer Reviews

Untamed Heart [VHS]

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This film is an unlikely romance that works on many levels. Deftly directed by Tony Bill who shows a penchant for handling delicate sentiments as if they were gossamer threads, this film is truly one of the most romantic that I have seen. That this is so, despite the fact that many of the most romantic moments take place in a downtown Minneapolis diner, a dingy basement apartment, the front porch of a house in a blue collar, working class neighborhood, or in an old dilapidated clunker of a car, is a testament to the ability of the director.

Marisa Tomei is luminous as Caroline, the Minneapolis waitress with self-esteem problems who looks for love in all the wrong places, before finding it right where she works. She imbues Caroline with just the right measure of street smarts, working class edge, and little girl vulnerability. She is a needy, though nice, young woman who desperately wants to love and be loved. Unfortunately, the guys she meets tend to treat her as a one night stand. Sensitive and romantic Adam, the reticent and quirky busboy who works the night shift with Caroline, is just what the doctor ordered.

As Adam, Caroline's veritable knight in shining armor, Christian Slater gives his best performance ever. An orphan with a disability that he cloaks with an intriguing story, Adam is a true romantic hero. His quiet sincerity, delicate sensibilities, and apparent contentment in worshipping from afar touch Caroline, tugging at her heart strings. You see, he treats her as if she were a princess rather than as a strumpet. Christian Slater's sensitive and moving performance in a difficult role strikes just the right note. I would bet that nearly every woman who watches this film succumbs to his charms and finds herself half falling in love with him.

The film seems to tell the viewer that once one has love in one's grasp, hold it tightly, as one never knows what the fates may have in store. Though the ending may be somewhat predictable, it will not stop the viewer from needing a hanky. This is a wonderful film that will greatly appeal to those viewers with a romantic streak in their hearts. Beautifully directed and with superlative performances by Marissa Tomei and Christian Slater, it is a film that merits being in one's personal collection.

Sure we've seen Christian Slater in the rough movies, sure Marisa Tomei has been the pseudo-sophisticated, gum cracking chick in My Cousin Vinny; and of course Rosie Perez bit off juicier movie roles in White Men Can't Jump and Fearless. But here each actor is completely out of character [but in a great departure from their usual parts] in their portrayals of small town young people struggling to make a living (and an impact somehow in their own lives). There's one disturbing scene of abuse, but otherwise Untamed Heart is a sensitive, gentle love story with genuine performances by talented actors. It will touch you and make you both laugh and cry.

I've just finished reviewing Titanic and decided to check out what people said about a real romance. I was surprised that I'm the first one to have anything to say about it. I had always pictured Slater as a bad-boy especially considering his most recent run-ins with the law. In an interview he said that his role in this film was the one he missed the most. By watching this film one sees why. Slater gives a surprising and welcoming performance as a shy busboy secretly in love with an unlucky waitress. Tomei and Slater have wonderful chemistry on-screen and it is just beautiful to see the two of them fall in love. I realized why Tomei won an Oscar the previous year. There is nothing new in this film that will attract the average romantic. Rather, the way the story is exected is what draws an audience in. Now if only a certain boat movie had followed this example before creating an expensive mess...

For those of us who have already "met" Christian Slater and Marisa Tomei in their star-making roles, "Untamed Heart" offers a series of pleasant surprises to go along with a tear-jerker of a plot.

Slater has made a career out of channeling Jack Nicholson into Generation X roles in such movies as "Heathers" and "True Romance" (which also came out in 1993, at the same time as "Untamed Heart"). In these movies, Slater is the smart-*ss with the devilish grin and irresistable command of the quip. Adam, his role in "Untamed Heart," could not be a further departure from Clarence of "True Romance." An orphan with a weak heart, Adam speaks seldom but feels deeply, even though he's never had a relationship with a woman. As a busboy and janitor for a small-time Minneapolis diner, he falls in a big way for Carolina (Marisa Tomei), a waitress at the diner. But even though Adam feels big feelings for Caroline, Slater wisely restrains himself - I don't think we even get a single arched eyebrow!

Caroline is also a departure for Tomei from the wise-cracking Noo Yawka she played in her career-making "My Cousin Vinnie." Caroline is one of those girls everyone knows in high school but never appears in the movies -- a cute gal whose talents lie buried under massive self-esteem issues. Soft-spoken except with her family and fellow waitresses, Caroline is forever starting ventures but never finishing them. We also get the sense that Caroline has gotten "familiar" with a lotta guys over the years.

Adam thwarts an ugly attempted rape as two guys "escort" Caroline home on a chilly night. In a lesser movie, Caroline would have instantly jumped into the sack with her hero to "reward" him for his chivalry, but Caroline regards Adam with a confused wariness that's quite believable. This reserve gradually melts, and soon Adam and Caroline are engaged in a very serious courtship -- Caroline is serious about Adam because he seems genuine, and Adam is serious about Caroline because he's incapable of being any other way.

These two characters truly merge on-screen into a believable couple, and their dialogue, while unusual, never ring false or contrived. Indeed, this movie rings true with all the hallmarks of "regular folks" just getting by with their daily lives. Even though it's set in Minnesota and has a few laughs, don't go looking for "Fargo"-style humor about Minnesotans. Even Rosie Perez, who can go as broad as humanly possible with the stereotypical Latina behavior, dials it down a notch or two in her role as Caroline's best friend, Cindy. Notice the look in her eye when she tells Caroline that Adam is, in a sense, "sponge-worthy." Even though it's funny, she doesn't really play it for laughs -- this is the kind of evaluation that occurs when you're closing up on the graveyard shift at the local diner.

A restrained "chick flick," "Untamed Heart" is a must for the film library if you're a fan of "weepies" (you know, "Terms of Endearment," "Love Story," and the like). While I'm not a huge fan of the sub-genre of romance films, I have to say that "Untamed Heart" offered a surprising amount of truth in its well-drawn, well-acted characters. (The soundtrack offers a lot of gems, too, including the Cowboy Junkies doing "Moon River. A big clue as to the movie's plot comes from the constant use of "Nature Boy" from "Moulin Rouge," too.)

I remember seeing this in the movies on valentine's day with a guy who I went out with on our first date. I was not prepared for the emotion of this movie. I cried sooo much in the theater that I was embarressed. Funny part is when the movie was over I looked at my date and he was wiping the tears from his eyes. That was quite some time ago but I have recommended the movie to all my friends and family who love Romance movies. The acting is superb and the story is so original. I recommend this movie with a box of tissue !!!!!

Holy Cow!!! This Is One Awesome Movie!!!! I myself am one die hard romance movie buff. I hate it sometimes cause whenever i go to the video rental place there aren't any movies for me to rent!!!! the whole romance/drama section is just a bunch of movies i've seen. I love romance movies more than anything. but anyways, this movie was awesome. the ending left me really sad but i like that. i've never really liked christian slater but he did one great job in this movie!!! and marissa tomei did one great job too!!!! i love this movie and i'd watch it with any one of u out there who wants to watch it!!! :) i'm actually in the process of buying it now, if u can believe that!!! anyways, buy the movie, rent the movie, whatever, JUST SEE THE MOVIE!!!!!!

So a lot of folks come away with a lot of mixed feelings regarding this movie. Ok, understood. Some people say that `On The Road' was boring and that they didn't get it. Not all the great masterpieces are appealing to everyone. But I think the problem is that you have to see this movie during a point of quiet, and when you're not expecting it. That's when books and films have a way of sneaking up on a person and hitting you over the head for all they're worth.

Untamed Heart was a film that came out when the market was already flooded with similar films, but with different messages, but none as endearing and honest. Young actors weren't in short supply by any means either. Independent Film was being given a second wind, too by younger and more eager Directors than the ones making multi-million dollar big budget pictures. A lot of those films have faded away, and yet this movie still has a credible amount of relevance and a striking amount of nostalgia and appeal.

The most interesting thing about this though is that this was a one-hit wonder in terms of writing by Tom Sierchio. The story is so well developed that it unfolds as if it were an adaptation from a best-seller. Snooping the internet, looking for information about his whereabouts, one comes up dry, realizing this was all that there was, and nothing more. The other possibility is that this film was ghost-written by someone else more famous and for whatever reasons 'Tom Sierchio' was the name given credit for the screenwriting. This kind of thing does happen from time to time as David Mamet has kept his name off of a few films and other well-known writers and Writer-cum-celeb's have done the same. Until someone posts a message about 'Tom Sierchio', I'm going with the latter of the ideas.

Untamed Heart is probably the closing arc of Christian Slater's early career, what he does now is anybody's guess, but to say that he squandered his fame and his carte-blanche is an understatement. It's strange to imagine that he worked on this film directly after coming off the set of the violent and over-the-top True Romance. Most of the reviews here, and on other sites, like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, all state that this film encapsulates Slater's best film performance by far. It's hard to disagree, even if you're a fan of Pump up The Volume, Heathers or True Romance. It's easy to be out of control, but harder to be serene, on camera or off. Just look how most people live their lives and consider how most people would like to live their lives.

The music is also stand out and signature. Several of the songs played will probably forever remind those that have seen this movie of Untamed Heart, Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner and Nat King Cole's Nature Boy are the most prevalent.

Untamed Heart stars Christian Slater, Marisa Tomei, and Rosie Perez. All three work in a diner where Slater is a busboy, while Tomei and Perez play waitresses. Tomei plays Caroline, and is kind of a ditzy girl, but very sweet. Seems she has a problem with the boys she goes out with, in that they don't treat her particularly well, cheating on her and such. Perez plays Cindy, the more streetwise friend who tries to help Caroline out when she can, setting her up on dates, and commiserating with her when things go poorly. Slater plays Adam, a quiet and shy person who has a crush on Caroline. Cindy thinks Adam is mentally disabled, since he very rarely says two words, but Caroline sees him a little different, with more of an understanding attitude, but not as a romantic interest, at least at the beginning of the movie.

As the movie progresses, we see Adam saving Caroline from a particularly nasty situation when she is attacked by two men on her way home from work one night. When she finds out it was Adam that saved her and cared for her, she begins to look beneath the surface at Adam, and finds more than she expected. She learns of his feelings for her, and they develop a relationship, and fall in love. Actually, Adam has always been in love with Caroline, so it's just Caroline who comes around feeling for Adam what he feels for her. In getting to know Adam, Caroline learns that Adam was an orphan with a weak heart, and the nuns in the orphanage gave him some story about him having a baboon heart, which he still believed to this day. Their relationship is very sweet, as we see Adam's unrequited love fulfill, and Caroline finds someone who treats her the way she should be treated, the way anybody should be treated, with love, caring, thoughtfulness, and respect. Well, things are going really well, until the two guys that attacked Caroline and were subsequently beat up by Adam show up again and are looking for revenge on Adam. I don't want to go any further, as that would spoil things for someone who hasn't seen this yet, but I really liked how this movie ended.

I guess one of the reasons I like this movie so much is I could kind of identify with Slater's character, being awkward and shy myself in school. I know how it was to have a deep crush on someone, and yet not be able to bring yourself to tell that person how you feel. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep that kind of thing inside, but then if you let it out, there is a good chance that you may spoil the fantasy with the harsh reality. There were one or two points in the movie when I did tear up a little, and that doesn't happen often for me while watching movies (Old Yeller, Pride of the Yankees, Goodbye Mr. Chips). Slater plays his character well, and Tomei is incredibly cute and seems to pull off the sort of ditzy, but sweet and caring girl quite well. Perez also does a good job in her role. A sweet and sappy movie, for sure, but very watchable. Not much with regards to special features, but you do get an excellent wide screen presentation.

Where do I begin? This is one of my most favorite romantic movies of all time! To say it was sweet and yet sad does not even begin to do it justice. This movie draws you in heart and soul. You feel sorry for Adam's tragic life of being left alone as a child because of his bad heart. Then you feel bad for him because he is alone as an adult. Yet at the same time, you feel bad that Caroline can't find love or a decent guy to share time with. Then she finds Adam! When Adam saves her from two rapists, you can't help but believe that chivalry is alive again! You can see Slater and Tomei's chemistry together and they just seem to "fit". One of the most touching parts of the movie for me was when Caroline was cutting Adam's hair and they had a beautiful conversation and he opened his heart about being alone because the Nuns felt it better not to hurt his health by letting him be out with people. Slater did an excellent job of portraying his loneliness, but he also showed a gentleness you don't see in the movies much these days. Adam (Slater) opens up to Caroline and she sees that he has a heart of gold. Caroline (Tomei) did an excellent job taking Adam's love and the two fell in deep! If you love romance movies, you will love this! You will be rooting for the characters all the way! This movie is one you can watch over and over again and never get tired of it. Rent it, or better, "Buy it" today!!!

Easily one of my favorite films. The chemistry between Marisa Tomei & Christian Slater is magical, and has you longing for something remotely similar. Rosie Perez' character is typically annoying, but not as much of a distraction as she normally is in films, because you spend most of the film pining for Caroline & Adam to be together.

Yeah, sometimes the plot seems silly/dumb, but so is life :-)

If you have seen "Before Sunrise," "Bed Of Roses," and other similar movies and enjoyed them, then you'll like this one too. I wouldn't be surprised if James Cameron lifted a little from this movie for "Titanic."

Who would enjoy this movie? Anyone who's romantic at heart :-)